Hotel porter
Welcome guests to a hotel, carry their luggage and help make their stay as enjoyable as possible.
About the job
What it's like
As a hotel porter, you'll welcome guests and carry luggage to their room. It's your job to help people with small tasks that'll make their stay more relaxing, like giving directions or booking taxis.
You'll work at the reception or porters' desk. So, you'll often be the first person to greet guests as they arrive at the hotel. You must be polite, friendly and willing to extend a warm welcome.
Your tasks might include:
helping guests by carrying luggage to their room
telling guests about the hotel facilities
arranging taxis and booking tickets to local events
running errands, such as taking and picking up dry cleaning
responding to safety and security issues
answering any questions guests have and helping them make reservations for hotel facilities
If the hotel has a conference suite, you may be responsible for moving and setting up equipment. You might also cover reception duties when needed.
Larger hotels sometimes have head porters – a role you can do once you've got some relevant experience. Head porters supervise a team of porters and door staff, organise rotas and help with recruitment.
Explore more information about this job
Here are some useful links to learn more about this career:
Career Scope – explore careers in hospitality, leisure and tourism
Carden Park – A Night in the Life of a Hotel Porter
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Stagehand
Related industries
Many jobs can be done in lots of different industries. We've highlighted the ones we think are most important for this job.
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Tourism and hospitality
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.
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- empathising
- social conscience
- building relationships
- supporting
- cooperating
- verbal communication
- reliable
- positive attitude
- resilience
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 each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
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Skills for Work: Hospitality
There are a few routes you can take to become a hotel porter.
Work
You can become a hotel porter by applying directly with an employer or getting an entry-level hospitality job and working your way up.
Employers expect applicants to be hardworking, honest and good at timekeeping. Experience in customer service is useful.
Use the My World of Work job search to find vacancies.
Apprenticeships
Modern Apprenticeships (MAs) mean you learn on the job. You get paid and work towards a qualification at the same time. You might want to consider an MA in Hospitality Team Member.
College
Getting qualifications at college, such as an HNC or HND, could help you secure a job. Useful subjects include:
Hospitality Management
Travel and Tourism
Events Management
Business
Use the My World of Work course search to find HNCs or HNDs.
Getting work experience in a customer service role can help you build the skills and experience you’ll need to become a hotel porter. Search for opportunities on Volunteer Scotland.
A driving licence can be useful.
Some hotel porter jobs roles involve serving alcohol. You must be aged 18 or older to apply for these vacancies.
