30 min duration
Certificate
4.6/5 rating
+400 students
Unlock the secrets to front desk excellence with our free course "5-Star Reception: The Art of High-Level Hospitality", now available on our website.
Below is the full transcription, but for the best experience, we recommend watching the video to see these essential skills in action. From task management to mastering customer interactions with professionalism, this course will equip you with everything you need to shine at the hotel front desk.
Don’t miss out—watch the video and take your hospitality skills to the next level!
Below is the full transcription, but for the best experience, we recommend watching the video to see these essential skills in action. From task management to mastering customer interactions with professionalism, this course will equip you with everything you need to shine at the hotel front desk.
Don’t miss out—watch the video and take your hospitality skills to the next level!
Module 1: Essential tasks for exceptional service
Hi folks! Welcome to our course on the basics of being a hotel receptionist. The intention of this course is to equip you with as much knowledge as you can acquire before starting in your new position as hotel receptionist. Alternatively, it makes good material for head receptionists looking to train new ones, ambitious hospitality workers seeking to widen their skillset or career hopefuls trying to match themselves up with a position to seek. Because every hotel is different we’ve constructed a set of lessons that we believe will apply wherever you find hotel receptions. This first module goes through the most typical daily tasks any diligent receptionist will hope to encounter.
Firstly, for the cheap seats - what is the reception
The hotel reception is the area where guests arrive, are greeted and check in and out. It ought to feature a few sofas for weary travellers to lounge on while someone else takes care of the paperwork at a desk nearby. This desk should feature a smiling somebody who is well-dressed and has a name-tag and the solution to every problem one could imagine. They’re called the receptionist and they’re one of the most important staff-members in any hotel.
Why? They’re virtually the only guaranteed point of contact. If a guest makes an effort to speak to absolutely nobody they’ll need to speak to the receptionist at some point. They are the voice of the voice and face of the hotel in a way that’s more potent than say a porter or manager. They can make the difference between a good memory of a stay and bad review more effectively than anyone. For this reason it’s essential that they A) know what they’re doing and B) represent the hotel in an appropriate and endearing manner. Besides that they’ve a list of daily tasks as long as your arm, which we’ll now go through.
One. Greetings and check-ins. As I mentioned, receptionists are often the only point of contact between a guest and a member of staff. Each place has their own processes but the adjectives you’re looking for to describe yours are ‘efficient’, ‘warm’ and ‘welcoming’.
Two. Check-out is almost as important, though invariably it’s a more simple process. Oftentimes it’s simply handing over a key and saying goodbye, but that’s from the guest point-of-view. From the perspective of the receptionist it’s the last opportunity to implore a satisfied guest to leave a review on Google or TripAdvisor or wherever is most effective when it comes to translating favourable opinions into direct bookings.
Three. Reservation management is the real meat and potatoes of a receptionist’s day. These days reservations coming from different channels are usually automated by way of a PMS and channel manager combo. Still, it is any receptionist's duty to monitor reservations a week or so in advance. If there is a receptionist KPI, it’s either guest reviews or smoothness of reservations and check-ins.
Four. Answering inquiries is a huge part of a receptionist's job too. It might not be said on your job description that you need to know everything about every department in the hotel but anyone who phones down from their room will expect you to so you might as well.
Falling under ‘inquiries’ there are, of course, complaints to be dealt with, coordination between departments, concierge services and security protocols. In other words you ought to be able to talk someone off a ledge if their TV isn’t working properly, arrange for maintenance to fix or replace it, hook them up with a Netflix account for their troubles and see to it a doctor is called if they watch too much and go blind.
After all of these are done and dusted there’s the black-and-white nitty gritty of tasks that need to be done daily, yes or yes.
Every hotel will have its own process for cash-handling and any receptionist worth their salt ought to be able to write the book on it. You might have a safe or a bank drop or a mattress under which to stuff brown envelopes but you better know because you’ll be responsible.
Then there’s the end-of-day handover to the next receptionist or night porter. In the hotels I worked in it was done by book and post-it but I imagine most places have a digital solution. It should include anything it would be beneficial for the next guy to know, up to and including last cash count, upcoming check-ins and guests who have already complained a couple of times and ought to be tip-toed around.
