Hotel Receptionist Job Description, Key Duties and Responsibilities

This post provides complete information on the job description of a hotel receptionist, including the tasks, duties, and responsibilities that they perform.

What Does a Hotel Receptionist Do?

A hotel receptionist is a trained staff whose duties include welcoming guests to the hotel, making reservations for them and attending to their other needs that are instrumental to their comfort during their stay at the hotel.

The job description of the hotel receptionist involves ensuring that guests experience maximum comfort and satisfaction at the hotel without any hitches in order to present a good image of the hotel and leave lasting impressions in the minds of visitors.

While the receptionist maintains high level of professionalism in dealing with guests, he or she is very courteous and friendly in order to make guests feel relaxed and at home in the hotel.

As the first person whom guests come in contact with, the role of the receptionist is to give clients a remarkable first impression about the hotel, and welcomes them warmly with a broad smile as they make their reservations.

Hotel receptionists have to be smartly and neatly dressed always, and should be in the know of all activities going on in the hotel.

Therefore, they must have their ears on the ground at all times to know what is happening to be able to keep records and answer questions related to activities at the hotel.

They serve as the backbone of the hotel manager and are responsible for diligently recording all reservations and bookings made by guests and presenting them to the manager for record keeping and account balancing to know the level of business development in the hotel.

As the person guests meet first, the receptionist is conversant with the latest pricing rates in the hotel, and informs guest of current special offers and promotions in order to increase revenue and win more customers.

Hotel Receptionist Job Description Sample/Example/Template

The duties, tasks, and responsibilities of most hotel receptionists are listed in the sample job description below:

• Receive guests to the hotel by greeting them warmly, and attending to their inquiries and also answer inquirers over the phone.
• Inform guests of the services and accommodation rates in the hotel, make reservations for guests according to their needs, and also make sure that all reservations cancelled are effected immediately to avoid confusion.
• Build good relationship and rapport with guests to make them feel comfortable and address any complaints they might have in a very courteous manner to protect the image of the hotel.
• Keep clear and comprehensive records of guest room bookings and all billings for accountability and future reference.
• Maintain orderliness at the front desk by arranging documents accordingly and keeping the front desk area clean at all times to avoid rowdiness.
• Attend to all routes of room bookings, such as online, phone, and in person, to ensure that reservations are not left hanging but attended to promptly to keep the hotel business running
• Report issues of maintenance and malfunctioning appliances to the manager for quick repair in order to ensure guests comfort and satisfaction.

The above example of the hotel receptionist job description can serve as a good source of information in making a resume for the position, especially in writing the professional experience section of the resume.

Hotel Receptionist Requirements: Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities for Career Success

The skills, knowledge, and other qualities expected of the hotel receptionist include the following:

• Exhibit excellent knowledge of customer service.
• Good interpersonal skills.
• Must be orderly.
• Ability to multi-task.
• Good crisis management skills.

Hotel Receptionist Resources

To help in making you a better hotel receptionist and taking your career to the top, here are useful resources you can access:

Professional Organizations

Useful Blogs

Helpful Books