Guest services job description: what a guest services position involves, the hotel concierge role, duties, skills and a template

Every hotel has a desk where guests check in. The better ones also have someone whose job starts after that: the person who knows a restaurant that will take a table of six at eight, who has the taxi waiting, who finds the charger, moves the room and remembers the name. That is a guest services position, and at its most senior it is the concierge.

This article gives a guest services job description: what the role is, how it differs from reception, the concierge in a hotel job description, six duties, the skills to ask for, routes in, and a template to adapt. The apprenticeship routes are for England; the role is the same in any hotel.

Guest services staff are judged on every stay. See how New Dynamics continuous feedback gives every employee a regular voice.

What is a guest services position?

The Cambridge Dictionary defines a hotel guest as “a person who is staying in a hotel”, and a concierge, in the hotel sense, as “someone who is employed in a hotel, private club, or similar place to help guests with anything they need, such as arranging trips or theatre tickets”.

Guest services is the department, and the job, built around that help. In a small hotel it is part of the receptionist's role. In a larger one it is a separate desk or team: guest services agents or guest relations staff, led by a head concierge or guest services manager. Skills England's hospitality team member standard, a level 2 apprenticeship which Skills England now lists as retired, names the specialisms of a hotel front of house: among its options are “Concierge & Guest Services”, “Reception” and “Reservations”. The reception option's summary of the job applies to guest services too: “Be the link between visitors, staff and guests”.

The National Careers Service profile for a hotel porter shows the entry point. Porters, it says, “welcome guests, take their luggage and show them to their rooms” and “answer guests' questions about hotel services”; its tasks include arranging taxis, booking tickets and making reservations, running errands, taking messages and giving directions, and it says that with experience a porter could become a head porter or a concierge, working front of house.

Guest services vs reception

Our receptionist job description covers the front desk role in full. Many hotels combine the two in one team; the job description should say which it is.

Guest services duties: six responsibilities

1. Welcome and orient. Greet guests, escort or direct them, explain the property and its services, and remember returning guests.
2. Answer and advise. Questions about the hotel, the area, transport, restaurants and events, answered accurately and with judgement about what this guest wants.
3. Arrange and book. Taxis and transfers, restaurant tables, tickets, tours, deliveries, luggage storage and forwarding, and the special requests that make a stay memorable.
4. Resolve problems. Complaints, room issues, lost property, late arrivals and early departures, handled calmly and recorded.
5. Connect departments. Pass requests to housekeeping, maintenance, food and beverage and reception, and follow them up until done.
6. Protect guests and property. Notice who is in the building, follow security and safety procedures, and handle personal data properly.

Concierge in a hotel: job description

The concierge is guest services at its most expert. Alongside the six duties, a hotel concierge job description usually includes:

• Local knowledge as a professional asset. Restaurants, theatres, transport, doctors, florists, tailors; who to call and how to get a table or a ticket when none is available.
• A network of contacts with suppliers and venues, maintained and used on the guest's behalf.
• Itineraries and arrangements for guests and groups, from a single dinner to a week's programme.
• Leadership of the porters and doormen in hotels where the concierge heads the front-of-house team.
• Discretion. Concierges hear a great deal about guests; the job depends on keeping it.

In the UK and Europe the senior concierge is often a member of a professional association with its own standards; if your hotel expects membership, say so.

Skills to ask for

The National Careers Service lists for the hotel porter, the entry role, customer service skills, working well with others and alone, physical fitness and endurance, excellent verbal communication, active listening, concentration, the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure, and basic computer or hand-held device use. Guest services and concierge roles add:

• Judgement. Reading what a guest wants, sometimes before they ask.
• Local and product knowledge, kept current.
• Languages, where the guest mix calls for them.
• Persistence and calm. Getting the impossible table, and the apology when it cannot be done.
• Systems. Property management, request-tracking and messaging tools.

