Hotel Receptionist Job Information | National Careers Service

Job profiles

Hotel receptionist

Hours

30-40 per week
Starting salary

£12,500 + per year

If you enjoy meeting and helping all kinds of people, this could be a great job for you.

Hotel receptionists make guests feel welcome, manage room bookings (also known as reservations) and deal with requests that guests make during their stay.

A hotel receptionist also needs to be friendly and professional at all times, be able to look after several things at once and always stay calm, sometimes under pressure.

Many employers will prefer you to have a good standard of general education and possibly some GCSEs (A-C) in subjects such as English, maths and IT. Some employers may also want you to have experience of using a telephone switchboard or a computerised reservations system.

Although previous experience in customer service or office work would also help you, you can also prepare for this work by taking the relevant BTEC or City & Guilds college courses.

The work

As a hotel receptionist, your main duties would include:

dealing with bookings by phone, e-mail, letter, fax or face-to-face
completing procedures when guests arrive and leave
choosing rooms and handing out keys
preparing bills and taking payments
taking and passing on messages to guests
dealing with special requests from guests (like booking theatre tickets or storing valuable items)
answering questions about what the hotel offers and the surrounding area
dealing with complaints or problems.

In most hotels, you would use a computerised system to book rooms and to keep details of bookings and available rooms up to date. You would work as part of a team and you may be responsible for one area such as managing telephone reservations or guest departures (also known as checkouts).

In small hotels, your duties may include other tasks such as showing guests to their rooms and serving drinks in the bar.

Hours

You would usually work shifts, which could include evenings, nights, weekends and public holidays. If you work during these times you may be paid extra. Part-time and seasonal work are often available.

You would spend most of your time at a reception desk, using a computer and a telephone switchboard.

Income

Starting salaries can be between £12,500 and £14,500 a year. With experience and added supervisor responsibilities this can rise to around £20,000 a year.

Meals and accommodation are sometimes provided.

Figures are intended as a guide only.

Entry requirements

You could prepare for this work by taking a relevant full-time or part-time college course, such as:

Level 1 Certificate in General Hospitality
Level 1 Award in Introduction to Employment in the Hospitality Industry
Level 1 Award in Introduction to the Hospitality Industry
Level 2 Award in the Principles of Customer Service in Hospitality, Leisure, Travel and Tourism.

You may be able to become a hotel receptionist through an Apprenticeship scheme, such as the Level 2 Apprenticeship in Hospitality & Catering (Front of House Reception). To find out more about Apprenticeships in hospitality, see the following websites:

Training and development

You will normally be trained on the job by experienced staff. Some employers also run their own training schemes and you may be encouraged to work towards qualifications such as:

Level 2 NVQ Diploma in Front of House Reception
Level 2 Award in the Principles of Customer Service in Hospitality, Leisure, Travel & Tourism.

Skills and knowledge

As a hotel receptionist you will need to have:

excellent written and spoken communication skills
strong customer service skills
a friendly and professional telephone manner
the ability to adapt to different guests
patience and tact
the ability to stay calm under pressure and look after several things at once
good problem solving skills
the ability to use computerised technology
a methodical approach to your work
accuracy and attention to detail.

It may also be useful if you speak a foreign language.

More information

Springboard UK (Opens new window)
http://springboarduk.net

People 1st (Opens new window)
2nd Floor
Armstrong House
38 Market Square
Uxbridge
Middlesex
UB8 1LH
Tel: 01895 817 000
www.uksp.co.uk/ (careers information)
www.people1st.co.uk

Opportunities

Your prospects for promotion can vary depending on where you work. Larger hotels and hotel chains are more likely to have a career structure in place, leading to shift supervisor and head receptionist jobs.

With experience and qualifications, you may be able to progress to front office manager or hotel manager. You could also move into different areas of hotel work, such as events and banqueting services, sales, personnel or accounts.

In a large hotel, you may be encouraged to gain experience in different departments, which would increase your skills and promotion prospects. You could also move outside the hospitality industry into related areas such as customer service and administration.

Jobs are advertised in the local and national press, at Jobcentre Plus and on websites such as:

Directgov (Jobseekers page)
Caterer.com
UKSP

Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.

We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.

Related industry information

Industry summary

The hotels industry is represented by People 1st, the Sector Skills Council for hospitality, passenger transport, travel and tourism. The hospitality, travel and tourism sector incorporates the following industries: contract food service providers, events, gambling, holiday parks, hospitality services, hostels, hotels, membership clubs, pubs, bars and nightclubs, restaurants, self-catering accommodation, tourist services, and visitor attractions. The sector accounts for a workforce of 2.1 million, most of which are based within the restaurants, hospitality services, and pubs, bars and nightclubs industries. The roles within the sector are extremely diverse and include managers, technical staff, front-of-house staff, back-of-house staff, and non-core staff.

