Hotel Front Desk Clerk career guide
A hotel front desk clerk checks guests in and out, takes reservations, answers questions and solves problems during a stay. For many guests, the front desk is the hotel.
Pay data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Job content: O*NET 31.0. Updated 2026-10-26.
- $35,070median annual wage (U.S.)
- $16.86median hourly wage
- 261,420people employed in the U.S.
- High School Diploma or the equivalentmost common required education
What a hotel front desk clerk does
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.
Typical tasks
- Make and confirm reservations.
- Greet, register, and assign rooms to guests of hotels or motels.
- Verify customers' credit, and establish how the customer will pay for the accommodation.
- Post charges, such as those for rooms, food, liquor, or telephone calls, to ledgers, manually or by using computers.
- Issue room keys and escort instructions to bellhops.
- Advise housekeeping staff when rooms have been vacated and are ready for cleaning.
- Transmit and receive messages, using telephones or telephone switchboards.
- Record guest comments or complaints, referring customers to managers as necessary.
A typical day
Morning shifts are busy with check-outs and billing questions; afternoons bring check-ins and room assignments. Between arrivals, clerks answer phones and emails, coordinate with housekeeping and maintenance, and recommend restaurants or transport. Overnight shifts, often called night audit, add balancing the day's accounts.
Skills employers look for
These are the skills O*NET rates as most important for this occupation.
- Speaking
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Monitoring
- Social Perceptiveness
- Service Orientation
- Coordination
- Complex Problem Solving
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Public Safety and Security
- Administrative
- Computers and Electronics
Tools and technology
Examples of technology used in this occupation, from O*NET: Facebook, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Yardi software.
Education and training
When O*NET asked people in this occupation what education the job requires, the most common answers were:
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED): 75% of respondents
- Some College Courses: 11% of respondents
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree: 6% of respondents
Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Hotel Front Desk Clerk pay
The median annual wage for hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks was $35,070 in May 2025 ($16.86 an hour). Half of workers earned between $29,810 and $38,100.
Highest-paying states
- Hawaii: $59,110 median
- District of Columbia: $47,060 median
- Vermont: $44,940 median
- Washington: $40,460 median
- Massachusetts: $39,400 median
States with the most hotel front desk clerks
- California: 27,810 employed
- Texas: 23,690 employed
- Florida: 23,580 employed
- New York: 10,130 employed
- Georgia: 9,490 employed
Hotel Front Desk Clerk pay in every state
How to get hired
Many hotels hire front desk staff without hotel experience if they have worked in customer service or retail. Employers look for a calm manner, clear communication and comfort with a reservation system. A second language is often a plus, and night or weekend availability makes an application stronger.
Job titles you may see
Front Desk Agent, Front Desk Clerk, Guest Service Representative (GSR), Guest Services Agent (GSA).
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Related career guides
Hotel Front Desk Clerk salary by state · Hotel Front Desk Clerk job description and interview questions
Sources and methodology
Wage and employment estimates: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, cross-industry estimates for all ownerships. Figures are as published; BLS does not publish some estimates for some states. As defined by BLS, wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses, and exclude overtime pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and other premium pay. BLS OEWS
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Jobder has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET Database
Written and maintained by the Jobder team. Last updated 2026-10-26. Questions or corrections: support@jobder.pro.
Frequently asked questions
What does a hotel front desk clerk do?
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.
How much does a hotel front desk clerk make?
The median annual wage for hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks in the United States was $35,070 in May 2025, or $16.86 an hour. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $27,120 and the highest-paid 10% earned more than $45,470.
What education do you need to become a hotel front desk clerk?
In O*NET's survey of people in this occupation, the most common answer for required education was "High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)" (75% of respondents). O*NET classifies the occupation as "Very Little to Some Preparation Needed".
Which state pays hotel front desk clerks the most?
Hawaii had the highest median annual wage for this occupation in May 2025, at $59,110, followed by District of Columbia ($47,060) and Vermont ($44,940).
How many hotel front desk clerks are there in the U.S.?
BLS estimated 261,420 people were employed as hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks in May 2025. California employed the most, with 27,810.