Routes in and qualifications

No qualifications are usually required. Most guest services staff start as porters, receptionists or in food and beverage and move across. In England the hospitality team member apprenticeship offered a concierge and guest services option, and the newer hospitality standards continue the route. Languages, customer service experience of any kind and knowledge of the city are the assets that matter at interview.

Working pattern

Guest services runs whenever guests are in the building: early, late, weekends and holidays, often on a rota with a night concierge or night porter covering the small hours. The National Careers Service notes that a porter's environment may be physically demanding and that a uniform may be required. State the rota, the uniform and grooming standards, the physical demands and any tips or service charge arrangement in the description.

A guest services job description template

Job title: Guest Services Agent (or Concierge, Guest Relations Executive)

Reports to: Head Concierge, Guest Services Manager or Front Office Manager

Purpose: Look after guests throughout their stay, answering questions, arranging what they need and resolving problems, so that every guest leaves wanting to return.

Responsibilities:

• Welcome guests, explain the hotel's services and facilities and assist with luggage and orientation.
• Answer enquiries about the hotel and the local area accurately and helpfully.
• Arrange transport, restaurant and event bookings, tickets, tours and deliveries.
• Handle guest requests and complaints promptly, record them and follow up to resolution.
• Liaise with housekeeping, maintenance, food and beverage and reception on guests' behalf.
• Maintain local knowledge and supplier contacts.
• Follow security, safety and data protection procedures.
• Support reception at peak times as trained.

Skills and experience:

• Customer-facing experience, ideally in hotels or hospitality.
• Excellent verbal communication and active listening.
• Calm under pressure; discreet with guest information.
• Knowledge of the local area; languages an advantage.
• Comfortable with property management and messaging systems.

Working pattern: Rota, nights and weekends, uniform, physical demands, service charge arrangements.

Our job description template explains each section; for a hotel interview, our guide to a hotel management interview introduction shows how candidates should open.

Frequently asked questions

What is a guest services position?

A front-of-house hotel role that looks after guests during their stay: welcoming them, answering questions about the hotel and the area, arranging transport, bookings and requests, resolving problems and passing requests to other departments. Titles include guest services agent, guest relations executive and, at the senior end, concierge.

What does a concierge do in a hotel?

The Cambridge Dictionary defines a hotel concierge as someone employed to help guests with anything they need, such as arranging trips or theatre tickets. In practice that means expert local knowledge, a network of contacts, bookings and itineraries, problem solving, discretion and often leadership of the porters and doormen.

What is the difference between guest services and reception?

Reception handles the transaction: check-in, check-out, payment and keys. Guest services handles the stay: requests, advice, bookings and problems. Small hotels combine them in one role; larger ones run separate desks under a front office manager and a head concierge.

What skills does a guest services agent need?

Customer service, excellent verbal communication, active listening, calm under pressure and teamwork, as the National Careers Service lists for hotel front-of-house roles, plus judgement, current local knowledge, discretion, languages where useful and comfort with hotel systems.

What qualifications do you need for guest services?

Usually none. Most people start as porters, receptionists or in food and beverage. In England the hospitality apprenticeships offer a work-based route; the hospitality team member standard included a concierge and guest services option. Customer-facing experience and knowledge of the area count for most.

What hours do guest services staff work?

Whenever guests are in the building: early and late shifts, weekends and holidays on a rota, with night cover from a night concierge or porter. The job description should state the rota, the uniform and the physical demands.

Your next step: describe the stay

1. Decide whether guest services is part of reception or a separate desk.
2. List the requests the team handles most, and the local knowledge it needs.
3. State the rota, uniform, physical demands and service charge arrangements.
4. Plan the first weeks: the property, the systems and the neighbourhood, with a named mentor.

For a structured start front of house, read and download our employee onboarding guide. The guide is free to read, and the PDF uses our short download form.

Want guest feedback and team check-ins in one place for every front-of-house role? Book a New Dynamics demo and bring your current job descriptions. You can also email contact@new-dynamics.com.