JĘDRZEJ KRÓL WINS THE TITLE OF WORLD'S BEST RECEPTIONIST
The Polish candidate beat off 16 other competitors who came to Nice to compete in the 29th edition of the World's Best Receptionist Competition, which took place during the international congress of the International Association for Deputy Managers and Front Office Managers of Luxury Hotels (Amicale Internationale des Sous-Directeurs et Chefs de Réception - AICR). |
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JĘDRZEJ KRÓL WINS THE TITLE OF WORLD'S BEST RECEPTIONIST
The Polish candidate beat off 16 other competitors who came to Nice to compete in the 29th edition of the World's Best Receptionist Competition, which took place during the international congress of the International Association for Deputy Managers and Front Office Managers of Luxury Hotels (Amicale Internationale des Sous-Directeurs et Chefs de Réception - AICR). |
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Article written by Vanessa Guerrier-Buisine on 2024-03-04
The French Riviera was proud to welcome the crème de la crème of hotel receptionists to the international final of the David Campbell Trophy, now known as the Word's Best Receptionist Competition, which took place in the capital of the French Riviera, Nice, at the Hôtel Méridien. 17 candidates, from Australia to Morocco and Singapore, took part in a series of tests devised by the committee headed by Egidio Marcato, chief judge of the trophy. We were able to follow the competition, which focused on the hotel chosen for the event, the Beacon Grand Hotel in San Francisco:
- A general culture 'speed test' linked to their hotel of application,
- Back-office tasks (responding to a booking request, responding to a request about welcoming children in the hotel, calculation tests or performance comparisons),
- Group assessment with brainstorming on the problem of flights in the hotel,
- Role plays based on realistic scenarios from the life of a receptionist, on the themes of upselling, advice, medical emergencies, complaint management, kindness, and empathy.
The candidates, including Titouan Rolland, receptionist at the Château de Berne and representative of the AICR France, were unfazed by the challenges. The 25-year-old Vatel graduate said he was motivated by “the desire, the piquancy that a Relais & Châteaux represents France”, attracted by “the fun aspect, with the role-playing games in particular or the meetings with the candidates and professionals”, and took advantage of discovering the other candidates to enrich his multicultural knowledge.
For her part, Nouhaila Chamrani, representative of the AICR Morocco and receptionist at the Royal Mansour Marrakech, was trying for the second time to win the international competition. Accompanied by Clément Fabiani, room division director of the Royal Mansour and president of the Moroccan chapter of the AICR, Nouhaila came not only to “share with her peers”, but above all to “set an example and inspire others to follow in her footsteps” and to take advantage of “this career accelerator”.
Alongside the competition, members, and partners of AICR International got together for a week to share the AICR Experience. The French team, led by Véronique Baribaud, President of the AICR France chapter, rolled out the red carpet to dazzle their peers. Perfume-making in Grasse, a ride in a 2CV to Saint-Tropez, a day dedicated to the trophy and educational workshops, such as the masterclass given by Bruno Lanvin on the use of AI in the hotel industry, an evening in the 1960s, and finally the general assembly were the highlights of the week for the members of the various international chapters.
The announcement of the creation of the Uzbekistan chapter of the AICR was completed by the election of the international president. Dimitrios Trikaliotis, President of the Swiss chapter of the AICR and Director of Operations at the Les Bains de Lavey SA hotel in Switzerland, was elected President of the AICR International.
The AICR Experience ended on a high note, with a gala dinner The AICR Experience ended on a high note, with a gala dinner at the Hotel Negresco, where the AICR was born 60 years earlier. The hotel was the setting for the revelation of the winner of the 2024 World's Best Receptionist trophy. While France's Titouan Rolland finished second on the podium, followed by Maica Horigue, candidate from New Zealand, it was the Polish candidate, Jędrzej Król, Senior Concierge and Guest Relations at the Sofitel Grand Sopot, who won this international title. Very moved when the results were announced, he praised the other candidates, “this is the true spirit of this contest, we are all Amicale” he concluded.
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