Bilingual skills are a plus. Many hotels demand computer skills. Neatness, patience, and a friendly and courteous personality in dealing with the public are important. Dependability, a sense of responsibility, maturity and good customer relations skills are also needed. There are two ways of getting the job.
Some hotels have a policy of promoting from within.
In some hotels, trainees start as switchboard operators and key clerks, information clerks, or mail clerks. The work of Hotel Desk Clerks is different depending on the size of the hotel. In small hotels they may process mail, collect payments, record accounts, handle reservations, operate the telephone switchboard and do simple bookkeeping. Desk Clerks must know the hotel floor plan, fire escape routes, and the location of and sometimes the operation of the hotel's mechanical systems. Desk clerks must also know about local stores, restaurants, and churches.