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Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks in Iowa

Thinking about a career as a Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks in Iowa? Here’s what you need to know. 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.

What do Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks Make in Iowa?

For hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks working in Iowa, the typical annual salary is $30,250 per year (or roughly $14.54/hour).Annual wages span from $24,420 at the 10th percentile to $36,460 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$24,420	$11.74
25th percentile	$28,750	$13.82
Median (50th)	$30,250	$14.54
75th percentile	$34,380	$16.53
90th percentile	$36,460	$17.53

The job concentration index in Iowa relative to the national average — is 1.13, suggesting that hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks are more concentrated here than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks earn a median of $29,045 per year ($13.96/hour), above the Iowa median.

Employment Outlook

National employment for 1,114,121 hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks nationwide. In Iowa alone, about 2,990 people work in this role. That trails the typical state, which employs around 3,980 hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks.

Top Iowa Metros for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks

The largest metro-area employers of hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks in Iowa.

Metro Area	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA	790	$30,650
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL	290	$30,410
Iowa City, IA	250	$30,430
Cedar Rapids, IA	190	$30,130
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD	160	$30,020
Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA	150	$29,410
Dubuque, IA	90	$31,440

Top States for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks Employment

The table below shows the states where the most hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks work.

State	Number Employed
California	27,500
Texas	23,420
Florida	22,130
New York	10,150
Georgia	9,170
North Carolina	8,470
Pennsylvania	7,840
Virginia	7,030
Illinois	6,620
Michigan	6,540
Tennessee	6,400
Ohio	6,090
Arizona	5,910
South Carolina	5,850
Washington	5,750
Colorado	5,200
Nevada	5,030
Wisconsin	4,910
Louisiana	4,830
Missouri	4,750

Highest-Paying States for Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks

These states pay the most for hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks.

State	Annual Median Salary
Hawaii	$58,740
District of Columbia	$44,640
California	$39,200
Washington	$38,930
New York	$38,870
Vermont	$38,820
Massachusetts	$38,490
Nevada	$37,960
Maine	$37,760
Rhode Island	$37,500

Skills

The most important hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Core knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Abilities

Key abilities for hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Daily Tasks

Day-to-day, hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks typically:

• Greet, register, and assign rooms to guests of hotels or motels.
• Contact housekeeping or maintenance staff when guests report problems.
• Issue room keys and escort instructions to bellhops.
• Make and confirm reservations.
• Verify customers' credit, and establish how the customer will pay for the accommodation.
• Keep records of room availability and guests' accounts, manually or using computers.
• Post charges, such as those for rooms, food, liquor, or telephone calls, to ledgers, manually or by using computers.
• Review accounts and charges with guests during the check out process.
• Record guest comments or complaints, referring customers to managers as necessary.
• Compute bills, collect payments, and make change for guests.
• Transmit and receive messages, using telephones or telephone switchboards.
• Answer inquiries pertaining to hotel services, guest registration, and travel directions, or make recommendations regarding shopping, dining, or entertainment.

Work Activities

• Working with Computers
• Getting Information
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
• Processing Information
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
• Documenting/Recording Information
• Performing Administrative Activities

Tools & Technology

Common tools and software used in this occupation include: Hot technologies: Facebook In-demand technologies: Microsoft Office software

Related Careers

Other careers like hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks include:

• Lodging Managers
• Waiters and Waitresses
• Food Servers, Nonrestaurant
• Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers
• Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop
• First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers

Also Known As

Desk Clerk, Floor Clerk, Front Desk Agent, Front Desk Associate, Front Desk Attendant, Front Desk Auditor, Front Desk Clerk, Front Desk Concierge, Front Desk Coordinator, Front Desk Receptionist, Front Desk Representative, Front Desk and Night Auditor, Front Office Agent, Guest Service Agent, Guest Service Representative.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
• O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
• BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
• O*NET-SOC code: 43-4081.00