What does a hotel receptionist do?
You check guests in and out, answer questions about the city and pick up the phone. At the end of your shift you close the till and hand over to your colleague.
Good English, an extra language is a plusFlexi-jobs & student jobs in a hotel
A hotel never closes. The front desk is staffed from early morning until late at night, and every day the rooms have to be ready for new guests. That is why hotels in Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp also look for people at weekends and during school holidays. As a student you have 650 hours a year at reduced contributions; as a flexi-jobber you work alongside your regular job.
Part of Hospitality
A breakfast shift in a hotel
What does a breakfast shift in a hotel look like?
Breakfast in a hotel usually runs from seven to half past ten, but your shift starts an hour earlier. You set up the buffet, look after the guests and leave the breakfast room ready for the next morning. Click a moment to see what you do.
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You fill baskets with rolls and pastries, arrange cheese and cold cuts on platters and cut fruit. The coffee machines go on and scrambled eggs and bacon go into the warming trays. By seven everything has to be ready.
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The first guests are often business travellers in a hurry. You ask for their room number, check whether breakfast is part of their booking and pour coffee or tea at the table. Guests in a rush sometimes ask for breakfast to take away.
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Around half past eight tourists and families all come down at once. You keep walking the buffet, refill whatever runs low and clear tables so new guests can sit down. If someone asks for a boiled egg or gluten-free bread, you pass it on to the kitchen.
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At half past ten breakfast closes. Anything that needs to stay cold goes back in the fridge or gets thrown away, following the rules the kitchen explains to you. You empty the warming trays and rinse them.
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You lay every table again with cups, plates and cutlery for the next morning. In a small hotel you sometimes help housekeeping with the linen afterwards. Around half past eleven your shift is done and the rest of the day is yours.
Common roles: Receptionist (7 am-3 pm), Room attendant (10 am-3 pm), Night receptionist (11 pm-7 am), Room service (evening), Porter (around check-in), Linen assistant (morning).
Which student jobs can you do in a hotel?
What does a room attendant do?
You make up rooms between check-out and check-in: changing beds, cleaning the bathroom, restocking towels and soaps. You work through a list with a trolley full of linen and products.
No experience needed, but a good paceWhat does a night receptionist do?
You welcome late arrivals, keep an eye on the hotel at night and do the night audit, checking the day's bookings. Around seven you hand over to the morning team.
From 18What does a breakfast assistant do?
You set up the breakfast buffet, refill what runs out and pour coffee at the table. At half past ten you clear the buffet and lay the room for the next morning.
Getting up early, the rest you learn on siteWhy work in a hotel?
A hotel runs every day of the year, Sundays and holidays included. What does that mean if you only do a few shifts a month?
Done early, day free
After a breakfast shift you are out before noon. That leaves a whole afternoon for classes, an internship or your other job.
Practise your languages
Guests come from all over Europe and beyond. At the buffet or the desk you speak English, French or German without it feeling like an exam.
Try every department
Breakfast, housekeeping, front desk or room service: a hotel has many kinds of shifts. You soon find out what suits you best.
The same rhythm daily
The buffet is laid out in the same order every morning. After two or three shifts you know where everything goes and stop searching.
What do you earn as a hotel receptionist or room attendant?
We do not list amounts here, because they change with every indexation. This is what sets your pay in a hotel.
The hotel industry committee
Hotels fall under PC 302, the joint committee for the hotel industry. The pay scale depends on your role, so front desk and housekeeping do not always have the same minimum.
Your age
As a student worker aged 15, 16 or 17, your minimum can be lower than that of a colleague aged 18 or over.
As a flexi-jobber
You get at least the minimum flexi wage for hospitality, including flexi holiday pay. The hotel may pay more.
Sundays and public holidays
A hotel also runs on Sundays and public holidays, and hospitality then pays a supplement per hour. You can read the hourly wage of every shift in the app before you respond.
Student or flexi-jobber in a hotel: what is allowed when?
| Student worker | Flexi-jobber | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can do it? | Anyone enrolled in education, from 16 or from 15 after the first two years of secondary school. | Anyone working at least 4/5 elsewhere or retired. |
| Maximum | 650 hours a year at a reduced contribution. | No hours limit. Tax-free up to 18,440 euros a year, with no cap for pensioners. |
| Deduction from your pay | 2.71 percent solidarity contribution. | No social contributions. |
| Early breakfast shift | Under 18? Then you do not start before 6 am. | You can start at any hour. |
| Night shift at the front desk | Only from 18. | Possible, in hospitality since 2015. |
All the rules for 2026Rules checked on 7 October 2026.
How to start
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Step 1
Apply
Pick a shift in the app and tap apply.
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Step 2
Get accepted
The business picks you and your contract is ready.
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Step 3
Clock in
Arrive on time and clock in through the app.
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Step 4
Work your shift
You work and break when it's allowed.
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Step 5
Get paid
Clock out, your pay follows within days.
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For shifters
A student job in a hotel during the holidays too
- Choose between front desk, rooms or night shift
- Speaking languages is a plus on the front desk
- Work at weekends or during your school holidays
For businesses
Front desk or housekeeping short-staffed this weekend?
- Post early, late or night shifts
- Cover busy weekends and holidays with flexi-jobbers
- Contract and declaration per shift, without paper
Frequently asked questions
From what age can you do a student job in a hotel?
You can start in a hotel from 16, or from 15 if you have finished the first two years of secondary school. If you are under 18, you in principle do not work between 8 pm and 6 am, with an exception in hospitality. If you are 16 or 17, your shift ends at 11 pm at the latest. If you are 15, at 8 pm. A breakfast shift or a day shift as a room attendant therefore fits. Night shifts at the front desk are only possible from 18.
Is working as a room attendant hard?
It is physical work at a steady pace. You make beds, bend down to clean bathrooms and push a full trolley along the corridors. All rooms must be ready between check-out and check-in, so you work through a list. On your first shifts you usually shadow an experienced colleague. After a few days you know the order and every room goes faster.
Can I do a night shift in a hotel as a student?
From 18, yes. Minors are in principle not allowed to work between 8 pm and 6 am. In hospitality your shift ends at 11 pm at the latest if you are 16 or 17, at 8 pm if you are 15. Hotels therefore schedule younger students on early or day shifts.
Which languages do I need on the front desk?
Dutch and English are enough in most hotels. In Bruges and Ghent, French and German come in handy, because many tourists from France and Germany stay there. Add the languages you speak to your profile.
How fast does a room need to be ready?
Between check-out around 11 am and check-in from 3 pm, all rooms have to be made up. You work from a list of rooms with a trolley of linen and products. The pace is high, but after a few shifts you know the routine.
Do I also work at weekends and on public holidays?
Yes, a hotel is open every day. In tourist cities most guests stay precisely at weekends and on public holidays. If you can work on Saturday and Sunday, you will find a shift most often.
When do hotels in Flanders need extra people?
In the tourist season from Easter to October, during the Christmas markets in December and around big trade fairs and conferences. You notice it most in Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp. January and February are usually quieter.
Ready for your first shift in a hotel?
Download the app as a shifter or register your business for free.