Hotel and Motel Front Office Attendant

Summary

Hotel and motel front office attendants look after the needs of guests on arrival and during their stay in a hotel or motel.

Duties & Tasks

Front office attendants may perform the following tasks:

  • receive reservations for accommodation from clients, either in person, online, telephone, fax or email
  • take guests' details and allocate their rooms
  • talk to transport carriers (airlines, bus companies, rental car agencies, for example) to make and confirm travel arrangements for guests
  • inform guests of the hotel/motel's services and facilities, policies and procedures
  • provide tourist information to guests
  • make reservations for sightseeing tours, restaurants, the cinema and live entertainment
  • deal with enquiries and requests from guests
  • take messages for guests
  • finalise guests' bills and issue receipts upon payment
  • arrange accommodation for guests travelling to other destinations
  • perform cashier duties and exchange foreign currency
  • place guests' possessions in a safe if requested
  • coordinate the cleaning of guests' personal laundry, shoe shining and room service deliveries
  • follow in-house procedures to help ensure the security of guests and employees
  • perform general secretarial duties, such as preparing correspondence and attending to a switchboard.

Working Conditions

In a small or medium-sized hotel, all of the above duties may be carried out by one person. However, in an international standard hotel, several attendants may be employed. Each attendant is allocated a set of specific duties to perform (for example, one may attend to guest reception, another may be responsible for the switchboard, while another works as an information officer).

Hotel and motel front office attendants usually work shifts including evenings, weekends and public holidays.

Personal Requirements

  • enjoy working with people
  • friendly, helpful and patient
  • able to assist guests with a limited understanding of English
  • good communication and interpersonal skills
  • able to record information accurately
  • able to work as a leader and as part of a team
  • able to project a professional manner at all times
  • flexible and resourceful
  • able to stay calm in difficult situations.

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