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hotel clerk

hotel clerk

2 2.0
A person at a hotel's front desk who greets guests and handles check-ins and check-outs
  • noun
  • /hoʊˈtɛl klɜrk/
translation icon : 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
136 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
110 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
86 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
14 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

supervisor
346 2.8
hotel clerk
2 2.0
bellhop
  • US
19 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.