You can find doormen at hotels, luxury apartments and condos, retail businesses and even nightclubs. A doorman's duties can vary depending on the particular venue. These duties almost always center around helping customers or residents as they arrive or leave. The doorman is typically on call to assist guests or residents, helping to keep them satisfied with the hotel or apartment.

Opening Doors

The duties of a doorman usually include opening doors as guests or residents arrive or depart the hotel or apartment. The doorman may also have gates to open or intercoms to answer as guests arrive. The doorman must also be friendly and smile as he greets people because this enhances a guest's or resident's overall experience.

Carrying Bags

The doorman is often required to walk out to a taxicab or limousine and offer to carry the arriving passenger's bags inside the hotel or residence. At luxury hotels, the doorman may wait for the guest to check in, then transport his luggage on a portable dolly cart to his room. Once there, the doorman will usually remove the luggage from the dolly and ask the guest if he needs anything else.

Receiving Packages

The duties of a doorman often entail receiving packages from overnight carriers. The doorman may then hold the package at the front desk, or deliver it to a person's room himself. Sometimes, guests may also need packages mailed and, in turn, pay a doorman to obtain the necessary items in which to send the package. The doorman may then call an overnight carrier and arrange for the carrier to pick up the package.

Handling Problems and Errands

A doorman may perform duties that are not typically in his job description. At times, he may need to assist a guest or resident, who has an injury or medical problem, if no one else is around. The doorman will then notify the manager and stay with the guest until the doctor or life squad arrives. The doorman also may find himself answering a guest's questions or running an errand for the guest like picking up a prescription at the drugstore.

Delivering Food

A doorman who works in a hotel that has a restaurant, may be required to deliver breakfast, lunch and dinner to guests during peak dining hours. Typically, luxury hotels employ multiple people as doormen so at least one is available to handle meal deliveries. The doorman may also pick up trays after guests are finished eating, especially late at night if there is no one available in housekeeping.

Crowd Control

The doorman at nightclubs is usually required to maintain the crowd level under a certain room capacity. The doorman may use hand counters to keep track of people entering and leaving a building. Moreover, the nightclub doorman is usually responsible for controlling unruly patrons or breaking up fights, along with bouncers, unless the doorman is also the bouncer. A doorman often rounds up guests at closing time and escorts them out before locking the door.