Travel agent to hospitality establishment receptionist
A travel agent already meets 53% of what the hospitality establishment receptionist role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
51.4/ 100
1 How much of what a hospitality establishment receptionist is expected to do is already part of a travel agent’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the hospitality establishment receptionist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A hospitality establishment receptionist role treats 12 of its required skills as things a travel agent already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- comply with food safety and hygiene
- handle customer complaints
- handle financial transactions
- identify customer's needs
- implement marketing strategies
- implement sales strategies
What stands in the way is 8 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A hospitality establishment receptionist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a travel agent background worth leading with.
- already held ensure the privacy of guests assisting and caring
- already held distribute local information materials communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held process booking information skills
- already held provide tourism related information assisting and caring
- already held maintain customer records information skills
- already held comply with food safety and hygiene assisting and caring
All 14 carried skills, including the 12 the hospitality establishment receptionist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 17 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn assist at check-in required
- still to learn deal with departures in accommodation required
- still to learn explain features in accommodation venue required
- still to learn deal with arrivals in accommodation required
- still to learn greet guests required
- optional, not held detect drug abuse optional
- still to learn assist clients with special needs required
- optional, not held take room service orders optional
- optional, not held train reception staff optional
- still to learn handover the service area required
- optional, not held tend to clients' personal items optional
- still to learn maintain reception area required
- optional, not held assess cleanliness of areas optional
- optional, not held carry out end of day accounts optional
- optional, not held maintain incident reporting records optional
- optional, not held process reservations optional
- optional, not held property management software optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a hospitality establishment receptionist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assist at check-in practise this
- 02 maintain reception area practise this
- 03 deal with departures in accommodation practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 14 skills that carry over
- already held comply with food safety and hygiene skill
- already held handle customer complaints skill
- already held handle financial transactions skill
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held implement marketing strategies skill
- already held implement sales strategies skill
- already held maintain customer records skill
- already held maintain customer service skill
- already held maintain relationship with customers skill
- already held process booking skill
- already held process payments skill
- already held provide tourism related information skill
- already held distribute local information materials skill
- already held ensure the privacy of guests skill
9 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held property management software optional
- optional, not held take room service orders optional
- optional, not held tend to clients' personal items optional
- optional, not held train reception staff optional
- optional, not held assess cleanliness of areas optional
- optional, not held carry out end of day accounts optional
- optional, not held detect drug abuse optional
- optional, not held maintain incident reporting records optional
- optional, not held process reservations optional
44 held skills the hospitality establishment receptionist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role achieve sales targets skill
- not needed by the target role advertise travel insurance skill
- not needed by the target role apply foreign languages in tourism skill
- not needed by the target role augmented reality knowledge
- not needed by the target role coordinate events skill
- not needed by the target role develop inclusive communication material skill
- not needed by the target role ecotourism knowledge
- not needed by the target role educate on sustainable tourism skill
- not needed by the target role engage local communities in the management of natural protected areas skill
- not needed by the target role execute email marketing skill
- not needed by the target role follow ethical code of conduct in tourism skill
- not needed by the target role geographical areas relevant to tourism knowledge
- not needed by the target role improve customer traveling experiences with augmented reality skill
- not needed by the target role maintain relationship with suppliers skill
- not needed by the target role manage conservation of natural and cultural heritage skill
- not needed by the target role manage database skill
- not needed by the target role manage digital archives skill
- not needed by the target role manage time in tourism skill
- not needed by the target role manage visitor flows in natural protected areas skill
- not needed by the target role measure customer feedback skill
- not needed by the target role office software knowledge
- not needed by the target role oversee all travel arrangements skill
- not needed by the target role present reports skill
- not needed by the target role produce content for tourism brochures skill
- not needed by the target role promote the use of sustainable transport skill
- not needed by the target role promote virtual reality travelling experiences skill
- not needed by the target role provide customised products skill
- not needed by the target role quote prices skill
- not needed by the target role search databases skill
- not needed by the target role self-service technologies in tourism knowledge
- not needed by the target role sell tourist packages skill
- not needed by the target role social media management knowledge
- not needed by the target role support community-based tourism skill
- not needed by the target role support local tourism skill
- not needed by the target role upsell products skill
- not needed by the target role use communication techniques skill
- not needed by the target role use customer relationship management software skill
- not needed by the target role use e-tourism platforms skill
- not needed by the target role use global distribution system skill
- not needed by the target role use microsoft office skill
4 further entries not listed here
1 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held property management software optional
Other moves recorded from travel agent
- travel consultant 71% covered · moderate
- tour operator representative 65% covered · moderate
- hotel concierge 53% covered · moderate
- tourist animator 51% covered · moderate
- tourist information officer 51% covered · substantial
- hotel butler 49% covered · moderate
- travel agency manager 46% covered · substantial
- hospitality entertainment manager 45% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a travel agent become a hospitality establishment receptionist?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A travel agent already covers 53% of what a hospitality establishment receptionist is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 12 of which the hospitality establishment receptionist role treats as required.
What skills does a travel agent need to become a hospitality establishment receptionist?
8 required skills are missing, plus 9 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is assist at check-in.
How hard is the move from travel agent to hospitality establishment receptionist?
Its learning distance is 51.4 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.