Hotel Clerk

A Hotel Clerk provides a variety of services for hotel guests. As a Hotel Clerk, you’re often the first person a guest sees, and your attitude sets the tone for their entire stay. That’s a lot of pressure, but service with a smile and a pleasant attitude is the Hotel Clerk’s specialty.

Whether checking guests in or out, you’re responsible for providing the necessary information. For example, when a guest arrives, you receive payment, gather identification and personal information, and process the transaction. You then give them information such as their room number, room location, checkout times, and any other policies. This information is critical to the guest’s stay, and to your hotel’s overall reputation as well.

Basic mathematics, English, and computer skills are required to work as a Hotel Clerk. The computerized data management system you use may do the math for you, but if it breaks, you’re going to have to take over. Keeping your chin up and working through difficult situations are also part of the job. At times, you’ll field complaints and deal with unhappy hotel guests, and you must decide when to give in and when to rely on company policy to settle the dispute.

The ability to sit, stand, climb, bend, and lift up to 30 pounds repeatedly during a shift is essential. That’s because you may be expected (especially in smaller hotels) to fill vending machines, deliver goods (like toothbrushes, shampoos, and irons) to guests’ rooms, and do light maintenance tasks (like changing light bulbs and emptying the garbage).