How long does it take to become a Hostess?

It takes one year or less to become a hostess. That is the time it takes to learn specific hostess skills, but does not account for time spent in formal education.

How To Become A Hostess: What It Is and Career Path

What is a hostess and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A hostess is a person who works in the hospitality industry, often in restaurants or hotels. Their primary responsibility is to greet and seat guests, ensuring that they feel welcome and comfortable. Hostesses also manage reservations, answer phone calls, and provide general assistance to guests as needed. A successful hostess must possess excellent communication skills, be able to work well under pressure, and maintain a positive attitude in all situations.

ScoreHostessUS Average

Salary

2.1

Avg. Salary $26,298

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

5.8

Growth Rate 9%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.42%

Asian 5.79%

Black or African American 9.67%

Hispanic or Latino 19.75%

Unknown 6.84%

White 57.54%

Gender

female 85.93%

male 14.07%

Age - 20

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 20

Stress Level

5.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

3.7

Complexity Level is basic

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

10.0

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Hostess?

Pros

Develop customer service skills
Improve communication skills
Gain experience in the restaurant industry
Opportunity to learn about different types of cuisine
Potential for advancement to server or other positions

Cons

Potential for dealing with difficult or hostile customers
Potentially need to work weekends and holidays
High-stress environment during peak hours
Physically demanding job (carrying trays, walking/running)
Limited opportunities for breaks during shift

Key steps to become a hostess

Explore hostess education requirements

Most common hostess degrees

High School Diploma

37.0 %

Bachelor's

36.2 %

Associate

16.1 %

Start to develop specific hostess skills

Skills	Percentages
Reservations	48.76%
Exceptional Guest	8.94%
Seat Guests	4.06%
To-Go Orders	3.95%
Bus Tables	2.86%

Complete relevant hostess training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New hostesses learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a hostess based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real hostess resumes.

Research hostess duties and responsibilities

Assist guests in booking reservations and manage guest history data using OpenTable reservation system.
Welcome guests upon arrival and provide seating arrangements base upon OpenTable reservations and guest preference.
Greet by name and escort patrons to their personalize private dining area while coordinating reservations and exemplifying customer service
Help bar back when need and learned minimal skills in bartending.

Prepare your hostess resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your hostess resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a hostess resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Hostess Resume templates

Build a professional Hostess resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Hostess resume.

Apply for hostess jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a hostess job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do hostesses rate their job?

4/5

Based On 2 Ratings

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Hostess reviews

5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2021

Pros

What I like about working as a hostess is that you get to greet and meet new people on a daily basis.

Cons

What I don’t like at times about being a hostess is sometimes running into those mean and rude customers at times.

3.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019

Pros

meeting and greeting people from different parts of the world which improves my communication skills

Cons

nothing

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2019

Cons

I just like the fake people that come into think they have a lot of money

Pros

I love to meet and greet with the cast the conversation that entertaining seeing offering wine watching the guests have a wonderful experience and do everything to while the guests so they returned

What is a hostess and how to become one

What are the pros and cons of being a Hostess?

Hostess career paths

Key steps to become a hostess

Explore hostess education requirements

Most common hostess degrees

Start to develop specific hostess skills

Complete relevant hostess training and internships

Research hostess duties and responsibilities

Prepare your hostess resume

Choose From 10+ Customizable Hostess Resume templates

Apply for hostess jobs

How Did You Land Your First Hostess Job

Average hostess salary

How do hostesses rate their job?

Hostess reviews

Hostess FAQs

How long does it take to become a Hostess?

Search for hostess jobs

Hostess jobs by state