A bell captain usually supervises the conduct of bellhops and porters. Generally working in a hotel, a person in this position is usually cross-trained to take on other hospitality tasks like concierge or desk clerk duties in addition to bell captain duties, depending on the size of the organisation.

The bell captain knows the hotel property intimately and supervises and trains the bell staff to provide exceptional service and be responsive to guests’ needs during their stay. The bell captain reports to the Front Office Manager, and usually requires a Matric certificate or equivalent. It’s also preferable to have a hospitality qualification as well.

What does a bell captain do?

A bell captain’s responsibilities include:

• Ensuring total guest satisfaction and comfort of guests
• Supervising staff to ensure they stick to hotel policies and procedures
• Supervises the transport of luggage and  inspecting rooms as guests check in
• Provides guests with information about local attractions
• Manages bell staff and porters by setting work schedules, assigning duties and supervising day-to-day work
• Interviews, hires and trains new bell staff according to job specs and conduct performance reviews and skills training.

A bell captain must:

• Enjoy working with people in a service capacity, which requires good listening and problem-solving skills
• Commit to service excellence and have a natural ability to inspire staff to make guests their top priority.
• Have tact and poise to respond quickly to guest problems and staff conflicts
• Have excellent communication and time management skills
• Have attention to detail and the ability to oversee others.

The working conditions and job opportunities

As a bell captain, you’ll spend a lot of time on your feet – most of your shift, in fact. There will be a lot of walking, lifting of heavy luggage and pushing of heavy baggage carts.  You’ll deal with people – staff and guests – all day long, so if you’re not 100% committed people-pleasing, you won’t be suited to this career.

As with most careers in hospitality, there’s the scope to travel. You could be working in hotels, resorts, spas etc, anywhere in the world. There’s also the scope to move up the career ladder, depending on your ambitions. At least five years’ experience as a bell hop is required in order to become a bell captain. It’s not unheard of for a bell captain to rise to front office manager and even general manager, with the right experience, persistence and dedication.

A day in the life of a bell captain

In her interview with Leo Gonzales, who worked for the Marriott Hotels for seven years, starting in the kitchen and then working as a driver and assistant bell captain before becoming bell captain at the O`Hare Marriott, Norma Libman details Gonzales’ experience as a Bell Captain for Marriott Hotels:

“My day starts here at 7 am. The first thing I do is make sure that all our drivers, bellmen and doormen showed up. I read the log to see if anything happened the night before that would need my attention. If there are any problems from the night before, I try to resolve them as quickly as possible before I have to come into contact with the guest, so that I can have a solution ready.”

The best part of the job

According to Libman’s article, a great part of Gonzales’ job was greeting people:

“We try to make everybody feel welcome. They ask us for all kinds of information. Most of us have all the answers memorized because we’re asked the same questions so often. Most of this conversation takes place right in the lobby when we’re greeting people. Then, on the way to the room, we tell them about all the hotel facilities. When we get to the room, we ask them if they have any questions. What we do at that point depends on the situation. We have to learn to read the customers. Sometimes they’re in a big hurry, and they don’t really want to hear what you have to say. Sometimes they want to open the door themselves; sometimes you can ask them for the key and open it for them.

When we go into the room, we open the shades or close them, whatever is appropriate, check the TV set, make sure the room is tidy, check the air conditioner or heating. If the customer wants to know how to work everything, we go through the whole thing. Sometimes you just explain whatever you can before they push you out the door.”

The best part of the job

“I really like the excitement of this job, especially when we`re very busy and we have enough staff and everything is running smoothly. I like dealing with problems when I can solve them, when it’s a happy ending. And I love dealing with people. Anyone who wants to do this work should be relaxed and not let things bother them too much.

You have to be hospitable and cheery with the guests. If I’m in a bad mood, I try not to let the guests see it […] When I`m at work, I want to see the guest have a good time. It`s not just a job to me; I really feel responsible for everything that happens.”

For more about life as a Hotel Bell Captain, read Norma Libman’s article from the Chicago Tribune.