Hotel room attendant
Travel & Tourism

How to become a hotel room attendant

You can get into this job through:

• a college course
• an apprenticeship
• applying directly

College

You can do a course before you apply for a job. Courses include:

• Level 1 Certificate in Introduction to the Hospitality Industry
• Level 1 Diploma in Preparing for a Career in the Hospitality Industry

These courses include options in housekeeping and guest services.

College (Entry requirements)

You'll usually need:

• 2 or fewer GCSEs at grades 3 to 1 (D to G), or equivalent, for a level 1 course

Apprenticeship

You can get into this job through an intermediate apprenticeship as a hospitality team member, specialising in housekeeping.

Apprenticeship (Entry requirements)

You'll usually need:

• some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

Direct application

You can apply directly to employers if you've got some of the relevant skills and knowledge needed for the job. Experience in cleaning can be useful. Employers will be interested in your personal qualities and will expect you to be hardworking, honest and a reliable time-keeper.

More info

You can get more advice about working in hotels from the Hospitality Guild.

What it takes

Skills & Knowledge

You'll need:

• the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• the ability to work on your own
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• sensitivity and understanding
• customer service skills
• a desire to help people
• excellent verbal communication skills
• to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

What you'll do

Day to day

Your day-to-day duties might include:

• changing bed linen and towels
• making beds
• vacuuming floors
• dusting and polishing furniture
• cleaning bathrooms
• replacing stocks of guest supplies
• re-stocking drinks in the mini-bar

Working environment

You could work in a hotel. Your working environment may be physically demanding. You may need to wear a uniform.

Career path and progression

Career path & progression

Your opportunities for progression would depend on the size of the hotel. In larger organisations you’re more likely to be able to progress to a supervisory or management job.