During the course of a work shift, a hotel hostess has a variety of responsibilities, which vary from hotel to hotel. In general, the hotel hostess is in charge of greeting guests as they arrive, checking them into their rooms, recommending the best rooms for each guest, checking guests out when they depart, and keeping the hotel’s registry book up to date. The hostess is a member of the staff who handles all of the hotel’s front-desk duties. She’s also in charge of answering any questions guests may have, making reservations over the phone, and keeping the lobtidy and presentable. Some hostesses may be in charge of providing concierge services as well.
The hostess is usually assigned to the front desk, which is located in the lobor foyer. She frequently uses a computer to access the hotel’s main database, which handles room bookings and allocations, payments, and other administrative tasks. The hotel hostess’ main responsibility is to greet guests with a friendly and helpful demeanor as soon as they arrive. A hostess’ main goal should be to create an inviting and helpful environment for customers.
The hotel hostess must also perform a number of administrative and maintenance tasks on a regular basis. The hostess must ensure that each guest in the hotel signs the registration book, has proper and valid identification, and a valid credit card to secure the room against damage keeping all paperwork properly logged and filed. Other hotel employees, such as doormen, bellmen, kitchen and bar staff, as well as janitorial and maintenance staff, must be managed the hostess. She must be able to coordinate the tasks of a large number of hotel employees to ensure that each guest’s needs are met.
The hotel hostess is responsible for answering all questions from guests, including those that are not related to hotel operations. A hostess may be asked to provide discounts on room booking rates, to upgrade a guest’s existing room to a better room, or to provide information on any potential discounts for hotel amenities like a gym, pool, restaurant, or bar. The hostess may also be questioned about services outside of the hotel, such as nearattractions, good restaurants, nearshopping, or the best tourist attractions. A hostess may be required to act as a concierge in this capacity, particularly when working at a smaller, non-chain hotel.