Hotel receptionist
Take room bookings and give guests the keys to their room. Explain hotel services, give tourist information and help with requests.
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About the job
Salary
Source: LMI for All
Weekly
£430
Average
Monthly
£1,863
Average
Yearly
£22,360
Average
18,800
people are currently employed
Low growth
500 fewer jobs in 5 years
These figures refer to this job and similar ones with comparable skills and qualifications. They only apply to Scotland. Source: Oxford Economics
What it's like
You'd take room bookings and give guests the keys to their room when they arrive. You’d explain about the hotel’s facilities and services like where breakfast is served or when the gym is open.
You need to be friendly and professional at all times, be able to look after several things at once and always stay calm, sometimes under pressure.
You would:
deal with bookings by phone, email, letter, fax or face-to-face
complete the procedures when guests arrive and leave
allocate rooms and give the keys to guests
tell guests about hotel facilities and services
take, and pass on, messages to guests
deal with special requests from guests, like booking theatre tickets or storing valuable items
provide information about the surrounding area
prepare bills and take payments
deal with complaints or problems
In most hotels, you'd use a computerised system to keep details of bookings and available rooms up to date.
You'd 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.
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Hours
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Environment
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Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Here are some of the skills you'll need to do this job:
- reliable
- time management
- attention to detail
- respecting
- written communication
- verbal communication
- cooperating
- positive attitude
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Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore the sections shown for more information about getting into this career.
You might have qualifications which are not shown here but will allow you access to a course. You can compare your qualifications by looking at their SCQF Level. For more information about this, check out the SCQF website.
Always contact the college, university or training provider to check exactly what you'll need.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Administration and Information Technology
Business Management
Cantonese
English and Communication
French
German
Italian
Mandarin
Skills for Work: Hospitality
Spanish
Urdu
Some employers may require National 4/5 qualifications (SCQF Level 4/5) and Highers (SCQF Level 6).
You can get into some Hospitality National Certificate or National Qualification courses (SCQF 2-6) with between two and four National 4/5 qualifications (SCQF Level 4/5).
You can enter Higher National Certificate (SCQF Level 7) or Higher National Diploma courses (SCQF Level 8) with National 5 qualifications and one to two Highers or a relevant NC/NQ.
Qualifications and experience that show industry knowledge, customer service skills and administrative/ICT skills such as Scottish Vocational Qualification in Front of House Reception (SVQ Level 2) and Skills for Work Hospitality (SCQF Level 4/5).
Knowledge of a foreign language.
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