host/hostess
Snapshot
Do you enjoy welcoming people and creating a positive first impression? As a host/hostess, you'll be the friendly face that greets visitors and ensures a smooth and welcoming experience in various settings.
Hosts and hostesses play a vital role in ensuring visitors feel comfortable and informed. Your day might involve greeting guests, providing directions, managing seating arrangements, answering questions, and generally contributing to a pleasant atmosphere. You'll work in diverse environments, from bustling airports and train stations to vibrant events and hotels.
- • Greeting and welcoming visitors with a friendly and professional demeanor.
- • Providing information and directions to visitors.
- • Managing seating arrangements and guest flow.
Where this occupation is in demand
Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
Deeper colour: reported the same way in more consecutive years.
Figures cover Customer services clerks — 37 jobs including this one.
In shortage: Belgium, Greece, Italy, Netherlands and 1 more.
Longest-running shortage: Belgium, 3 years.
Select a place on the map to see its figures.
About this source›
Source: ELA/EURES labour shortages and surpluses. Readings are published at occupation-group level, and cover Europe. Editions differ in annex layout and country coverage, so a change between years does not always mean the labour market changed. Countries in grey were not reported, which is not the same as being in balance.
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Could host/hostess fit you?
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Do you enjoy tasks that require Stress Tolerance?
Do you enjoy tasks that require Cooperation?
Do you enjoy tasks that require Persistence?
Future Outlook for host/hostess
The outlook for host/hostess is exceptionally stable. While AI tools will assist with daily tasks, the core of this role relies on human judgment, resulting in a high resilience score of 84%.
How are these scores calculated?
The Resilience Score (0–100) estimates how structurally protected this occupation is from automation and AI disruption, based on task-level analysis. Higher scores mean more human-judgment-intensive tasks. AI Exposure shows the estimated percentage of task hours that current AI capabilities could affect. These are model-derived structural indicators, not predictions about individual job security.
How could host/hostess change as AI adoption grows?
Human judgement, trust, and context remain strong protectors for this role.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
How could host/hostess change as AI adoption grows?
Human judgement, trust, and context remain strong protectors for this role.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
How AI may change this role
Deterministic, model-based interpretation of current role signals — not a guarantee of replacement.
What still depends on people
- provide visitor information
- greet guests
- provide tourism related information
Where AI may become a co-pilot
- distribute local information materials
- inform tourist groups on logistical times
- identify customer's needs
Tasks most exposed to automation
No single task here is highly automatable yet.
Vital Signs & AI Vectors
AI Exposure Vectors
0-100%Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement
Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation
Technical Details
NexFuture v3.0 estimates automation exposure natively from ESCO essential-skill groups, weighted by skill mass and calibrated against expert anchors. Scores are probabilistic estimates, not guarantees. See the NexFuture Methodology White Paper for full details.
Measures automation exposure. It does not measure pay, demand, or how many jobs exist near you.
What people in this role usually do
Hospitality, Events, & Tourism
A typical day as a host/hostess
09 09:00 · Morning inform tourist groups on logistical times
10 10:30 · Mid-morning demonstrate intercultural competences in hospitality services
12 12:00 · Midday distribute local information materials
14 14:00 · Afternoon escort visitors to places of interest
15 15:30 · Late afternoon identify customer's needs
17 17:00 · Wrap-up maintain relationship with customers
Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.
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greet guests
Welcome guests in a friendly manner in a certain place.
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welcome tour groups
Greet newly arrived groups of tourists at their starting point to announce details of upcoming events and travel arrangements.
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escort visitors to places of interest
Bring tourists to places of interest such as museums, exhibitions, theme parks or art galleries.
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manage tourist groups
Monitor and guide tourists ensuring positive group dynamics and address areas of conflict and concern where they occur.
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provide visitor information
Provide directions and other relevant information to visitors.
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provide tourism related information
Give customers relevant information about historical and cultural locations and events while conveying this information in an entertaining and informative manner.
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answer incoming calls
Respond to customers' inquiries and provide customers with appropriate information.
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distribute local information materials
Hand out leaflets, maps and tour brochures to visitors with information and tips about local sites, attractions and events.
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inform tourist groups on logistical times
Brief groups of tourists on departure and arrival times as part of their itinerary.
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promote the use of sustainable transport
Promote the use of sustainable transport to reduce the carbon footprint and noise and increase safety and efficiency of transport systems. Determine performance regarding the use of sustainable transport, set objectives for promoting the use of sustainable transport and propose environmentally friendly alternatives of transport.
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maintain customer service
Keep the highest possible customer service and make sure that the customer service is at all times performed in a professional way. Help customers or participants feel at ease and support special requirements.
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communicate verbal instructions
Communicate transparent instructions. Ensure that messages are understood and followed correctly.
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maintain relationship with customers
Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with customers in order to ensure satisfaction and fidelity by providing accurate and friendly advice and support, by delivering quality products and services and by supplying after-sales information and service.
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handle personal identifiable information
Administer sensitive personal information on customers securely and discreetly
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identify customer's needs
Use appropriate questions and active listening in order to identify customer expectations, desires and requirements according to product and services.
Skill DNA
Work personality traits and values that define this role
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Where does host/hostess fit?
Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.
Frequently asked questions
- What types of places might I work as a host/hostess?
- You could find employment in airports, train stations, hotels, exhibition halls, conference centers, function venues, and even at special events like fairs and festivals.
- What skills are important for this role?
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are essential. You’ll also need to be organized, attentive to detail, and able to remain calm and helpful in a busy environment. The ability to quickly learn and adapt to different situations is also valuable.
- Is this a career path suitable for someone looking to change careers?
- Absolutely! The foundational nature of this role makes it accessible to individuals from various backgrounds. Strong people skills and a welcoming attitude are often more important than prior experience.
- Host/Hostess — is there a shortage in Europe?
- No. In the 2025 ELA/EURES edition, a surplus was reported in 13 of the 18 European countries that assessed this occupation group: Austria, Bulgaria, Czechia, Spain and 9 more. 5 countries reported a shortage. These assessments are published per occupation group rather than per job title.
- Host/Hostess — what does it pay in the United States?
- $30,380 a year at the median, as of 2025-05. State medians run from $20,450 to $47,070. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is a United States figure and not a projection for Europe.