Up and Coming Careers

December 8, 2009 | Category: Up and Coming Careers

A hotel clerk goes over a pamphlet with a guest. Hotel and Resort Desk Clerks
Guests who check into a hotel, motel or resort have high expectations. They are either there to relax or work away from home. They expect everything else to be handled, they don’t have want to worry about anything else.

And the public face of a hotel - the person who helps the guest from check-in to checkout - is the desk clerk. In the hotel business, their friendly demeanor and helpful attitude can make all the difference in a return visit from a guest. And the industry is looking for a few more people to fill that role.

Median Wages

$9.37 hourly
$19,480 annual

Things to Consider

Are you friendly and a good communicator?
Do you actively look for ways to help people?
Are you experienced with computer systems?
Do you write well?

Career Growth
The demand for hotel and resort desk clerks is expected to grow faster than the average job, at a rate of 14 to 19 percent more by 2018. Between 2008 and 2018, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts an additional 109,500 clerks will be hired.

Typical Work Activities

Make reservations.
Great, register and assign rooms to guests, as well as issue room keys and give instructions to bellhops.
Route guest problems to the appropriate hotel service or manager.
Use computer systems to post charges, bill guests, balance accounts and conduct nightly audits.

Work Environment and Hours
Three of every four desk clerks works at least 40 hours a week in hotels, motels and resorts. Because guests may check-in or check-out at any time, night and weekend work is common.

How Do I Become a Hotel or Resort Desk Clerk?
Most desk clerks learn the position through on-the-job training to become familiar with their job duties and the hotel’s systems. Postsecondary education isn’t required, but some coursework or training is helpful. Many Goodwill organizations provide this training.

There is 1 recognized apprenticeable specialty associated with this occupation: Hotel Associate. To learn about specific apprenticeship opportunities, please consult the U.S. Department of Labor State Apprenticeship Information website.

If you want to be hired as a desk clerk, most organizations look for people who are friendly, service-oriented, well groomed and display good judgment, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

For more information about this and related positions, visit the related articles on O*NET OnLine and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, our sources for this article.

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uberVU - social comments February 15, 2010 12:45 pm
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