Finally, but perhaps most importantly, keep it tidy. It looks better to guests and it makes it easier to use. Flowers, little cups for pens - the works.
That’s it for now folks, next module I’m going to list the communication skills it’s essential for a receptionist to have if they wish to be effective. See you soon!
Module 2: Key communication skills
The skill-set required to become a great hotel receptionist is not a long list - not when you simmer it down to the bare minimum. There are of course a heap of things it’s good to know about for any profession - first aid, karate, plate-spinning - but in the esteemed view of the hotel club you should press pause on all of those until such time as you’ve learned those which we’d recommend.
This module is about communication skills! Yes, I’m talking about those two words that everyone puts on their CV always no matter what. What does it mean though? Let’s find out.
Communication skills can be divided into two categories - verbal and written. Non-verbal is another category all on its own that I’d love to cover at some point but for the sake of today’s lesson we’ll just look at those two and let’s look at verbal first.
Verbal communication is the transmission of information, thoughts, ideas, and feelings through spoken words. It should be understood that good verbal communication is very much a two way street and that it’s appropriate to be a good listener too, which we’ll get to.
As a receptionist one’s words, tone and message must always communicate that you are here to welcome and to help. Of all the members of staff at a hotel they ought to communicate the most formally and there are two good reasons for this.
Firstly, formal communication is more automatic. You don’t have to think about what you’re saying, you simply rattle it off like lines in a play you’ve been touring for two years.
‘How can I help you, sir?’ is a sentence that should be as natural as breathing to a hotel receptionist.
Secondly, you never know who you’re talking to and how they like to be spoken to so formal is the safer bet. By all means, if you get to know a guest or they ask you to then dial down the formality. Otherwise it’s Downton Abbey all the way.
You should be ready with useful information at all times and cut to the chase of every interaction. Nobody approaches a reception desk for casual banter. If someone asks how many rooms are available you reply yes or no, the floor, the category, the price and ask whether they’d like to book. If casual banter occurs then brilliant, but never at the expense of good service.
When it comes to conflict resolution the only approach is a sincere apology and the taking of ownership.
‘I’m so sorry you’ve had that experience ma’am, let me get that solved for you at once.’
Finally, you’ll have people from all over the world so be open to the idea that you may have to speak slowly and clearly or even use an app to communicate. It’s tough enough being somewhere you don’t speak the language without someone who’s supposed to be welcoming you, alienating you by acting as though your mother tongue is an annoyance to them. A hotel should emanate cultural tolerance like a wing of the UN and in that analogy the receptionist is the speaker of the house.
When it comes to written communication a good receptionist should be able to call on theirs for any or all of the following: emails, message-taking, guest correspondence, social media engagement, reports, policy communication and documentation.
Emails are as much about tone as verbal communication and the rules are the same - you don’t know who you’re speaking to so give them the full butler treatment whether it’s to confirm a reservation or to answer an enquiry about availability.
Message-taking is all about details. You’ll need to develop a short-hand you can switch into if needs be. Someone says ‘tell him I’ll meet him at the Chinese on Abernathy Street at 7pm tomorrow’ becomes ‘Chinese, Abernathy ST., 7pm, tom.’
Guest correspondence is a very particular type of communication that lives on in fancier places such as those where there’s mints on the pillow and lemon water in the lobby. They tend to be hand-written notes to regular customers, celebrated individuals, newlyweds and so on and so forth. The way I’ve seen them done is drafted on a computer, written up nicely by hand and signed by the GM or owner.
Social media engagement falls under the category of answering reviews, in a way. You might, as a receptionist, take on the duties of social media posting for your establishment but it’s by no means in your wheelhouse, though it is a fine way to climb the professional ladder in any institution as it tends to be work that not many people are that interested in doing. Receptionists are ideal when it comes to engaging on social media however, good, bad or ugly. It’s basically the software version of the communication you do from behind a desk but instead of a disgruntled guest wandering up to you to give out you have someone commenting on your photos saying there was a draft in their room. Same approach, but typed, and you’ll see it will be appreciated.
Policy communication - sorry, toilet currently out of order - is usually handled by reception. The lower end of this spectrum is biro on a post-it but it’s better delivered on something laminated with a logo. Any classy joint I’ve worked at tends to have a library of them ready-to-go for any situation. Any place you work that doesn’t - creating one is a great initiative to take.
