Hotel Front Desk Agent Skills for a Resume
Hotels hire front desk agents who make every arrival smooth, handle problems gracefully and keep the books accurate. Show the size and type of hotel, the systems you use and your guest scores and upsells.
Updated
12 skills at a glance
Hard skills
What the work takes, how a hiring manager judges each skill, and a bullet point that shows it.
Property management systems (Opera, OnQ, Mews)
Name the system and the tasks you handle in it, from reservations to billing.
Example bullet pointManaged reservations, room assignments and billing in Opera for a 220-room hotel.
Reservations
Show how you handle bookings and changes accurately.
Example bullet pointTook phone and email reservations with very few booking errors.
Check-in and check-out
Give your volume and how quickly guests got to their rooms.
Example bullet pointChecked in up to 80 guests on busy evenings, keeping waits under five minutes.
Night audit
Show that you close the day accurately and run the desk alone overnight.
Example bullet pointRan the night audit and balanced the day's revenue reports for the general manager.
Upselling
Give the upgrades and add-ons you sell, such as late check-outs, and the revenue.
Example bullet pointSold room upgrades and late check-outs, adding about $3,000 in revenue a month.
Cash handling
Show accurate cash and card handling at the desk.
Example bullet pointBalanced the front desk float at the end of every shift.
Complaint resolution
Show a complaint you turned around and how the guest left.
Example bullet pointMoved a family away from a noisy room to a quiet one, and they left a five-star review.
Soft skills
Shown through what you did, never claimed as adjectives.
Warmth
Show guest reviews or scores that mention your welcome.
Example bullet pointWas named in guest reviews for a warm welcome more often than any other agent.
Patience
Show it with tired, upset or confused guests.
Example bullet pointFound a stranded traveler a room at a partner hotel late at night when we were full.
Problem solving
Describe a problem you solved for a guest on the spot.
Example bullet pointArranged a charger, toiletries and a late check-out for a guest whose luggage was lost.
Multitasking
Show phones, arrivals and requests handled at the same time.
Example bullet pointAnswered phones, checked in arrivals and handled requests at once during peak hours.
Discretion
Show how you protect guests' privacy and information.
Example bullet pointKept guests' room numbers and details private, following security procedures.
Licenses and certifications
Give them a section of their own, with who issued each one and the year or expiry date.
- Certified Guest Service Professional (CGSP)
- Certified Front Desk Representative (CFDR)
Keywords from hotel front desk agent job postings
Use the ones that are true for you, in your bullet points as well as your skills list.
- guests
- check in
- Opera
- upgrades
- reservations
- night audit
- satisfaction
- rooms
- complaints
Each posting has its own words. Our guide to tailoring your resume to a job description shows how to find them and where to put them.
Where to put your skills
- In a skills section: a short list of the hard skills the posting names, in its words.
- In your bullet points: every skill that matters should show up in something you did, with a result. That is where a hiring manager believes it.
- In your summary: two or three of the skills the job asks for most.
More on choosing them in how to choose and prove the skills on your resume.
Questions
What skills should a hotel front desk agent put on a resume?
Property management systems, reservations, check-in and check-out, night audit, upselling, cash handling and complaint resolution, plus warmth, patience and problem solving.
Which numbers can a front desk agent use?
Hotel size, check-ins a shift, upsell revenue and guest satisfaction scores.
Does front desk experience help with other jobs?
Yes. It shows customer service, cash handling and calm problem solving, which many roles need.
Put them to work
Start from a hotel front desk agent resume that already uses these skills, for an invented person, and make it yours in the builder.