What Does Hotel Receptionist Do (With Salary And Skills)

Updated 19 January 2023

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Having an exceptional receptionist or front desk executive who attends to customers in a timely manner can add immense value and professionalism to a hotel business. Besides the rewarding pay and perks offered by this job, a career as a hotel receptionist can help one learn valuable skills in time management, customer relations, and multitasking. Understanding what a hotel receptionist does can help one explore this career in detail and decide if it suits their aptitude and professional aspirations.

In this article, we explore the major responsibilities of a hotel receptionist, the average pay offered and the requirements to pursue this career.

What Does A Hotel Receptionist Do?

If you are wondering, "What does a hotel receptionist do?", here are the main responsibilities of these professionals:

Welcoming and greeting guests

The first and foremost duty of a hotel receptionist is to make the guest feel welcome and at home. Front desk executives must greet visitors with a friendly smile and warm demeanor, and attend to them as soon as possible. An immaculate dressing sense and confident speech are necessary to create the right first impression on the guest.

Managing guest check-in and check-out

A hotel receptionist is responsible for all aspects of guest check-in and check-out. Check-in processes might include verifying guest information, handing over the keys, and providing the guest with information about hotel facilities. These professionals are responsible to ensure that guests complete the check-in process swiftly and smoothly. The check-out process may involve settling outstanding payments and return of keys.

Managing phone and online bookings

A hotel receptionist is responsible for handling all hotel bookings- telephone and online. This involves filling reservation records, verifying the appropriate time of guest arrival, and ensuring that the correct room is available to the guest upon entering the hotel. Other related duties also involve managing cancellations and updating the reservation records accordingly.

Providing information about the hotel and answering queries

Hotel front desk executives are responsible for answering all queries from visitors regarding pricing, offers, and hotel amenities. These executives provide timely support and guidance to guests, note down complaints and suggestions and provide resolutions. They are also responsible to attend to incoming calls and redirecting them to the concerned departments.

Verifying and processing the payment by guests

Receptionists are responsible to ensure that payments happen in a smooth and glitch-free manner. The main duties here involve verifying guests' payment methods and credit cards. Receptionists also ensure accurate recordings of tax and charges, personal information of cardholders, verification of credit card limit, and capture of fraudulent credit cards.

Keeping up-to-date about local attractions

Often, guests request information about local attractions and places of interest. It is the responsibility of a hotel receptionist to keep oneself abreast of information about places of interest to visitors. Additional data that a front desk executive can help guests with is local transport information, weather, and local guides.

Organizing pickup and drop services at guest's request

Many hotels provide pickup and drop facilities to guests upon request. It is the responsibility of the hotel receptionist to ensure the movement of guests to and from the venue as specified. Front desk executives usually coordinate with the travel desk to organize these pickups and drops for guests.

Ensuring relevant preparation for conferences

Hotel receptionists often serve as a host to meetings, conferences, and events conducted on the hotel premises. It is the responsibility of this professional to ensure that the requested conference rooms are ready and available at the specified time and that all equipment works as expected. Receptionists work to ensure that conferences and events happen in a smooth and glitch-free manner.

Salary Of A Hotel Receptionist

A hotel receptionist earns an average salary of ₹13,996 per month. The pay can vary depending on various factors. This can include the hotel, location, and the number of years of experience.

Requirements Of A Hotel Receptionist

The following are the basic requirements to pursue a career as a hotel receptionist:

Educational qualifications

The common educational qualification to become a hotel receptionist is a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration or Hotel Management. Some hotels may also hire candidates with a high school diploma in a suitable field. Considerable technical expertise in hotel reservation software like roomkeyPMS and Cloudbeds is also beneficial.

Work experience

While employers hire freshers for the position of the hotel receptionist, an experience of at least 1 year in customer service or at least 2 years in the hospitality industry is ideal.

Skills of hotel receptionist

The following are important qualities and skills for a hotel receptionist:

Professional and neat appearance

A hotel receptionist needs to be presentable and have immaculate dressing skills. A neat and professional appearance is integral and helps one make a great first impression on the guests. Since hotel receptionists are the face of the brand, it is exceptionally important that these professionals present themselves well to guests.

Well-versed in multiple languages

A key skill while working as a hotel receptionist is the ability to speak multiple languages. In addition to the local language, the ability to converse in other languages can help guests feel more comfortable and at ease. During instances when a guest is not fluent in English or the local language, conversing with the guest in a familiar language can add significant value to the customer's overall experience.

Problem-solving skills

Working as a hotel receptionist can see many tricky situations daily. Thus, this profession requires that the front desk executive has excellent problem-solving and critical thinking skills to manage difficult situations with ease. Good problem-solving skills can also help provide customers with timely resolutions to their issues and concerns, thus increasing customer satisfaction.

Stamina

An integral requirement to working as a hotel receptionist is physical stamina. A hotel receptionist may require to stand for long hours while attending to customers, which demands considerable stamina and physical fitness. Thus, it is important to keep oneself healthy and physically agile to cater to the demands of this profession.

Ability to keep calm in stressful situations

A calm and composed demeanor is integral to being a hotel receptionist. Customers can be difficult at times, and during these situations, it is extremely important that a receptionist maintains calmness and composure. The ability to think clearly during stressful situations is a valuable skill to have in this profession.

Detail-oriented and organized

Hotel receptionists perform a lot of multitasking in their daily duties. Since professionals are prone to make mistakes while multi-tasking, excellent organizational skills are highly integral to this career. Good attention to detail can help one focus on minor details and keep track of the progression of multiple tasks.

Good interpersonal skills

Good interpersonal skills are crucial while working as a hotel receptionist. Since these professionals work along with an entire team, it is important that they possess good team skills. It is important to let the employer know that you can work with a team and get along with a variety of people.

Flexibility to work in shifts

Since hotels operate 24/7, a hotel receptionist will likely require to work multiple shifts when needed. Guests arrive and depart at different times of the day and night, it is important to have a front desk executive to cater to customer needs at all times. As a receptionist, it requires one to be flexible to work odd shifts and holidays if required.

Good communication skills

Excellent communication skills are essential to performing well as a hotel receptionist. A receptionist answers customer queries and coordinates with other team members, and thus it is important that the professional has excellent verbal skills. Good written skills are also valuable assets in this profession.

Computer literacy

As a front office executive for a hotel, you will need to be adept at the Microsoft Office suite of programs to perform various administrative jobs. Basic computer skills are an important prerequisite that employers look for while hiring for the position of a front office executive. Most hotels use property management software and an ability to use these can be helpful in this profession.

Salary figures reflect data listed on Indeed Salaries and the quoted websites at the time of writing. Salaries may vary depending on the hiring organization and a candidate's experience, academic background, and location.

Please note that none of the companies mentioned in this article are affiliated with Indeed.