As with the policy communication, the same with reports and documentation - the information is key and the formality is simply a distraction. On these occasions it’s very important for a receptionist to simply get to the point.
Of course I should caveat all this by reminding you that while I wouldn’t rely on AI language models for all of this, they're great to lean on if you’re not feeling particularly creative on a given day.
That’s it for communication skills you’ll need to develop, see you in the next module which is on customer service.
Module 3: Customer service: Multitasking and resolution
This module is about the basic customer service skills any receptionist wishing to grow in the industry ought to have.
Firstly you need something that people say only women can do, and in actuality nobody can do. To the extent it’s possible a good receptionist should be able to multitask.
But wait, you say, you just said it isn’t possible. What’s the deal then?
The fact is multitasking is not possible. It is not possible to do two things at the same time, or at least not well. What is possible, and what a good receptionist must be able to do, is switch between tasks at a moment's notice as the needs of the situation dictate.
Allow me to give you an example. If you’re checking someone in and the phone begins to ring and you notice a giant puddle of water in the lobby what is the correct approach?
The answer is that you arrange a clean-up of the puddle, apologising to the guest and indicating the reason you’re doing this. If you get the check-in complete and the phone is still ringing then answer it. If you complete the check-in and the phone has stopped ringing, then call them back.
That’s three issues that warrant attention that all get solved but not by multi-tasking. No - the real multitasking is prioritisation and in order to hone the skill in terms of reception work you need to address things in terms of a hierarchy of urgency. It’s ‘first guest come, first guest served’ - whether by telephone or in person.
In the meantime, if someone is being out-prioritised, signal to them that you will be with them shortly.
And obviously, all hierarchical arrangements are null and void if there is a present danger - aka the puddle in this scenario. Other classic present dangers are drunk people, running indoors and no toilet paper. Get them solved immediately. Prioritise.
Next key customer service skill for reception - problem solving. For more than half of the problems you’ll encounter you’ll be calling someone else. It comes with the territory. Were it a waiter or a porter or a manager doing this all the time I’d say it was distinctly *bad* customer service but in the case of a receptionist half of your problem-solving abilities fall under ‘knowing the right person to call’.
The best way to keep on top of this knowledge is to keep an index sheet by the phone. Usually this is arranged so the guest inquiring cannot see it, giving the impression that you know every number you need to know by heart. Once again, like wrestling or close-up magic, in hospitality the impression matters much more than the reality.
But what about when it’s not simply a case of calling someone? What if the problem is on the phone, for instance? What if the problem is in your face and aggressive? It’s at this point that it might be helpful for me to break down the kinds of problems you’ll encounter by way of the guest by dividing guests into three categories.
First - you have those with a regular problem and level head and they want it solved. Easy. They know errors occur and if you’re communicating correctly - polite, positive and taking ownership - they’ll be reassured by your every move. Even more so if you appear to know the necessary phone numbers by heart.
Second - you have those who have a regular problem and for whatever reason are behaving erratically. Your demeanour is extra important here because you not only need to solve the problem, you need to calm the guest down. You’ll achieve this in most cases by increasing the sense of ownership and seeming to side with the guest and empathise more than is usually necessary.
So ‘I’m sorry about that sir, we’ll get the porter for you right away’ becomes ‘Sir, I’m terribly sorry we’ve completely dropped the ball here let me just call the porter and you take a breath there.’
Never give them the impression that you feel they’re overreacting. Patronise them. It’s what they need at that moment. They might not even be like that regularly - maybe they’re having a bad day. Whatever, it’s not your place to judge. Well, except in the third category.
Thirdly, you’ll have the people who might have an issue or might not but it doesn’t matter because they’re spoiling for a fight. They want to make a scene. The cynic in me would say guide them towards swearing so you can say ‘there’s really no need for that kind of language, sir’ but no, because that’s really what you should be trying to avoid here.
There are assholes out there. You will meet some. When you encounter one at your reception your larger concern needs to switch to the serenity of the area at large. Don’t tell them to keep calm - you keep calm. Your goal is them out of there or no longer talking as soon as possible.
