What are hotel positions?
Hotel positions can encompass a whole range of responsibilities, both front and back of the house.
Hospitality jobs are often quite demanding but are also a good way to enter the workforce, but also give
employers a chance to hire a mix of young and experienced workers. Job positions in a hotel might
include receptionist, chef, cleaner, sales executive, or revenue manager.
Guests in a hotel may only interact with a handful of people, but behind the scenes there are many
different hotel job positions. And, depending on the size of the hotel, this can easily translate to dozens
of on-duty employees at any given time.
What are the different positions in a hotel?
Hotels are uniquely diverse businesses that demand a wide array of skills, so a hotel positions list can be
rather extensive. But exactly what are the job positions in a hotel that need to be filled?
Hospitality job titles can sometimes be a little confusing, as there is often plenty of overlap between
different positions – if you’re looking for a career in hotels, you need to be ready to be a jack of all
trades.
In this guide to hotel industry jobs, we’ll be looking at the positions in hotel industry businesses that play
a role in keeping a property purring.
Type of hotel jobs:
What are the positions in hotel industry businesses that you need to know?
In this guide we’ve broken down the different hotel positions and job descriptions into the following
categories.
1. Hotel management
2. Guest-facing positions
3. Housekeeping
4. Hotel marketing
5. Hotel food and beverage.
The roles in a hotel that might first come to mind are the front desk positions, as these team members
are often the first faces that new guest will see when they arrive.
Front office positions in hotels can range from managers to receptionists. Regardless of seniority, these
are all customer facing positions and require excellent people skills.
1. Hotel manager
Of all the front of the house positions in a hotel, this is the most senior. The purpose of the role is to
ensure that all guests receive high quality customer service. Duties include training and managing
various other hotel front desk positions such as receptionists and concierge (caretaker, helper,
doorman, doorkeeper).
Key attributes for this role include great interpersonal skills, attention to detail, and supervisory
experience in a similar role.
2. Assistant hotel manager
This is a more junior position but is still a supervisory role which requires experience in hospitality as
well as a working knowledge of daily hotel operations.
Jey attributes include strong people skills, attention to detail, good leadership skills and customer
service experience.
3. Hotel receptionist
This is arguably one of the most important hotel positions. As the face of the hotel, the receptionist
is the first and last person guests interact with.
Duties include greeting guests, making bookings, taking phone requests and managing complaints.
Depending on the hotel and the training opportunities available, this can be an entry level position.
However, in many instances, experience in a similar role is preferable.
Key attributes for this role include strong people skills, excellent customer service skills, good IT
skills, organizational skills, and the ability to use initiative.
4. Concierge
The concierge’s job is to greet guests and assist with queries. This can include making restaurant
reservations, arranging transport and providing information about the local area.
Key attributes include people skills, customer service skills, patience, ability to use initiative and
problem solving skills.
5. Reservation agent
A reservation agent is similar to a concierge but their duties are similar to making reservations for
guests. However, as front of house operatives, reservation agents should also be willing to assist
guests with other queries.
It’s worth noting that the terms receptionists, concierge and reservation agent can often be used
interchangeably. Some hotels may have both a receptionist and a concierge while others may have a
concierge and reservation agent.
6. Front of house manager
Though guests may never actually see some of them, a strong management team is absolutely
essential to a hotel’s success. The front of house manager shoulders ultimate responsibility for all
customer-facing operations and is largely responsible for ensuring a positive customer experiences.
This role is about ensuring all front of house staff know their roles and do them well.
7. Hotel general manager
This is the most senior of all hotel management positions. From handling complaints and supervising
staff to scheduling maintenance and managing budgets, this role oversees all aspects of hotel
operations.
Extensive experience in the hotel industry is required and key attributes include great interpersonal
skills, leadership skills, excellent organization skills, IT skills, thorough understanding of budgets and
financial planning, and a working knowledge of health and safety regulations.
8. Operation manager
Depending on the size of the hotel, this can be another name for general manager or a position
reporting directly into it. The overall purpose of the role is to manage day to day operations. Duties
can include overseeing various departments, conducting health and safety audits, and managing
budgets.
9. Night duty manager
This role ensures the smooth running of the hotel during the night. Duties can include managing a
team, scheduling staff, processing payroll, and budgeting. It is a managerial role that requires
extensive experience in the industry. However, as it can often involve working with a reduced team,
the position also requires a can-do attitude.
10. Director of purchasing
This role involves purchasing all goods and materials required for the hotel’s operations. From
toiletries and towels to food and beverages, everything that is bought and paid for goes through the
director of purchasing. Duties include negotiating with vendors, managing contracts, quality
assurance, stock taking, and accounting.
A degree in business studies is usually required as well as experience within the hospitality industry.
11. Human resources manager
Human resources oversee the recruitment process for hotel positions. They also carry out
performance evaluations and manage employee contracts. Day to day, the HR manager is in charge
of ensuring that all workers right regulations are adhered to and may be required to assist with
negotiations between union leaders and management in the event of staff disputes.
