What Does a Hotel Supervisor Do?

A hotel supervisor may work with the housekeeping supervisor to create a cleaning schedule for the building.
Hotel supervisors may work in bed and breakfasts or traditional hotels.
Many people who become a hotel supervisor have a combination of education and experience in the field.
A hotel supervisor may oversee housekeeping and help ensure that hotel rooms are spotless and are properly stocked.
Hotel supervisors oversee food and drink staff.
A hotel supervisor ensures front desk operations are running smoothly.
Hotel supervisors may be in charge of providing food to hosted corporate events.
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  • Written By: B. Miller
  • Edited By: Andrew Jones
  • Last Modified Date: 25 February 2015
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The job duties of a hotel supervisor can vary depending on the size of the hotel and the number of other employees or departments. In general, this position refers to the front desk supervisor at a hotel, who oversees departments such as the front desk, reservations, and anything else on the front end of the hotel. Other departments in which an individual might work in a supervisory role include housekeeping, maintenance, or security. A hotel supervisor is generally responsible for ensuring the operations at the front desk are running smoothly, that guests are checked in and out, and assigned appropriate rooms. The supervisor also helps to resolve any problems, make reservations, and monitor the cash flow of the front desk.

Many people who become a hotel supervisor have a combination of education and experience in the field. An associate's or bachelor's degree in resort or hospitality management might be necessary in larger, more upscale hotels, while smaller establishments might make someone a supervisor with just a few years of experience. The supervisor is in charge of ensuring that other employees are performing their daily job duties as required, and will typically report to the hotel manager on a daily or weekly basis to share information regarding operations and goals.


In most cases, the hotel supervisor will not be sitting behind a desk in an office all day, but will be a frequent presence in the lobby and front desk of the hotel. He or she may assist guests as they check in and answer any questions they may have. Answering phones to make, confirm, or change reservations might also be another common job task. Another large part of the duties of a hotel supervisor is resolving any problems that guests may have, and consistently providing excellent customer service to ensure that they will return to the hotel. Basic accounting and bookkeeping, such as counting out cash drawers and maintaining records, might also be a regular job duty.

Aside from directly working with and assisting guests, the hotel supervisor needs to work successfully with other employees as well. This may involve creating schedules, training new hires, and resolving any problems between employees. It may also involve tasks like enforcing the dress code or reprimanding employees for not performing their job duties adequately. Since the supervisor acts as a liaison between employees and upper management, it is important that he or she fosters positive relationships with employees, yet remains professional at all times to ensure the image of the hotel stays positive.



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Post 2

@Mor - It depends on the kind of hotel, really. I mean, if it's a busy inner city hotel, then yes the night shift is going to be difficult.

But, if you are a hotel supervisor for a more rural or smaller hotel, I think most of the time your biggest problem will be staying awake and most of the time they don't even have a supervisor overnight.

If you really can't stand the idea of working the night shift, you can start out at a smaller hotel and work your way up.

Post 1

I guess most of the time you'd have to work the night shift before you would get the privilege of being the day supervisor. The night shift might seem like it would be easier in some ways, aside from being at night when you might prefer to sleep, but I can imagine it would be much harder in other ways. People who need something at night are going to be much more quickly irritated (I know from experience that I often need ear-plugs at night and if I can't get them right away, it is very annoying). Plus, you'd have to deal with all the parties and the drunks over the weekend and various things like that, often with a reduced staff.

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