The other type of problem is a serious problem. Note - a problem doesn’t become serious simply because someone is annoyed. Someone’s fallen. There’s fire. A serious problem demands seriousness. Drop the pleasantries and use concise language to communicate with whomever you need to.
If you’re regularly polite and formal, simply saying ‘please move sir’ or ‘call a doctor’ communicates exactly how serious the situation is. Use direct language consciously as a tool when it’s demanded.
The one other aspect of customer service that’s of the imperative is to keep on top of technology being used in the hotel. Know the hot-key shortcuts of the hotel software back to front. Learn to type.
You know when you see someone using the number hotkeys in a manner that seems unnatural to you, like they’re dialling a phone number and without so much as a glance. They didn’t always know that - they had to learn. It’s on you as a receptionist who wishes to provide smooth, efficient service to make any and all software options your hotel utilises as second nature to you.
That about does it for customer service skills for receptionists to develop folks, I hope you were taking notes! See you in the next module for task management.
Module 4: Orgaanisation and effective management at reception
In a previous module I referred to keeping the reception tidy. First time around I did mean physically. Clear desk, paperweights, pens in cups, etc. In this module I’m talking about how to keep the front desk of a hotel *metaphysically* tidy.
Aside from troubled artists and eccentric academics, a messy workspace is usually an indication of a messy mindspace and this works both ways. Suffice to say, get your tasks in order and the desk will follow.
So how do I do that, you ask. Here are my six best practices when it comes to task management for hotel receptionists.
Firstly - plan ahead. Do this in your habits, in your work and in your handovers. Review your calendar and schedule for the day and anticipate any busy periods, events, or deadlines that might affect your workload. Prepare any documents, materials, or equipment that you might need in advance and have them ready at hand. Communicate with your team and other departments about any important updates or changes that might affect the front desk. By planning ahead, you can reduce the risk of surprises and delays that might disrupt your workflow.
For example, print an impending check-in list halfway through and when finishing your shift. Each time check the keys are ready for each room - one per occupant is ideal - and add any ones that are missing. If you’re expecting a mass-check-in or out at any point, communicate this to the porters beforehand so they can help with luggage, or maybe to a manager so they can help with the actual check-ins.
Secondly, prioritise. Brutal, merciful prioritisation is key to getting things done and staying tidy. Making decisions takes time. Making decisions while trying to do something else leads to misfiring on both the decision and the task. Indecision is a jungle and prioritisation is your machete. You might have to deal with multiple demands and requests at the same time, but not all of them are equally urgent or important. You need to be able to assess the situation and decide which tasks to focus on first and which ones to delegate, postpone, or decline. A simple way to prioritise tasks is to use the Eisenhower matrix, which divides tasks into four categories based on their urgency and importance: do, delegate, schedule, and eliminate. By prioritising tasks, you can avoid wasting time and energy on trivial or irrelevant matters and focus on what matters most.
Thirdly, technology. I’ve gone into the importance of using tech from a customer service perspective in the last module so here I’ll come at it from a pragmatic angle which also relates to my fourth point - stay organised.
It doesn’t matter if you prefer pen-and-paper and making face-to-face arrangements. The world is moving this way for a reason. Technology is more reliable and organised than human computation. You’re only complaining about it because it requires you to learn something, as even the most basic of phone-transfer systems does, by the way. Switch your attitude to adopting new tech from reluctant to enthusiastic and you’ll not only save yourself time but you’ll impress your superiors as your colleagues come to you for help learning what you made sure to on day one.
Fifthly - flexibility. This is a fun one to deliver because it’s both contradicting a lot of what I’ve just said and so obvious it almost doesn’t require mentioning. It works hand in hand with prioritisation. You need to be able to adapt to changing circumstances and unexpected situations that might arise at the front desk. You might have to deal with emergencies, complaints, cancellations, or last-minute requests that require you to change your plans or priorities. You need to be able to think on your feet and find creative solutions to problems. You also need to be able to cope with stress and frustration and maintain a positive and calm attitude.
To put it as succinctly as I can, flexibility means the ability to change attitude and demeanour according to each customer’s needs and to drop everything at a moment's notice the second your task-at-hand gets out-prioritised.
Finally, and this one is a kind of caveat but also important to take note of, crowd control.
