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hotel clerk

hotel clerk

4 2.0
A person at a hotel's front desk who greets guests and handles check-ins and check-outs
  • noun
  • /hoʊˈtɛl klɜrk/
: recepcionista
  • When we checked out, the hotel clerk quickly processed our payments and thanked us for staying.
  • hotel clerk said
  • asked the hotel clerk

They'll see the father who yells at the soccer coach, the mom who yells at store clerks and hotel clerks.

Examples

  • More so, Booth left a note with the hotel clerk for Johnson and his private secretary, William A. Browning.

  • The dignity of this middle-class African American man stands in stark contrast to the rudeness of the hotel clerk.

    Academic text (2002)
  • One student was given the role of a customer, whereas the other took on the role of a hotel clerk.

    Academic text (2018)
  • She told the hotel clerk she was your wife and she wanted to surprise you.

  • I distracted the hotel clerk while she smuggled the cat up the elevator.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • When I asked our Milan hotel clerk if a cab could get us close to the trains, he said, "Yes, a cab would take us around the back of the station and to the level of the tracks."

    Academic text (2002)
  • Going to Italy and screaming at the hotel clerk in Milan isn't going to get anyone a room at the inn.

    Blog text (29)
  • Coping with nasty flight attendants, shady cab drivers, and grouchy hotel clerks can add a degree of pressure to travel that detracts from the sense of enthusiasm and adventure that should really go along with any vacation.

    Blog text (2)
  • The hotel clerk welcomed us with a warm smile as we arrived at the front desk.

  • After checking in, I asked the hotel clerk for recommendations on nearby restaurants.

Synonyms

attendant
vshotel clerk
182 2.8

A person who serves or helps people in a public place

is focused on administrative check-in and reservation tasks rather than general service
clerk
vshotel clerk
  • US
136 1.1

A person who helps customers and handles sales at a shop

works with guest arrivals and reservations rather than shop sales tasks
receptionist
vshotel clerk
84 2.6

A person who greets visitors, answers the phone, and gives information at an office or hotel

focuses on guest arrivals, reservations, and check-outs rather than general office tasks
desk clerk
vshotel clerk
16 2.1

A person who works at a hotel's front desk and helps guests with check-ins and questions

focuses more on check-in and check-out procedures than only bookings
hotel desk clerk
vshotel clerk
1 2.7

A person at the front desk of a hotel who helps guests

is the same role but expressed as a slightly different phrase
room clerk
vshotel clerk
  • US
1 3.4

A hotel worker at the front desk who gives rooms and keys to guests

covers wider guest services beyond just assigning accommodation
deskman
vshotel clerk
  • US
1 3.7

A person who works at a desk in an office or hotel reception helping visitors

is specific to guest greeting and arrivals tasks rather than general administrative work
reservationist
vshotel clerk
1 7.0

A person who books rooms and tables by phone or online

includes bookings but also handles guest arrival and departure procedures

How Senior

hotel manager
10 3.0
supervisor
332 2.8
hotel clerk
4 2.0
bellhop
  • US
16 3.2

Surface Forms

hotel clerk singular
hotel clerks plural

Morphology

hotel + clerk

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'hotel' (a place for lodging) with 'clerk' (an employee who deals with customers), yielding an employee who works at a hotel. This straightforward noun–noun composition is cross-linguistically common and follows regular compounding patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The compound hotel clerk combines hotel, a place for travellers, and clerk, a person who writes and keeps records. Imagine someone sitting at a front desk, writing guest names and taking money, and you see why a hotel clerk today greets guests and handles 'check-ins' and reservations.