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All About Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks
Desk Clerk Job Description Accommodate hotel, motel, and resort patrons by registering and assigning rooms to guests, issuing room keys or cards, transmitting and receiving messages, keeping records of occupied rooms and guests’ accounts, making and confirming reservations, and presenting statements to and collecting payments from departing guests.
Life As a Desk Clerk: What Do They Do?
- Greet, register, and assign rooms to guests of hotels or motels.
- Issue room keys and escort instructions to bellhops.
- Advise housekeeping staff when rooms have been vacated and are ready for cleaning.
- Deposit guests’ valuables in hotel safes or safe-deposit boxes.
- Compute bills, collect payments, and make change for guests.
- Contact housekeeping or maintenance staff when guests report problems.
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Things a Desk Clerk Should Know How to Do
When polled, Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Other Desk Clerk Job Titles
- Hall Clerk
- Front Desk Agent
- Motel Clerk
- Front Desk Associate
- Register Clerk
Are There Job Opportunities for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks?
There were about 252,600 jobs for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerk in 2016 (in the United States). New jobs are being produced at a rate of 4.4% which is below the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 11,200 new jobs for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerk by 2026. The BLS estimates 40,900 yearly job openings in this field.
The states with the most job growth for Desk Clerk are Idaho, Utah, and Oklahoma. Watch out if you plan on working in Missouri, Kansas, or Wisconsin. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
What is the Average Salary of a Desk Clerk
The average yearly salary of a Desk Clerk ranges between $18,090 and $34,040.
Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks who work in Hawaii, District of Columbia, or Nevada, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks in different U.S. states.
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $20,690 |
| Alaska | $30,320 |
| Arizona | $25,210 |
| Arkansas | $20,830 |
| California | $29,880 |
| Colorado | $28,000 |
| Connecticut | $26,700 |
| Delaware | $25,660 |
| District of Columbia | $35,950 |
| Florida | $24,890 |
| Georgia | $21,100 |
| Hawaii | $44,250 |
| Idaho | $22,710 |
| Illinois | $24,690 |
| Indiana | $21,670 |
| Iowa | $22,180 |
| Kansas | $21,120 |
| Kentucky | $20,190 |
| Louisiana | $20,900 |
| Maine | $25,440 |
| Maryland | $26,360 |
| Massachusetts | $30,770 |
| Michigan | $23,710 |
| Minnesota | $25,160 |
| Mississippi | $20,950 |
| Missouri | $23,300 |
| Montana | $23,650 |
| Nebraska | $24,010 |
| Nevada | $30,360 |
| New Hampshire | $25,360 |
| New Jersey | $25,390 |
| New Mexico | $22,740 |
| New York | $33,860 |
| North Carolina | $22,920 |
| North Dakota | $26,120 |
| Ohio | $21,990 |
| Oklahoma | $20,570 |
| Oregon | $26,410 |
| Pennsylvania | $22,960 |
| Rhode Island | $25,470 |
| South Carolina | $22,060 |
| South Dakota | $23,310 |
| Tennessee | $21,860 |
| Texas | $22,570 |
| Utah | $24,250 |
| Vermont | $28,320 |
| Virginia | $22,300 |
| Washington | $28,400 |
| West Virginia | $21,550 |
| Wisconsin | $23,010 |
| Wyoming | $26,090 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Publisher
- Delphi Technology
- Yardi
- Incident tracking software
How to Become a Desk Clerk
What kind of Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerk requirements are there?
How Long Does it Take to Become a Desk Clerk?
Where Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks Work
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
You May Also Be Interested In…
Are you already one of the many Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerk in the United States? If you’re thinking about changing careers, these fields are worth exploring:
- Self-Enrichment Education Teachers
- Data Entry Keyers
- Singers
- Slot Supervisors
- Teacher Assistants
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive
- Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks
References:
More about our data sources and methodologies.