Pru Craig from the Copthorne Tara was the UK Receptionist of the Year 2002 winner. She showed a lot of charisma and charm and was able to keep calm during the role play. She went on to represent the UK in Berlin.

Last Years Finalists

Melanie Philips, Four Seasons Canary Wharf
Wolfgang Schlicht , The Carlton Tower
Elisabeth Marik, The Berkeley
Prunella Craig, The Copthorne Tara
Christine Walcher , The Landmark London
Henning Weiss , The Savoy Hotel
Heather Paul , Ashdown Park Hotel

Last Years Final Stage Judges

Julia Sibley, The Savoy Education Trust
Bryone Watts, The Berkeley, ROTY Winner 2001
Tricia Fogerty, Portfolio International
Graeme Wallis, The Lansdowne Hotel, General Manager
David Turnbell, Le Meridien Piccadilly, Revenue Manager

Last Years First Stage Judges

Graham Copeman , House Manager, Claridges
Mark Kirby, Front Office Manager, The Landmark London
Dawn Thomas , Rooms Division Mgr, Mayfair Intercontinental
Duncan Couper, General Manager, The Franklin
Corinne Bellaby, Independent Consultant

Thank you to everyone who came to the Radisson SAS Portman Hotel last week to show their support for this year's Receptionist Of The Year Final. It was wonderful to see so many of you there for the evening's reception and prize-giving.

I would like to sincerely thank Mr Jan Poul deBoer, the General Manager, and Louise Willer, the Front Office Manager of the hotel, for their very generous support of the Association. The planning and organisation by the hotel was beautifully managed and the entire day's events ran very smoothly.

I would also like to take this opportunity of thanking the Savoy Education Trust for offering their financial support once again this year. With everybody's time being given on a voluntary basis, and through the sponsorship by the Trust we were able to host a wonderful showcase for the Association and celebrate the fantastic talent we have in the industry in our Receptionists.

We were delighted to welcome back Julia Sibley of the Savoy Education Trust as one of this year's judges. As in previous years we wanted to invite a panel with complimentary backgrounds and expertise to assess the skills of our finalists, drawn from the fields of education, recruitment, and the industry itself, and of course the previous year's title holder. Joining Julia were Patricia Fogerty of Portfolio, David Turnbull, Revenue Manager of Le Meridien Piccadilly, Graeme Wallis, General Manager of The Lansdowne Hotel Eastbourne, and Bryony Watts from The Berkeley, the winner of the 2001 competition.

As announced at the champagne tea at Claridge's on 22nd November, the standard of all the applicants was exceptionally high, and finding just 7 finalists to meet the judges last week was a tough challenge. Every candidate justly deserves the praise and recognition they received from being nominated by their hotel to enter the competition, and we hope that they enjoyed the experience of participating. Thank you to each of the Front Office Managers that encouraged members of their team to be part of the competition this year, and for the coaching given to each of the candidates.

 

The seven finalists were:

Ms Pru Craig, Copthorne Tara
Ms Elisabeth Marik, The Berkeley
Ms Heather Paul, Ashdown Park
Ms Melanie Phillips, Four Seasons Canary Wharf
Mr Wolfgang Schlicht, The Carlton Tower
Ms Christine Walcher, The Landmark London
Mr Henning Weiss, The Savoy London
 

The seven finalists were put through their paces by the judging panel with extensive interviewing and a challenging role play. All received a commemorative engraved silver picture frame and a bottle of champagne, with the addition of wonderful prizes for the placings. I would like to thank the sponsors of each prize for their generous donations. Our congratulations go to:

2nd Runner Up - Melanie Phillips, Four Seasons Canary Wharf. Prize donated by Graham Bamford and The Royal Garden Hotel of a sumptuous dinner for two at their restaurant The Tenth.

1st Runner Up - Mr Wolfgang Schlicht, The Carlton Tower. Prize donated by Duncan Couper and The Franklin Hotel of a luxury stay for two and theatre tickets for a West End show.

And the winner of the AICR United Kingdom Receptionist of the Year 2002:
Ms Pru Craig, Copthorne Tara. CONGRATULATIONS!!

Pru will be off to Ireland to enjoy a two night break donated by the luxurious K Club Hotel and Resort outside Dublin, including meals and two rounds of golf on their championship course. Pru will also be joining us representing the United Kingdom for the international competition in Berlin, where we hope to have a great turn-out from the UK Section at the Congress to cheer her on!

Thank you again to everyone that participated, supported or attended part of this years competition.