Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks
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.
What it pays
Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks earn a median of $16.86/hr — about $35,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $13.04/hr; the top 10% earn $21.86/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks earn a median of $16.86/hr — about $35,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $13.04/hr; the top 10% earn $21.86/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- Greet, register, and assign rooms to guests of hotels or motels.
- Contact housekeeping or maintenance staff when guests report problems.
- Issue room keys and escort instructions to bellhops.
- Make and confirm reservations.
- Verify customers' credit, and establish how the customer will pay for the accommodation.
- Keep records of room availability and guests' accounts, manually or using computers.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: High school diploma. Overall preparation: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
The feel of the work
The work splits time indoors and out; you're around people constantly. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 0% of hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are organized and detail-focused, people-focused and take-charge.
Work a simulated shift in this job — freeMake the real decisions this job involves, then see what your choices say about you.Related careers
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Quick questions
- How much does a hotel, motel, and resort desk clerk make?
- The median pay is $16.86 per hour — roughly $35,000 a year, with the real range running from about $13.04/hr (10th percentile) to $21.86/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a hotel, motel, and resort desk clerk?
- The typical entry-level education is: High school diploma. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
- What does a hotel, motel, and resort desk clerk actually do all day?
- Greet, register, and assign rooms to guests of hotels or motels. Contact housekeeping or maintenance staff when guests report problems. Issue room keys and escort instructions to bellhops.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.