Career Advice on How to Become A Hotel, Motel and Resort Desk Clerk
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General Career Information
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Hotel, motel and resort desk clerks need to be happy, go-lucky, smiley and friendly, or at least be able to act that way. Obviously, no normal human is as upbeat and chipper as many of the nation’s hotel, motel and resort desk clerks appear to be. If you feel that you cannot appear to be happy a good percentage of the time, then its probably best to seek employment working for a smaller establishment that may not require artificial happiness all day and night long. Do not even bother with a job search in this arena if you can’t look happy at least temporarily.
Desk clerks are often the first face that visitors see when they arrive in a hotel, motel or resort. As a result, they can truly set the tone for an entire stay. Much of the job centers on greeting guest and giving them a room. When guests have a problem, which is often quite frequent due to the poor cleaning and sanitation situations of many hotels, the person that is often sought out is the desk clerk.
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Career Facts:
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Not every desk clerk experience is the same. At smaller hotels and motels, for example, one may be required to perform many more task than working at a large corporate hotel or motel chain. At smaller hotels and motels, desk clerks may find that they are performing tasks as varied as cleaning laundry and taking reservations.
One of the side benefits of these careers is an unending stream of bizarre and interesting stories. Those working at a hotel, motel or resort will be privy to human beings at their worst.
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Career Opportunities and Job Outlook- Above Average:
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| With a growth rate of seventeen percent the desk clerk can expect to see healthy job growth between now and 2016. The job search luckily will not potentially be too much of a struggle. |
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A Day in The Life:
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Like many jobs in the travel industry, the hotel, motel and resort desk clerk may find that they are working nights and weekends or even both. Not all desk clerks are full-time, however. Roughly twenty-percent are only employed halftime. This is a major point to consider in your career planning process.
When hotels and motels are busy, they can be extremely busy and some shifts are busier than others. Later shifts can be very low-key. As a result, students who can squeeze in a little homework and pale vampire-like Goth posers (who rarely see the sun) often fill these shifts.
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Average Salary:
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| The average desk clerk does not see a huge paycheck at the end of the day. The average salary is about $18,500 per year, with the top ten percent still only earning about $27,000. However, for those who are students and can score the nightshift, this job may be an interesting option. |
$18k
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Career Training and Qualifications:
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| Those wishing to climb the hotel, motel or resort career ladder should probably consider some form of education beyond high school. |
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