Singapore Best Receptionist Competition 2024

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.

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 that the nominee is holding non-supervisory/managerial position at the hotel.
Note 3:
Nomination of a Management Trainee will be a case-by-case basis, the candidate must still be a Management Trainee during the course of the competition and must not be on a programme that requires the Management Trainee to be a Full-Time Duty Manager. If the Candidate wins SBRC 2024 and represents Singapore in the International Competition, they must continue to hold the designation until the end of the International Competition.

2. Be either a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident between 18 and 35 years old. (The nominee’s original ID card will be required for verification before the nominee begins his/her interview during the Preliminary Round of the Competition.  Nominees who do not pass this criterion will be immediately disqualified.)

3. Be nominated by the General/Hotel 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:

4.1. Reservations & Pre-arrival

4.2. Reception, Upselling, Concierge Services

4.3. Guest Departure, Cashiering and Front Office Accounting

4.4. Guest Experience, Handling Complaints and Service Recovery

5. Have knowledge of the following:

5.1. Fundamentals of Revenue Management

5.2. Sales and Promotion / Cross Selling / Upselling

5.3. Current Trends in the Hotel Industry

5.4. Handling of Online Reviews

Be available to attend the Competition Briefing and workshops organised by the SBRC Organising Committee on 12 August 2024 (9.00 am to 6.30 pm).

6. Each hotel may only nominate ONE candidate³ for the competition.

Note 4:
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.

7. Should the nominee withdraw from the competition, request for refund of the competition administration fee will not be accommodated if the nominee has attended the Competition Briefing and/or the workshops on 12 August 2024.

8. Last minute replacement of the nominee due to acceptable unforeseen circumstances (e.g., the nominee resigns from hotel) may be accommodated before the commencement of Preliminary Round of the Competition. No replacement will be accepted thereafter.

9. By joining this competition, nominees and their nominating hotels are deemed to consent to the use of all related comments and photographs on the various ARDE and AICR International social media platforms for all promotions, marketing, and publicity events (current and future) organised by ARDE Singapore.

Requirements to be fulfilled by Nominees who have successfully entered Finals

To qualify for the Final Round of the SBRC 2024, the Finalist must attend workshops organised by ARDE Singapore to prepare themselves for the Final Round.

National Level - Judging Criteria

PRELIMINARY ROUND

Written Assessment: 20 marks (60 minutes)
This assessment comprises 40 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 29 August 2024. The assessment will be conducted online. More information will be provided during the Competition Briefing on 12 August 2024.

Interview (conducted in person): 80 marks (15 minutes)
Self-Introduction and Introduction of Hotel: 10 marks (max 3 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.

Presentation of Hotel Trends: 30 marks (max 7 minutes)
Candidate will present on one hotel trend that they feel passionate about. There will be pre-determined trends set for their choice, however, they can request for a different trend subject to the approval of the SBRC 2024 organising committee.
The candidate will be required to give a presentation in any format, showcasing their passion of the topic, creativity and how their ideas can positively impact their hotels.
The judging panel may take the opportunity the ask further enquiries if needed on the presentation.

General Question: 20 marks (max 5 minutes)
One general question related to the local and/or global hospitality industry will be asked.

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 Video: 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.

SECTION 3
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”!

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.