AICR Singapore Best Receptionist Competition 2022

Be the next rising star

Singapore Best Receptionist Competition 2022 is back!

The Singapore Best Receptionist Competition (SBRC) is back and into its 27th year!

 

We are happy to announce that this year’s winner will be representing Singapore to compete at the World’s Best Receptionist Competition (WBRC) during the AICR Congress 2023 at Doha, Qatar, 25 – 28 February 2023.

While congratulating Ms. Shobanah S. Muthiah, AICR Singapore Winner 2021 from Raffles Hotel Singapore and Ms Pia Zumkey, AICR World Best Receptionist 2022 from Kempinski Hotel Berchtesgaden, Germany, we are beginning our search for the next Singapore representative who will bring back the trophy to Singapore! YOUR Hotel’s representative may be the next winner we are looking for!

Registration will be opened now till 19 August 2022. Enjoy the convenience of registering your nomination online at: http://aicr.org.sg/awards-registration/receptionist-of-the-year/  (For more details, please refer information on the link or in the attached pdf file.)

Nominees who qualify for the Competition will be contacted by the SBRC Organising Committee within two weeks of receipt of the nomination. Do submit your nomination early to avoid last minute rush to provide the required supporting documents stated on page 2 of the attached file.

Should you further information, please email 2022sbrc@gmail.com.

We look forward to your Hotel’s participation!

 

Amicalment

Adeline Teoh, Alvin Tan & Ian Soh

SBRC Organising Committee 2022

 

 

National level

There are two stages: the Preliminary Competition comprising a Written Assessment and an Interview, to be held on 29th, 30th and 31st August 2022 and the Final Competition, consisting of a Written Examination and a Role Play, is scheduled in October 2022.

International Level

The International “World’s Best Receptionist Competition” will be held at Doha, Qatar from 25 to 28 February 2023.

National Level

To qualify for the competition, the nominee must:

  1. Be a confirmed1 full-time employee of the hotel, performing the job functions of a hotel receptionist2;
  2. Be either a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident between 18 and 35 years old;
  3. Be nominated by the General Manager, seconded by a member of the Association of Rooms Division Executives, Singapore (ARDE) working at the same hotel or by the FOM/RDM if the hotel does not have an ARDE member;
  4. Be able to perform, proficiently, tasks related to the following:
    • Reservations
    • Reception, guest information and services
    • Guest departure, Cashiering and Front Office accounting
    • Business centre services
    • Telephone and related services
  5. Have knowledge of the following:
    • Cost, profit and revenue (including basic revenue management)
    • Staffing level and structure
    • Sales and promotion
    • Current Trends in the Hotel Industry
  6. Be available to attend a full day workshop cum Competition Briefing organised by the SBRC Organising Committee on 30 August 2021.
  7. Each hotel may only nominate ONE candidate for this competition.
  8. Should the nominee withdraw from the competition, request for refund of the competition administration fee will not be entertained if the nominee has attended the Competition Briefing and/or the workshops on 30 August 2021.
  9. Last minute replacement of the nominee due to acceptable unforeseen circumstances (e.g., the nominee resigns from hotel) can be accommodated before the commencement of Preliminary Round of the Competition. No replacement will be accepted then after.
  10. By joining this competition, nominees are deemed to agree and consent to the use of all comments and photographs provided for current and all future promotions, marketing and publicity events organised by ARDE Singapore.

Notes

Note 1
  • “confirmed” means “after probation”, regardless of the length of probationary period stipulated by the hotel
Note 2
  • The nominee should not be holding a supervisory/managerial position (e.g. management trainee) at the hotel. A letter is required from Human Resource to confirm the nominee’s non-supervisory/managerial position at the hotel
Note 3
  • Nominees who have participated in previous years’ Best Receptionist and/or Receptionist of the Year Competitions organised by ARDE may be nominated for this Competition as long as they fulfil all the qualifying criteria and requirements and had not qualified for the Final Round in past competitions.

National Level - Judging Criteria

PRELIMINARY ROUND
Written Assessment: 10 marks (30 minutes)
This assessment comprises 20 multiple-choice questions on the duties and responsibilities of hotel receptionists as well as situational problem-solving and decision-making.

Candidates will take the Written Assessment on 6 September 2021. The assessment may be conducted on-site, or on-line, depending on prevailing safe management guidelines. More information will be provided closer to the date of the assessment.

Interview (conducted on-line): 90 marks (15 minutes)

  • Self-Introduction and Introduction of Hotel: 10 marks (max 2 minutes)
    The candidate will introduce himself/herself and the hotel he/she works at. Candidate should use this opportunity to create a powerful first impression; he/she should aim to make the best impression on the Judging Panel.
  • Comments on Video Clip: 30 marks (max 5 minutes)
    Prior to presenting himself/herself to the Judging Panel, the candidate will view a video clip featuring a hotel front desk staff handling a guest situation.
    The candidate will be given time to compose his/her comments on the hotel front desk staff’s problem solving and guest relations skills as shown in the video.
    The candidate will present his/her comments to the Judging Panel during the interview.
  • General Question: 10 marks (max 3 minutes)
    One general question related to the local and/or global hospitality industry will be
    asked for the candidate.
  • Presentation on Hotel Trend(s): 20 marks (max 5 minutes)
    The candidate will be given ample time prior to the competition to prepare a presentation based on his/her selected hotel trend or trends. The candidate will make his/her presentation to the Judging Panel during the interview.
  • Overall Impression of the Candidate: 20 marks
    Throughout the interview, the Judging Panel will be assessing the Candidate’s personal grooming, personal presentation and self-confidence as well as the suitability of the candidate to represent Singapore to compete at the International Level.
  • FINAL ROUND
    The Final Round will mirror closely the competition format used at the
    International Level.

