Baggage Porters and Bellhops

Career Description: Handle baggage for travelers at transportation terminals or for guests at hotels or similar establishments.

Industry: Personal Care and Service

Other Job Titles for Baggage Porters and Bellhops:

• Realistic: Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
• Investigative: Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
• Artistic: Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
• Social: Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
• Enterprising: Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
• Conventional: Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
• First Interest High-Point: Primary-Rank Descriptiveness
• Second Interest High-Point: Secondary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness
• Third Interest High-Point: Tertiary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness

• Transfer luggage, trunks, and packages to and from rooms, loading areas, vehicles, or transportation terminals, by hand or using baggage carts.
• Supply guests or travelers with directions, travel information, and other information such as available services and points of interest.
• Receive and mark baggage by completing and attaching claim checks.
• Greet incoming guests and escort them to their rooms.
• Assist physically challenged travelers and other guests with special needs.
• Act as part of the security team at transportation terminals, hotels, or similar establishments.
• Deliver messages and room service orders, and run errands for guests.
• Explain the operation of room features such as locks, ventilation systems, and televisions.
• Arrange for shipments of baggage, express mail, and parcels by providing weighing and billing services.
• Maintain clean lobbies or entrance areas for travelers or guests.
• Transport guests about premises and local areas, or arrange for transportation.
• Compute and complete charge slips for services rendered and maintain records.
• Page guests in hotel lobbies, dining rooms, or other areas.
• Pick up and return items for laundry and valet service.
• Inspect guests' rooms to ensure that they are adequately stocked, orderly, and comfortable.
• Complete baggage insurance forms.
• Set up conference rooms, display tables, racks, or shelves, and arrange merchandise displays for sales personnel.
• Arrange for mating of stallions and mares, and assist mares during foaling.
• Maintain inventories of equipment, storing and retrieving items and assembling and disassembling equipment as necessary.

Emerging Tasks

• Evaluate animals for trainability and ability to perform.
• Train handlers and dogs to work as a guide for the visually impaired.

• Analyzing Data or Information: Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• Assisting and Caring for Others: Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Coaching and Developing Others: Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
• Communicating with Persons Outside Organization: Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Controlling Machines and Processes: Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
• Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others: Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
• Developing and Building Teams: Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
• Developing Objectives and Strategies: Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• Documenting/Recording Information: Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment: Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships: Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information: Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards: Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates: Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• Handling and Moving Objects: Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events: Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material: Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Interacting With Computers: Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others: Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People: Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings: Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• Monitoring and Controlling Resources: Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
• Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment: Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Performing Administrative Activities: Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public: Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• Performing General Physical Activities: Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
• Processing Information: Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• Provide Consultation and Advice to Others: Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment: Servicing, repairing, calibrating, regulating, fine-tuning, or testing machines, devices, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of electrical or electronic (not mechanical) principles.
• Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment: Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others: Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• Scheduling Work and Activities: Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
• Selling or Influencing Others: Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
• Staffing Organizational Units: Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees in an organization.
• Thinking Creatively: Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Training and Teaching Others: Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge: Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Detailed Work Activities

• answer customer or public inquiries
• arrange decorations or furniture for banquets or social functions
• assist handicapped persons
• assist passengers to store luggage
• attach or mark identification onto products or containers
• carry baggage
• clean rooms or work areas
• deliver or obtain mail, messages, records, food or other items
• fill out insurance forms
• greet customers, guests, visitors, or passengers
• load/unload passenger luggage or cargo
• measure, weigh, or count products or materials
• move or fit heavy objects
• page or announce information to patrons, passengers or others
• prepare records of customer charges
• provide customer service
• provide customer service in surface transportation
• provide guests with assistance
• provide information about facilities
• supply guests with information or services
• transport passengers or cargo
• use freight shipping or storage procedures
• use oral or written communication techniques
• provide information about facilities
• receive customer orders
• recognize customer intoxication
• schedule guest recreational activities
• sell merchandise
• serve food or beverages
• service vehicle with water, fuel, or oil
• stock or organize goods
• use cash registers
• use knowledge of food handling rules
• use oral or written communication techniques
• verify ticket or pass

Overall Experience
No previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, a person can become a cashier even if he/she has never worked before.

Job Training
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few days to a few months of training. Usually, an experienced worker could show you how to do the job.

Education
These occupations may require a high school diploma or GED certificate. Some may require a formal training course to obtain a license.

Examples
These occupations involve following instructions and helping others. Examples include taxi drivers, amusement and recreation attendants, counter and rental clerks, cashiers, and waiters/waitresses.

• Average hourly wage (2007) -$9.25
• Average annual wage (2007) - $19,240.00

• Projected growth (2006-2016): 8.96%
• Projected need (2006-2016): 4,419
• Employment (2006): 49,319

• Cargo and Freight Agents
• Combined Food Preparation and Serving Workers, Including Fast Food
• Counter and Rental Clerks
• Counter Attendants, Cafeteria, Food Concession, and Coffee Shop
• Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers
• Flight Attendants
• Food Servers, Nonrestaurant
• Tour Guides and Escorts
• Waiters and Waitresses