Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks

Job openings in the hotel, motel and resort industry are forecasted to be plentiful as employees either retiree or leave the field. There will be many replacement opportunities for hotel clerks within the next few years. Hotel clerks usually have very flexible schedules allowing them to work evening, part-time and weekend hours. This means that individuals working as a desk clerk are given flexible scheduling choices. A desk clerk must be conscientious of their professional appearance. Most desk clerks have an upbeat and dynamic personality. These two factors are usually more important than having formal training in the hotel, motel or resort industry.

Desk clerks in the hotel, motel and resort industry are responsible for performing a number of guest services. A desk clerk must register guests, check out guests and assign rooms. The hotel desk clerk is responsible for keeping organized records of room assignments and other information that is related to guest registration. When a guest is ready to check out the hotel desk clerk is responsible for the preparation and processing of the guests payment.

A front desk clerk is also on public display. This means that a front desk clerk must possess a cheerful personality as the front desk clerk is a representative of the hotel establishment. The front desk clerks attitude can greatly influence how a guest feels about their temporary lodgings. Desk clerks must have strong communication skills as a desk clerk is required to answer questions about guest services, checkout times and other questions that may b asked. A desk clerk must be informative and knowledge in the guest services the hotel provides traveler with.

A desk clerk, in smaller establishments, is also expected to supervise all front-office operations. These extra duties may include bookkeeping, acting as reservation agent, telephone switchboard operator and laundry attendant.

Depending on the type of establishment the desk clerk is employed by the desk clerk may have to work evenings, weekends and holidays. Many hotels operate on a twenty-four hour shift so this requires personnel twenty-four hours a day. A desk clerk may be asked to lift or carry heavy luggage at times. Only half of all employed desk clerks work a full forty hours a week. A desk clerk is usually employed part-time or on a seasonal basis. A desk clerk works in a hotel, motel or resort setting.

The salary for a desk clerk is relatively low. This is because the job requires little or no formal training. Oftentimes personality outweighs educational training.