Rosewood London receptionist named runner up in World’s Best Receptionist competition

Andrea García Santamaría from Rosewood London has been named runner up in at the World’s Best Receptionist awards.

She was beaten to the title by Mateja Simic from the St Regis Doha, representing AICR Qatar, while Alicja Panek from the Sheraton Sopot hotel in Poland was also named runner up.

They all competed for the coveted David Campbell trophy, named after David Campbell, the chef de reception at the Ritz hotel in Paris, who was known for his dedication and service to the industry, as well as the coveted title of World’s Best Receptionist.

The full-day competition on 15 January at Hotel Brussels saw 20 finalists put through their paces across four assessments, including front office role-plays and back office evaluations covering the operational fundamentals of running a successful property.

The Receptionist of the Year competition was launched in 1995 and is supported by the Master Innholders. It was created to recognise and encourage talented young receptionists, while also serving as a training and development platform for the next generation of hospitality managers.

Krzysztof Studziński, World’s Best Receptionist chief judge at AICR said: “This competition, and the path toward it, is an outstanding mentoring, development and education programme.”

“The 30 editions of the David Campbell trophy is the result of the strong commitment of nearly 30 members of the competition committee, which I had the honour to lead. Twenty outstanding receptionists, 20 countries, always worth it.”

The AICR (Amicale Internationale des Chefs de Réception et Sous Directeurs des Grands Hôtels), the International Association for deputy managers and front office managers of luxury hotels, was founded in 1964 in France by the chefs de réception of several hotels.