12. Revenue manager
A revenue manager’s job is to set hotel prices. Their main goal is to increase occupancy and
maximise revenue. This involves constant analysis of the market as well as negotiating with third
party booking platforms. Staying up to date with industry trends as well as technological innovation
is an essential part of being a hotel revenue manager.
13. Sales manager
A hotel sales manager’s main job is to increase room sales. Whether it’s by cold calling, networking,
competitor research, or negotiating partnership deals, the goal is to generate new business.
This position usually requires a degree in business or a similar field as well as previous experience
within the hospitality industry.
14. IT manager
This role oversees all systems used to manage bookings, schedule maintenance and facilitate
communications. As well as troubleshooting and maintenance of information technology (IT)
systems, the IT manager’s role involves planning ahead and making recommendations regarding new
software and improvements.
15. Accounting managers
The accounting department oversees all incoming and outgoing expenses. From chasing outstanding
invoices to creating budgets and financial reports, the accounting manager’s job is to ensure that all
financial aspects of the hotel run smoothly.
This position requires extensive experience in the industry as well as a degree in accounting, finance,
business or similar.
16. Security manager
The security manager oversees the safety of all guests, employees and assets at the hotel. This
involves planning and coordinating patrols, managing surveillance systems, training staff for
emergency procedures and supervising all other security job positions at the hotel.
Guest hotel positions and responsibilities
Guest-facing hotel positions are those in which the team member will have direct contact with guests,
but in a more limited, focused capacity than a front desk worker, for example.
The following hotel job titles can be described as guest-facing.
1. Night auditor
The night auditor is in charge of checking in guests, taking reservations and handling any request during
night hours. Much like the night duty manager, this role can sometimes involve processing invoices,
managing payroll and other managerial duties.
2. Parking attendant
This role involves driving, parking and returning guest vehicles as they arrive and depart from the hotel.
This is an entry level position but it requires excellent customer service skills.
3. Hotel porter
The hotel porter’s job is to welcome guests and help carry their luggage. This can sometimes involve
assisting the concierge in making reservations.
This is a great first job position in the hotel industry as it can give you the experience and knowledge
required to work up to other front of house positions.
4. Spa manager
From managing maintenance and cleaning schedules to handling special requests, this job involves
managing all aspects of running the hotel spa.
Key attributes for this role include good organizational skills, strong managerial skills, excellent customer
service skills and previous experience in similar supervisory positions,
Housekeeping hotel job position list
While many guests and hoteliers will see ‘housekeeper’ as synonymous with ’cleaner’. The truth is that
the housekeeping hotel positions chart extends for beyond preparing rooms.
Housekeeping positions in a hotel vary depending on the size of the hotel. A small boutique hotel may
have a general housekeeper who undertakes all duties whereas a large hotel will have designated staff
for various tasks.
1. Room attendant
A room attendant cleans the room between guests as well as during their stay. Duties include
vacuuming, mopping, changing bed linen, replacing towels, emptying bins, replenishing bathroom
amenities, restocking fridges and reporting any maintenance issues.
Although much of a room attendant’s work is done alone, communication skills are essential as they
regularly interact with guests.
2. Hotel housekeeper
This title sometimes refers to room attendants and sometimes refers to someone in charge of a smaller
establishment’s housekeeping. The duties are largely the same and involve thoroughly cleaning rooms
and common areas.
3. Cleaning manager
Just like other managerial positions in a hotel company, the cleaning manager is responsible for
overseeing a team of staff. Duties involve coordinating the cleaning schedule, supervising staff,
maintaining adequate stock for all cleaning products, and dealing with complaints.
4. Maintenance technician
Hotel maintenance jobs involve proactively monitoring and maintaining all assets to ensure a certain
standard of service and minimize disruption to guests.
From dealing with guest complaints to carrying out scheduled maintenance, a maintenance technician is
the go-to person for fixing assets. Duties include basic electrical repairs, unclogging drains and toilets,
and repairing HVAC ducts.
As hotel maintenance position go, this is the jack of all trades. Knowledge of plumbing is essential and it
usually requires a certification in electrical work and/or HVAC systems. Good communication skills and
excellent time-management skills are also crucial.
5. Maintenance supervisor
This role oversees the maintenance team. Duties include scheduling maintenance tasks, managing
relationships with contractors, maintaining a budget and ensuring compliance with health and safety
regulations.
A basic understanding of plumbing, electrical work, HVAC systems and risk management is important
and a certification in Facilities Management is helpful.
Hotel marketing positions and job descriptions
The variety of job positions in hotel industry businesses will grow with the size of the property, and some
hotels are large enough to employ dedicated marketing and sales teams. The goal of these teams is
simple: to drive more bookings.
1. Director of sales and marketing
The director of sales and marketing is in charge of the hotel’s positioning in the market. From branding to
public relations to social media, it’s their job to promote the hotel and maintain its public image. This
