Hotel Receptionist CV example: complete and up to date for 2026

This receptionist CV example is designed for applications to the front office of hotels, resorts and larger B&Bs, and to company and office receptions, in 2026. It shows how to present check-in and check-out, PMS use, reservations, guest registration requirements, foreign languages and complaint handling, in a clear CV that hotel chains' ATS can read.

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What a receptionist does

The receptionist is the guest's first and last contact with the property: they welcome, register, inform, solve problems and handle payments.

  • Welcome and registration

    The most visible part of the job.

    • Check-in, document checks and room allocation.
    • Sending guest data to the authorities through the required portals.
    • Information about the property's services and the local area.

  • Reservations and payments

    An increasingly digital job.

    • Managing direct and online bookings.
    • Updating rates and availability, where required.
    • Check-out, bills, payments, tourist tax.

  • Problem solving

    There is something to solve every day.

    • Handling complaints and special requests.
    • Coordinating with other departments (housekeeping, maintenance, restaurant).
    • Managing unexpected situations, including at night.

In short:

A receptionist combines hospitality, languages, accuracy and problem solving. Your CV must show the level of the property, your languages and the software you use.

Receptionist with 5 years of front office experience in 4-star hotels and seasonal resorts. I handle check-in and check-out, direct and online bookings, mandatory guest registration, the till and shift closing, including night shifts. I speak advanced English and German and use PMS and channel managers every day. Focused on hospitality, quick problem solving and selling additional services.

[Email]

[Address]

[Phone]

[Date of Birth]

[Nationality]

[Social]

Skills

  • Check-in and check-out

  • Reservations and availability management

  • PMS and channel manager

  • Guest registration and tourist tax

  • Night audit

  • Till, card payments and pre-authorizations

  • Upselling rooms and services

  • Complaint handling

  • Switchboard, email and chat

  • Coordination with housekeeping and maintenance

  • Welcoming and courtesy

  • Problem solving under pressure

Languages

  • Italian

    Level: Native

  • English

    Level: Advanced (C1)

  • German

    Level: Upper intermediate (B2)

  • French

    Level: Basic (A2)

EUROPEAN FORMAT
Receptionist – Front Office Agent
[Name]
[Surname]

Experiences

__SET_DATE__

__SET_DATE__

Front Office Agent

4-star hotel (140 rooms), Florence

  • Checked in and out 60-90 guests a day, verifying documents and recording them in the PMS.
  • Submitted guest registrations daily through the Italian police portal (Alloggiati Web) and managed the city tourist tax.
  • Managed bookings from the website, phone, email and online travel agencies and updated availability with the channel manager.
  • Offered room upgrades, breakfast and extra services at arrival, consistently contributing to the department's sales targets.
  • Handled complaints and special requests together with housekeeping and maintenance.
  • Night shifts (night audit): closing the day, checking accounts and preparing reports for management.
  • Managed the till, card payments and card pre-authorizations.
  • Gave tourist information and booked transfers, restaurants and tours for guests.

__SET_DATE__

__SET_DATE__

Receptionist (summer season)

Lakeside resort (80 rooms), Lake Garda

  • Welcomed mainly German, Dutch and British guests.
  • Check-in and check-out, booking management and room allocation.
  • Coordinated with the restaurant, spa and entertainment team for internal bookings.
  • Managed the switchboard and guest requests by phone and chat.

Education

__SET_DATE__

__SET_DATE__

Hospitality vocational diploma – Tourist Reception

Hotel management vocational school (IPSSEOA), Tuscany

How to write an effective receptionist CV

Hotel managers and front office managers look straight away for languages, PMS experience and guest-handling skills.

Information at the top

Your title and profile must include it.

  • Role, years of experience and type of property (3-5 star hotel, resort, chain, corporate).
  • Languages with levels.
  • Software used (PMS, channel manager).
  • Availability: shifts, nights, season.

Details that make a difference

They show your level.

  • Number of rooms and guests handled per day.
  • Type of guests: business, leisure, groups, international.
  • Results: reviews mentioning your name, upselling targets met.

Work experience

For each property give your role, type and category, number of rooms, city, dates and 5-8 tasks.

How to describe tasks

Start with the tasks most relevant to the ad.

  • Volumes: daily check-ins, rooms, guests.
  • Responsibilities: night audit, till, reservations, groups.
  • Collaboration with other departments.
  • Measurable results, if you know them.

Seasons and experience abroad

They are an asset in this sector.

  • List seasons with exact dates.
  • Experience abroad proves languages and adaptability: highlight it.

Front office skills

Choose the skills closest to the job ad.

Technical skills

Often checked at the interview.

  • Check-in and check-out, room allocation.
  • Reservations, overbooking and availability.
  • Night audit and end-of-day closing.
  • Mandatory guest registration and tourist tax.
  • Till and payments.

Soft skills

Essential at reception.

  • Hospitality and courtesy.
  • Calm when handling complaints and the unexpected.
  • Multitasking between phone, guests and email.
  • Discretion and confidentiality.

Foreign languages

For front office roles, languages are often the first filter.

How to present them

Precision and honesty.

  • Use European levels (A1-C2) and list certifications, if you have them.
  • Highlight the languages most requested where the property is located.
  • Interviews are often partly in a foreign language: be prepared.

PMS and digital tools

Knowing hotel software reduces training time: it is a real advantage.

What to mention

List the software you have really used.

  • PMS (property management systems) such as Oracle Opera, Protel, Mews, Scrigno or others.
  • Channel managers and online booking portals.
  • Guest registration portals and tourist tax tools.
  • Office, email, guest chat.

If you do not know the required PMS

List the ones you know: the logic is similar and anyone experienced with one PMS learns others quickly.

Education and courses

A hospitality diploma in tourist reception is the classic route, but not the only one.

What to include

In order of relevance.

  • Hospitality diploma (tourist reception) or degrees in tourism and languages.
  • Language certificates.
  • Courses in revenue management, customer service or hotel software.
  • Safety and fire warden training.

Corporate receptionist: what changes

Reception at a company or firm requires partly different skills from a hotel.

What to highlight

More office support, fewer bookings.

  • Welcoming visitors and suppliers, recording access.
  • Managing the switchboard and routing calls.
  • Handling mail, couriers, meeting rooms and diaries.
  • Light administrative support and Office use.

Mistakes to avoid

The most common mistakes on receptionist CVs.

The most common

Easy to avoid.

  • Overstating language levels.
  • Not listing the software used.
  • Not stating the type and category of the property.
  • An unprofessional photo: it matters in a customer-facing role.
  • Spelling mistakes, including in foreign languages.

Receptionist CV with no experience

Languages, courtesy and availability can be enough for a first season.

What to highlight

Any customer-facing experience.

  • Hospitality school placements or hotel internships.
  • Sales, office or customer service experience.
  • Time abroad, Erasmus, au pair.
  • Languages and availability for the season.

Profile example

Short and direct.

  • “Graduate in tourist reception, with a 3-month internship at the front desk of a 4-star hotel. English B2 and Spanish B1. Looking for a first job as a receptionist, including seasonal.”

Cover letter

Upscale hotels often appreciate one, sometimes in English.

Short example

Adapt it.

  • “I am applying for the receptionist position at your hotel. I have 5 years of front office experience in 4-star hotels, I speak English and German and regularly use PMS and channel managers. I enjoy offering attentive hospitality and solving guests' problems calmly. I am available for shifts, including nights.”