Behind the desk with the Front Desk Clerk
Hotel vs. Timeshare - the job is not the same
Luis Santos has seen both sides of working as a front desk
clerk - at a hotel chain and a timeshare - and he's here to tell you the job
description is not the same.
"Everything is different, from your training to the
customer service experience to the way your day unfolds," says Santos, who has worked at
both the Comfort Suites and Island One Resorts, where he is currently a front
desk manager.
TRAINING AND EDUCATION
To become a front desk clerk at the timeshare resort, Santos took 30 days of
in-house training when he was hired, then was put on a 90-day probation before
assuming his new position. Island One offers training at its corporate office,
seminars and upgrade courses at least once a month.
"When training to work the front desk at a hotel, it
was straight to the point," Santos
says. "The learning was very specific, you learn very quickly, and there's
not much to learn the system. Check in, check out, calendar dates." He has
never taken formal, outside courses, though he's now studying real estate law
to further his career in the timeshare industry.
Unlike Santos, front desk
manager Cindy Michaud, who has worked at the Great George
Hotel for four years,
studied for a tourism and travel management diploma, and has achieved four
certifications in such areas as reservations, guest services, and front desk
management. "The schooling I had was geared to tourism," she says.
"When I got into it (working as a hotel clerk), I thought it was just a
job, but now I see it shaping up to be more of a career."
THE CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE
While front desk clerks at both hotels and timeshare resorts
are on the front lines of customer service, there are differences in their
experiences. Both hotel and timeshare clerks can be the first impression a
guest forms when walking through the doors. Says Michaud, "You have to
really like people; being a front desk clerk is definitely not for someone who
wants to be in a back office." Being a people person is paramount for both
types of operations, and many of the tasks front desk clerks perform for guests
are the same, but there are significant differences:
Hotel Clerks
- Tend
to deal with corporate clientele on business trips.
- See a
steady influx of new guests, usually staying for a short duration. Even
with repeat customers, you probably won't see them more than a few times a
year.
- Spend
a lot of your time on check in and check out of single guests as well as
groups and tours.
- Arrange
reservations, prepare for business meetings, offer referrals for services,
troubleshoot day-to-day problems as part of the hotel team.
Timeshare Clerks
- Deal
with owners, who are not just passing through. The mentality of the
"owner" guest is entirely different from that of the more
transient business traveller. Timeshare owners have a much higher customer
expectation because they've paid for their room and their vacation
experience.
- Interact
with guests less formally. Says Santos,
"They know you by name, you see them on the street. The training at a
timeshare is more family-oriented. You learn to be not as formal as at a
hotel because the customers are more like family."
- Develop
a lasting relationship with the owners. They will ask for you by name, and
you'll become more of a "friend."
HOW YOUR DAY UNFOLDS
Strong administrative skills are key for job seekers
interested in working as a hotel front desk clerk. The position involves great
organizational skills, from arranging room assignments, using a computer and
handling cash to dealing with a variety of customer service expectations.
Here's what Cindy Michaud's day looks like:
- Arrive
at 6:45 a.m. for a 7 a.m. 3 p.m. shift.
- Review
what happened in the previous shift.
- Look
at immediate needs.
- Count
the cash.
- Review
guest checks check-ins and checkouts.
- Prepare
for business meetings in the hotel.
- Do
room assignments.
- Handle
incoming packages.
- Reconfirm
dinner reservations.
- Process
reservations, checkouts and check-ins.
"You're looking for any potential problems and taking
care of these things ahead of time, if possible," she says.
A day in the life of a timeshare resort's front desk clerk
is much less predictable.
Luis Santos's day begins and often ends at the same time as
Michaud's, but the similarity ends there.
Front desk clerks at a timeshare:
- Open
the front desk and get ready for the early check-ins. A lot of timeshare
owners check in early because they own the unit and want to maximize their
stay. A hotel, on the other hand, has a much stricter check-in policy.
"You never know when they're going to show," he says.
- Make sure
one owner has vacated for the next owner and ensure the room is ready.
- Get
ready for the guests, do paperwork, see to guests' personal preferences.
- Put
flowers in the room. If it's a VIP owner, the timeshare front desk clerk
might buy groceries, a bottle of wine and muffins and put these in the
room.
WHICH ONE IS FOR YOU?
The answer to this question depends on what type of customer
service relationship appeals to you - the challenge of dealing with new guests
everyday or the more personal experience of developing a long-term customer
rapport. Each is rewarding in its own way.