Reception work tends to be a famine or a feast. It’s quiet or crazy. Naturally, everyone wants to be served first. The second you see any kind of chaos start to form, or beforehand ideally, you raise your voice slightly, keeping it polite, and ask people to form an orderly line. This can really save a guests’ whole stay because by being an authoritative figure you saved the lobby from becoming a place of potential confrontation and hostility which might have coloured their whole stay.
It’s not as everyday practical as the rest of these tips but when you need it it truly is a life-saver. Employ these six hot tips and your tasks and by extension your demeanour and that of the reception area will take care of themselves.
See you in the next module for best general practices.
Module 5: Keys to shine in hotel reception
This is the fifth and final module of this course on how to be a hotel receptionist. As with so many hospitality positions, there are many things worth learning that are simply better learnt on the job. Every establishment is different and as such will have different ways of doing things. What I have tried to cover here are the general parameters that it's a good idea for any hotel receptionist to operate within in order to grow and succeed.
I’ve covered the tasks one should expect to have on their daily to-do, the skills one should look into developing and honing and the commandments one ought to abide by to stay organised for this, a position that requires organisation. The theory is all there and I’d argue that what’s left to learn is dependent on the hotel at which you end up working. I can’t tell you the rules to follow so instead I’m going to name you my five best practices. It would benefit any budding receptionist to follow in order to excel within the parameters I’ve laid out in the previous four modules.
Firstly - engage with guests as a rule. Sure, perform the check-in and arrange for a porter to carry their bags but it’s also on you to connect with the guest. Many receptionists are trained to ask different questions at every stage of the interaction. “How long have you been on the road?” or “Are you here for business or pleasure?” are classic examples of what I’m talking about. These are questions that allow the conversation to continue without it getting too personal. Of course, as with everything in hospitality, read the room as to whether a guest wishes to be left completely alone or not but I generally found this was not the case. Receptionists are not shopkeepers or clerks, they are in the business of welcoming guests. I’m not saying to interview them, simply to keep it flowing until you say ‘enjoy your stay’. This way they’ll feel as comfortable as they’re capable of should they require anything further of you.
Secondly - adhere to company policies. Every company has them and while you are usually encouraged to have a bit of personality you are a player and the stage is the hotel so run the script. I’m saying this with careers in mind, by the way. I’ve seen receptionists who are funny, warm but a little more familiar with guests than the owners would like them to have been and they were let go. This is just one policy, by the way. When beginning in a new job and in general establish yourself as a reliable cog in the machine by learning and obeying the rules in record time.
Thirdly, be a committed team member. Your ability to both get along with your coworkers and roll up your sleeves and pitch in will be very apparent from the get-go. It is also essential to your success. You may find yourself assisting lobby porters by lifting and carrying anywhere from 30 to 50 pounds, as a guest may need assistance with a heavy bag or package. You may also need to be quick to answer the phones while your colleagues are busy checking in a large group. As a front desk staffer, you are part of a greater entity that keeps things running smoothly and you must be ready, willing, and able to jump in at all times.
Next - aesthetics are everything. In the hotel industry, physical presentation matters, which is why hotels invest in their décor as well as daily housekeeping services. The same also goes for the staff’s appearance and while most front desk job postings specify that candidates “should be neat and clean,” this also extends to their uniforms, which I’m a big believer in, by the way. I strongly believe that staff members should always be identifiable by the formality of their clothing, the neatness of their hair and so on and so forth. Doubly so for receptionists and triply so for one with plans of a career in hospitality.
Finally - and I’d be surprised if you’ll find this in any other e-learnings on the subject but it’s been my number one rule for years - emotional maturity. What do I mean by that? Well, put basically, it’s not about you and the show must go on. Working at a hotel front desk will put you in regular contact with a variety of different personality types and any number of factors can cause other people’s moods to alter, not the least of which is a dissatisfied guest. But you’ll need to maintain a calm and professional demeanour at all times and to do that, you’ll need to understand that your job is to service other people and to understand that others’ momentary discontentment isn’t necessarily directed at you personally.
Now, as far as the basics of reception goes, that’s about all I have to say, though have a look around the platform because there are courses on here that any budding receptionist - which you now are, by the way - will benefit from for sure. Good luck in the test and please leave a review and a comment letting us know what you thought.
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