The hotels industry covers paid accommodation that is open to the general public, which can include budget hotels, bed and breakfast accommodation, plus hotels rated from one to 5 star. As an accommodation provider, hotels overlap with other industries, such as youth hostels, farms, pubs, and restaurants and others that may also provide accommodation.

Key facts:

There are 253,900 people working in the hotels industry.
17% of the workforce has an NVQ Level 4 or above qualification.
The majority of the workforce has a NVQ Level 2 qualification (25%).
13% of the workforce has no qualifications.
64% of the workforce is employed full‐time.

[N.B. Data derived from Labour Force Survey, 2009.]

Jobs in the industry range from: bar manager, events co‐ordinator, general manager, exhibitions co‐ordinator, head housekeeper, chef, cleaner, conference and banqueting manager, front of house staff, porter, receptionist, waiter/waitress, linen room assistant.

National and regional data

East Midlands – There are approximately 15,400 people working in the hotels industry in this region, of which:

62% work full‐time
72% of the workforce is female
94% of the workforce is white
19% of the workforce is 25‐29 years
32% of the workforce has an NVQ level 3 qualification

East of England – There are approximately 20,200 people working in the hotels industry in this region, of which:

67% work full‐time
65% of the workforce is female
92% of the workforce is white
16% of the workforce is 20‐24 years
34% of the workforce has an NVQ level 2 qualification

London – There are approximately 32,000 people working in the hotels industry in this region, of which:

74% work full‐time
55% of the workforce is female
61% of the workforce is white
23% of the workforce is 25‐29 years
26% of the workforce has an NVQ level 1 and entry level qualification

North East – There are approximately 7,800 people working in the hotels industry in this region, of which:

43% work full‐time
70% of the workforce is female
91% of the workforce is white
Equal proportions of the workforce are aged 16‐19 years (18%) and 50‐54 years (18%)
41% of the workforce has an NVQ level 1 and entry level qualification

North West – There are approximately 33,300 people working in the hotels industry in this region, of which:

54% work full‐time
55% of the workforce is female
88% of the workforce is white
22% of the workforce is 20‐24 years
30% of the workforce has an NVQ level 3 qualification

South East – There are approximately 37,500 people working in the hotels industry in this region, of which:

69% work full‐time
65% of the workforce is female
94% of the workforce is white
17% of the workforce is 16‐19 years
26% of the workforce has an NVQ level 2 qualification

South West – There are approximately 30,300 people working in the hotels industry in this region, of which:

65% work full‐time
Workforce is evenly split between men and women
93% of the workforce is white
Equal proportions of the workforce are aged 20‐24 years (17%) and 25‐29 years (17%)
28% of the workforce has an NVQ level 2 qualification

West Midlands – There are approximately 14,700 people working in the hotels industry in this region, of which:

74% work full‐time
64% of the workforce is female
93% of the workforce is white
17% of the workforce is 16‐19 years
29% of the workforce has an NVQ level 2 qualification

Yorkshire and the Humber – There are approximately 11,300 people working in the hotels industry in this region, of which:

49% work full‐time
Workforce is evenly split between men and women
98% of the workforce is white
34% of the workforce is 25‐29 years
32% of the workforce has an NVQ level 3 qualification

Northern Ireland – There are approximately 43,900 people working in the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector as whole in Northern Ireland, of which 5,500 work in the hotels industry in 200 establishments. Details as follows:

55% work full‐time
62% of the workforce is female
93% of the workforce is white
24% of the workforce is 20‐24 years
29% of the workforce has an NVQ level 1 qualification

Scotland – There are approximately 183,500 people working in the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector as whole in Scotland, of which 35,700 work in the hotels industry in 2,200 establishments. Details as follows:

60% work full‐time
59% of the workforce is female
97% of the workforce is white
17% of the workforce is 25‐29 years
30% of the workforce has an NVQ level 4 qualification

Wales – There are approximately 86,100 people working in the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector as whole in Wales, of which 10,200 work in the hotels industry in 900 establishments. Details as follows:

63% work full‐time
60% of the workforce is female
100% of the workforce is white
21% of the workforce is 25‐29 years
29% of the workforce has an NVQ level 3 qualification

[N.B. Data derived from Labour Force Survey, 2009.]

Career paths

Further sources

People1st
UKSP – guide to career pathways, employers and job opportunities in the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector
British Hospitality Association

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