Skip to content
Boston Career Explorer

Office and Administrative Support

Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks

Accommodate hotel, motel, and resort patrons by registering and assigning rooms to guests, issuing room keys or cards, transmitting and receiving messages, keeping records of occupied rooms and guests' accounts, making and confirming reservations, and presenting statements to and collecting payments from departing guests.

Also called: Desk Clerk, Front Desk Agent, Front Desk Associate, Front Desk Attendant, Front Desk Clerk, Front Desk Receptionist

Median pay in Greater Boston
$39,990
$19.22/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
2,980
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+4.9%
690 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
plus Short-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$37,630$38,490$39,990$45,980$61,240

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Make and confirm reservations.
  • Greet, register, and assign rooms to guests of hotels or motels.
  • Verify customers' credit, and establish how the customer will pay for the accommodation.
  • Post charges, such as those for rooms, food, liquor, or telephone calls, to ledgers, manually or by using computers.
  • Issue room keys and escort instructions to bellhops.
  • Advise housekeeping staff when rooms have been vacated and are ready for cleaning.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Moderate exposure63 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 60
  • Language-model AIOE 66
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 64

Observed AI use today: Substantial (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is moderate, and AI tools are already being used in this kind of work. Chatbots and software can answer routine guest questions, and kiosks and mobile apps let guests check in without a clerk. Greeting guests, solving problems in person, and handling unusual requests still depend on people. Massachusetts jobs are projected to grow 4.9% from 2024 to 2034.

Likely to change

  • Answering routine guest questions
  • Check-in, check-out, and reservations

Still relies on people

  • Welcoming guests face to face
  • Handling special requests and problems

What federal projections say

“Capital/labor substitution - share decreases as artificial intelligence (AI) software is increasingly used to assist guests with routine enquiries, and self-service kiosks and mobile applications allow guests to complete check-ins and check-outs without a clerk present.”
BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, factors affecting this job (U.S.)

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Flight Attendants

    Welcoming people, explaining procedures, and staying calm with the public carry over. The move offers higher median pay ($61,510) and faster projected growth (10.2%).

    Pay difference
    +$21,520 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +10.2%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Passenger Attendants

    Greeting travelers and explaining safety steps build on your guest service skills. This job has lower AI exposure and projected growth of 6.6%.

    Pay difference
    +$3,360 median
    AI exposure
    Moderate
    MA growth
    +6.6%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers

    Resolving complaints and training others build on your guest service skills. The move offers a higher median pay ($47,090) and lower AI exposure.

    Pay difference
    +$7,100 median
    AI exposure
    Moderate
    MA growth
    +5.7%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.

Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.

Talk to a career coach