Hotel Porter

Also known as:

Porter, Hotel
Hallporter
Concierge

Introduction

Hotel porters help hotel guests with their luggage and show them to their rooms. They might also have to deal with enquiries from guests and do messages for them. Some porters work at night and are responsible for checking in late arrivals and for security.

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Work Activities

People usually think about porters as the staff who carry luggage to and from guests' rooms in hotels. But there is much more to their job than that.

There are two main kinds of porter - day porter and night porter. In some hotels a person might do day shifts and night shifts, but it's more normal for night porters to do only night shifts. The tasks that porters do depend on the size and type of hotel that they work in.

Day porters work in the public areas of hotels and have a lot of contact with the guests. In a large hotel there could be a small team of porters. As well as carrying luggage, porters might do any of the following:
• park guests' cars
• advise guests about the local area and tourist attractions
• book tickets, taxis and restaurant tables for guests
• drive staff to and from work at the start and end of shifts
• do small jobs for guests, for example photocopying or faxing a document
• sort the post
• keep public areas clean and tidy
• take meals and newspapers to guests' bedrooms.

Night porters usually work alone or with one other person. Because they work from late at night (usually around 11 pm) to early morning (around 7 am) they have less contact with guests than the day porters do. They also do more work in the non-public areas of the hotel. For example, a night porter will do security checks. They will also check that fire escapes are clear.

Night porters may also:
• check in guests arriving late
• check out guests who want to leave early in the morning
• help bar staff to close up and put the takings in the safe
• check newspaper deliveries and put the right paper outside guests' rooms
• take meals up to guests' rooms
• set up function rooms for conferences, etc.

If guests want a snack during the night, the night porter might have to prepare it, if kitchen staff are off duty. Also, if there is something wrong with someone's room, the night porter will have to move them to a different room and make sure the reception staff know about it in the morning.

Porters sometimes live in the hotel where they work, so they can be on call at all times. Some hotels are in remote areas, for example the Highlands and Islands. Most porters wear uniforms.

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Personal Qualities and Skills

As a porter you are part of the public image of the hotel. So it's important that you have a smart appearance and are clear spoken. You should be polite, friendly and willing to help people. A good memory for information and people is useful.

You'll be doing what people tell you to do a lot of the time, so you should be happy to follow instructions.

There is a lot of lifting with this job and you could be on your feet for most of the time.

A driving licence may be useful.

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Pay and Opportunities

The pay rates given below are approximate.

Hotel porters earn in the range of £11,500 - £14,000 a year, rising to around £16,000. Higher earners can make around £20,000 a year.

Hotel porters usually work 38-40 hours a week. Day porters usually work shifts, including weekends. Night porters work permanent nights. Some porters work day and night shifts on a rota basis. There are opportunities for part-time work.

Employment throughout the UK is with hotels of all sizes. Jobs are sometimes advertised in local newspapers. Promotion prospects are better with the larger hotels and hotel chains.

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Adult Opportunities

It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

Some entrants have relevant skills and abilities gained in hotel work, or in an area such as customer service or retail. Others have skills gained in areas that involve using their hands, eg, lifting, carrying and transporting.

Modern Apprenticeships, leading to SVQ level 2, may be available in some areas.

• 24% of hotel porters work part-time.

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