Hotel Receptionist

 

Hotel Receptionist

Sometimes I get to go to movie screenings, sometimes I get free catered food, sometimes I get to meet famous people, and sometimes a guest screams at me because they had to wait twenty minutes too long for an extra set of towels. This is the life of a Hotel Receptionist in Los Angeles.

 

A Hotel Receptionist is the person at the front desk of a hotel that will check people in and out of their room and help them to make sure their stay is as best it can be. We are the first people the guest sees when entering the hotel, and the last ones they see before they leave. A Hotel Receptionist needs to be able to multi-task and remain calm—even when dealing with an angry guest. We must always have a smile across our faces, no matter the circumstance.

 

The most important part of my job is checking in guests. That is the guests’ first impression of the hotel and it is important to start their experience off on a good note. There is a whole process of checking a guest in, I have outlined my step-by-step routine:

 

1.     Greet them, ask them how their trip was, and if they want water.

2.     Ask for last name, photo ID, and credit card to look up the reservation, confirm they are who they say they are, and use the credit card for the room rate and incidentals.

3.     Assign a room for them, print them keys, and tell the guests what their room number is and what type of room it is.

4.     Explain the amenities of the hotel which include free Wi-Fi, a rooftop with a pool, 24-hour gym, 2 restaurants, a salon, and a complimentary breakfast table.

5.     Send them off, point them in the right direction, and tell them to let me know if they need anything throughout their stay.

 

The check-out process is a lot simpler. Since we print out copies of guests’ bills the night before and deliver them to their rooms, normally all guests do on their way out is drop the keys off and are on their way.

 

Receptionists do more than just manage room reservations; they are the center point for all forms of contact at the hotel. Working at the front desk means working with every department at the hotel including:

·      Housekeeping

·      Food & Beverage

·      Sales

·      Accounting

I will explain how we work with each of the different departments in order to provide the best experience for our guests.

 

Housekeeping

Although it happens sometimes, you can’t check a guest into a dirty room. We have constant communication with housekeeping. The front desk team needs to check if a room is clean and ready for a guest or if it is dirty and still needs a housekeeping service. We also get a lot of calls from guests with housekeeping requests that we need to reiterate to them. Examples include needing extra soap, wanting turn-down service, or to re-stock the mini-fridge. The biggest issue is getting housekeeping in the rooms as soon as someone checks out of them in order to have it ready for check-in.

 

Food & Beverage

People will always call down to the front desk asking to place an in-room dining order. Often, we transfer them, but sometimes we have to take the order ourselves—making the kitchen staff angry. Whenever anyone has an issue with their dinner or did not enjoy their breakfast, we have to tend to it and explain to the Food & Beverage staff what the issues are. The front desk team is basically like a customer service center, where guests will complain about any issues they have—and often try to get a discounted rate. Whenever there are events at the hotel, we have to know all of the details in case anyone comes in asking for help.

 

Sales

The Front Desk Team gets incentives for selling rooms to customers or upgrading rooms to a higher price category. If someone comes in asking for a room for that day—a walk-in— we get 5% of their first night’s room rate. However, when we persuade a guest to pay a premium for a nicer or bigger room, we get 10% of the difference in room rates for each night of their stay. The Sales Team uses us as another branch in order to connect with guests, get room occupancy up, and to increase revenue. It is our job to sell the hotel just as much as it is the Sales Department.

 

Accounting

When guests need a copy of their bill, we create the receipt for them using our online processing system. The Receptionist is also in charge of correcting any errors on the bill, adjusting off any wrong charges, or changing the room rate for the Accounting Department. Since we gather guests’ credit card information during check-in when they leave all we need to do is process their credit cards through the system and send the guests a copy of their bill via email. This makes it easier for the guests, so they don’t have to stop by the front desk on their way out, and it is quicker for us to do it without dealing with the guest.

 

It may seem pretty obvious by now, but the hotel receptionist is the communication center of the hotel. Whenever anyone has any questions or concerns, they come to the front desk and we have to translate that to whichever department it pertains to. If you are not afraid of people yelling at you for things out of your control, then a job as a hotel receptionist is the job for you. Working as a hotel receptionist means you are the brunt of every guest and every department’s issues. Sometimes it can be overwhelming, but most of the time you get to meet interesting people and make someone’s trip a memorable experience.

 

Flesch Reading Ease: 67.5

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 9.0

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