International Level

  1. The winner at the National Level will represent Singapore at the International level.
  2. The candidate must be working with the hotel that nominated him/her for the competition at the national level at the time of the international competition.
  3. In the event that the winner cannot represent Singapore due to unforeseen circumstance, the first runner-up at the National Level will replace his/her participation at the International level.
  4. Final decision on the eligibility of candidate is at the discretion of the Executive Organising Committee.

International Level - Judging Criteria

SECTION 1
Introduction/Elevated Pitch: Not Graded (1.5 minutes)
This is a self-introduction recorded video of 1.5 minutes (maximum), and will be
used for WBRC Marketing / Social Media posts. Candidates are encouraged to
include the following points:
¡ Greeting & What is your name (in your local language)?
¡ What AICR section do you represent? (all other questions to be answered
in English)
¡ What hotel do you represent?
¡ What is the AICR and why is it important to join the association?
¡ Tell us more about your current progress in the competition. How did you
learn about it? What happened when you won in your country?
¡ What will you take away from the competition? Will you stay part of the AICR
family?
¡ What is so special about working in the industry as a receptionist?
SECTION 2
Back Office Tasks: 50 marks (Up to 120 minutes)
Candidate will be asked to perform 5 Back-Office Tasks.
¡ Example 1: Answer to a guest request for a room reservation.
¡ Example 2: Reply to a complaint.
¡ Example 3: Reconcile a daily cashier report.
These tasks will be completed using the appropriate feature of the online
platform.
Recorded Role Play: 50 marks (maximum 15 minutes)
This is the main part of the competition. The role play is based on a “typical shift
at the reception, when one never knows what to expect next”!
Candidates will be confronted with a live role play with two role-players involved.
¡ Each candidate will be given a schedule to log into Zoom.
¡ The candidate will be assigned to a Breakout Room where they will be met
by the role-players.
¡ The candidate will be asked to interact by providing the most appropriate
answer to each situation.

Competency Level

Skills and knowledge related to

  1. Reservation and yield management basics
  2. Reception, Guest information and services
  3. Guest departure, Cashiering and front office accounting
  4. Business centre services
  5. Telephone and related services
  6. Cost, profit and revenue knowledge
  7. Staffing level and structure
  8. Promotional Ideas

A written assessment of your nominee performance will be made available for all participants.

YearROTY WinnersRepresented Hotel
2022 Jeff Kek Xiu JieMandarin Oriental Singapore
2021Shobanah S. MuthiahRaffles Hotel Singapore
2020Vithyabharathi DO SubramaniamMarina Bay Sands
2019Azmi IdrisFour Seasons Hotel Singapore
2018Koh Shi Han AmandaPan Pacific Singapore
2017Heng Jian Sheng DouglasRitz-Carlton Millenia Singapore
2016Christina YeoPARKROYAL on Pickering hotel
2015Alvin TanRitz Carlton Millenia Singapore
2014Carmen FoongThe Regent Singapore
2013Gwendolyn ChiaSt Regis Singapore
2012Shireen BhullaraRaffles Hotel
2011Diane LimInterContinental Singapore
2010Joan SengConrad Centennial
2009Ivy TeongRoyal Plaza on Scotts
2008Makoto NamikiPan Pacific Singapore
2007Dawn YeoThe Fullerton Hotel
2005Ian SohGrand Copthorne Waterfront
2006Karene LimFour Seasons
2004Christina HoRaffles The Plaza
2003Jennifer LaiRaffles The Plaza
2002Edmund LimMandarin Oriental
2001Aisha AhmadFour Seasons
2000Shanny GohWestin Plaza
1999Michelle NorforRitz-Carlton
1998Sukhbir KaurSheraton Towers
1997Logan NathanFour Seasons
1996Janet WongFour Seasons
YearVenueRepresentativeRepresented HotelInternational Achievements
2020Geneva, SwitzerlandVithyabharathi DO SubramaniamMarina Bay Sands SingaporeFirst Runner-Up
2013Hamburg, GermanyGwendolyn ChiaSt. Regis SingaporeWinner
2012Prague, Czech Republic Diane Lim Xing RuiIntercontinental HotelFirst Runner-Up
2007Tallin, EstoniaKarene Lim Kai LinFour Seasons HotelWinner
2004Paris, FranceJennifer Lai May LengRaffles the PlazaSecond Runner-Up
2003 Berlin, GermanyEdmund Lim ChongThe OrientalWinner
2002Brussels, BelgiumAisha AhmadFour Seasons HotelWinner
1999SingaporeSukhbir KaurSheraton TowersFirst Runner-Up
1998Lausanne, SwitzerlandLoga NathanFour Seasons HotelWinner
1997Prague, Czech RepublicJanet WongFour Seasons HotelFirst Runner-Up

SBRC 2022 Winner - Jeff Kek Xiu Jie

Jeff Kek Xiu Jie

.

Nominate potential candidates now

Details of candidate

Submitted by