Hotel porter
Welcome guests to a hotel and carry their luggage to their room. Help them with small tasks to make their stay more relaxing.
About the job
What it's like
You would welcome guests to a hotel and carry their luggage to their room. You’d help them with small tasks, like getting directions or booking taxis, to make their stay more relaxing.
You’d be based at reception or at the porters' desk so you’d often be the first person to greet guests at a hotel.
You’d be polite and friendly, welcome them to the hotel and see to their needs.
You would:
Help guests by carrying luggage
Tell them about the hotel facilities
Arrange taxis and book tickets
Do errands, such as taking and picking up dry cleaning
Take messages
Give directions
Respond to safety and security issues
Answer queries and make reservations
If the hotel has a conference suite, you may be responsible for moving and setting up equipment. You might also cover reception duties when required.
As a head porter, for example in a large hotel, you would be responsible for supervising a team of porters and door staff, organising rotas and being involved in recruitment.
You’d need to be smart and take health, safety and security issues seriously.
Hours
Full-time, part-time and seasonal work is generally available on a shift basis. Split shifts (an early shift, a break in the middle of the day, and then an evening shift) and overtime are common.
Environment
You would spend most of your work time on your feet, both indoors and outside. Your work would be quite physical, as you would need to lift and carry heavy or awkward loads such as luggage and other equipment.
Explore more information about this job
Here are some useful links to learn more about this career:
Other careers that you might like
Stagehand
Related industries
Many jobs can be done in lots of different industries. We've highlighted the ones we think are most important for this job.
Tourism
Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Top specialised skills
These are the top specialised skills that have been found in job vacancies across Scotland. From March 2024 to March 2025.
- restaurant operation
- front office
- customer complaint resolution
- shift work
- housekeeping
- safety audits
- hotel operations
- fire management
- auditor's report
- network switches
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- empathising
- social conscience
- building relationships
- supporting
- cooperating
- verbal communication
- reliable
- positive attitude
- resilience
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Skills for Work: Hospitality
There are no formal qualifications required to enter this job but a good general education (SCQF level 4/5) may be required by some employers.
Training is mainly on the job.
A driving licence.
You must be over 18 if you have to serve alcohol.
Find the right course for you
Browse courses in Scotland related to 'Hotel porter'
