Description of the function
The front desk clerk covers four areas related to customer service: reservations, arrivals and departures, customer service and administrative activities. So he is at the centre of a hotel establishment’s activities since he is often the first and last contact with the customer.
He must in particular:
- Make reservations
- Greet customers when they arrive
- Assign rooms, hand over the keys
- Collect payment and collect the keys when the customer leaves
- Promote the establishment’s services, tourist attractions and the different activities in the region
- Receive mail or messages to customers
- Respond to customer requests, comments and complaints, and follow them up
- Check the daily registers, customer accounts, cash and vouchers
- Transmit to the various services of the establishments the needs associated with reservations and customer requests
- Provide coordination between the different services
Prerequisites
No special experience is required, but experience with customer contact can be an asset. Some employers prefer candidates with training, and many required a college diploma (DEC).
Personal qualities
- Customer service and sales skills
- Sense of initiative, autonomy
- Fluency in French and English
- Good knowledge of the nearby region and tourist attractions.
- Ability to carry out monetary transactions
- Knowledge of hotel management software
- Ability to communicate with customers and colleagues
- Tolerance for stress
Compensation
Compensation varies according to the experience of the employee, the company’s situation and the job itself. This function often requires working evenings, weekends and holidays. The number of working hours can vary between 35 and 40 hours per week.
The word of the professionals
Sabrina, receptionist at the prestigious Hôtel Quintessence, Mont-Tremblant (http://www.hotelquintessence.com).
What does your job consist of?
My job is to respond to customer requests. As soon as they arrive, I am their first contact (after the valet) that they have with the hotel. So I have to make them confident right away. I register them and ensure that their stays are arranged as they wish. We try our best to meet our guests’ needs and desires. Throughout the stay, I am the main resource for information. When guests leave I ask for their assessment. Each step of the stay (before, during and after) is very important.
What do you like most about your profession?
I love customer service. It is very motivating to be able to serve a clientele such as ours. We have to always excel so that the customers’ stay is up to their expectations. Our service must be exemplary and impress our visitors. We meet their most demanding needs and their gratitude is a benefit that keeps us going.
In your opinion, what are the main qualities that you have to have for your position?
- A positive attitude: being the resource person for our visitors, it is inevitable that a good mood is put forward. Our attitude must be positive, regardless of what’s going on in our life. Our customers must never feel neglected. We must show them that we are available at any time to serve them.
- Versatility: customers must feel that we are always accessible. We have to be able to meet the needs of each of them, whether by telephone, on the spot or by email. Each of them must feel important. In addition, it’s not uncommon that we have to perform several tasks at the same time. So it’s necessary to be versatile and well organized.