Hotel Receptionist: What is the cost of hiring?

Why recruit a hotel receptionist?

If you run a hotel, guesthouse or other type of accommodation setting, guests typically expect a person with whom they can communicate in person. Even though self-check-in systems have become more commonplace in recent years, particularly for establishments that aren’t traditional hotels, having a dedicated hotel receptionist on-site offers many additional benefits. A friendly greeting helps guests to feel welcome, and having on-site support ensures that issues are addressed promptly, potentially facilitating higher levels of guest satisfaction.

You might consider recruiting for this role if your accommodation business caters to multiple parties at the same time, managing reservations is putting strain on your existing workforce or guests are expressing dissatisfaction with your customer service.

Contributions of a great hotel receptionist:

• Greeting guests warmly, overseeing a smooth check-in and handling guests’ queries or problems
• Managing bookings and updating systems in real time
• Coordinating with housekeeping and other departments as needed

What are the types of hotel receptionists?

While the role of a hotel receptionist is fairly distinct, one way to categorise these professionals is by the size of the establishment and the level of service it provides. A hotel receptionist working in a student hostel may require different hard and soft skills to a peer working at a renowned, five-star hotel. A subtype of hotel receptionist is a night receptionist – these workers may interface less with guests and not need to multitask as much as their daytime counterparts, but they might be expected to perform different duties, like keeping an eye on security concerns or handling emergencies when there are fewer other staff on-site.

Similar positions to a hotel receptionist include:

• Reservations agent: handling room bookings, cancellations and availability behind the scenes, typically using a combination of phone calls, email and reservation software
• Hotel concierge: focusing on providing personal recommendations and making arrangements for guests, such as restaurant reservations or concert tickets, these professionals are usually a feature of luxury hotels
• Hotel administrator: managing administrative tasks for the establishment, such as invoicing and accounts, reports and, in some cases, staffing duties such as payroll and training

When writing your hotel receptionist job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on hotel receptionist jobs, according to Indeed data:

• Receptionist
• Hotel receptionist
• Hotel
• Admin
• Customer service
• Hospitality
• Administration
• Live in
• Office assistant
• Front of house

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Where to find hotel receptionists?

To find the right hotel receptionist for your business, consider trying out a few different recruitment strategies:

• Colleges and hospitality training providers: partnering with local colleges offering hospitality, tourism or customer service courses can help you connect with newly qualified candidates
• Referrals from existing employees or industry peers: staff or peers in your network may know of reliable hotel receptionists looking for a new role
• Recruitment agencies: specialist hospitality recruiters can provide you with experienced reception staff who are pre-screened, while temp agencies could help you address your seasonal hiring.
• Post your job online: Try posting your hotel receptionist job on Indeed to find and attract quality hotel receptionist candidates.

Skills to look for in a hotel receptionist

A successful hotel receptionist candidate will typically have the following skills and competencies, which may be gained through a variety of experiences, training or education:

• Exceptional customer-service skills: a key priority for this role
• A welcoming, professional manner with guests and colleagues
• Organisational skills and strong attention to detail when handling bookings
• Confident verbal communication, including active listening and relaying messages between departments
• Familiarity with hotel booking systems and front desk software
• Ability to remain calm and solution-focused when managing guest concerns

Writing a hotel receptionist job description

Now that you know the key skills, salary expectations, popular jobseeker search terms and recruitment insights for a hotel receptionist, you’re ready to write a job description.

A hotel receptionist job description typically includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities and the required and preferred skills for the position. You may also want to include information about your company culture, benefits and perks to attract candidates to your open role.

Ready to get started? See our full guide for writing hotel receptionist job descriptions.

Interviewing hotel receptionist candidates

Strong candidates for hotel receptionist positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• Check-in and checkout procedures
• Handling guest queries, complaints and special requests
• What to do when discovering a double booking
• Specific hotel booking systems or front desk software
• Working collaboratively with housekeeping, maintenance or management teams

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of hotel receptionist interview questions for examples (with sample answers).