AICR Polska will choose the Best Receptionist of the Year 2025 during the November meeting in Sopot
On November 7-8th, 2025, in Sopot, specifically at the Sheraton Sopot Hotel, the annual meeting of members of AICR Polska (Amicale Internationale des Sous Directeurs et Chefs de Réception des Grand Hôtels) - an organization associating professionals from the premium and luxury segment of the hotel industry - will be held.
The last congress of the year is one of the most important industry events, because during it the Best Receptionist in Poland competition - AICR Polska by Refindi 2025 will be held. The winner will represent our country in the international competition "World's Best Receptionist by Bucherer" in Brussels next year.
Winning this prestigious competition opens the door to a global career and confirms the highest level of professionalism in hotel guest service.
From nearly 20 entries from all over Poland, the Competition Committee (based on the elimination task) selected ten finalists who will compete for the title of the best. The finalists included:
The last congress of the year is one of the most important industry events, because during it the Best Receptionist in Poland competition - AICR Polska by Refindi 2025 will be held. The winner will represent our country in the international competition "World's Best Receptionist by Bucherer" in Brussels next year.
Winning this prestigious competition opens the door to a global career and confirms the highest level of professionalism in hotel guest service.
From nearly 20 entries from all over Poland, the Competition Committee (based on the elimination task) selected ten finalists who will compete for the title of the best. The finalists included:
- Andrzej Gawłowski, Sofitel Warsaw Victoria
- Anita Krawiec, Mercure Kraków Stare Miasto
- Alicja Łukowiak, Four Points by Sheraton Wrocław
- Agata Mazurek, Sheraton Poznań Hotel
- Kashissh Mehta, Hotel Bristol, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Warsaw
- Jakub Mróz, Sheraton Grand Warsaw
- Alicja Panek, Sheraton Sopot Hotel
- Julia Piszak, AC Hotel by Marriott Wrocław
- Norbert Szczerba, Heron Live Hotel *****
- Rafał Wachciński, Novotel Kraków Centrum
The final was divided into:
- 10-minute genre scene with actors (serving a demanding guest; working under time pressure and intrusive guests; prioritizing tasks and guests' needs while serving them; demonstrating cross-selling, up-selling, guest relations, concierge skills),
- one-hour, Group Work task (reflecting daily meetings aimed at, among others: handing over a shift, briefing managers before an important event, creating new procedures and standards according to specific guidelines, conducting annual employee evaluations),
- an hour-long written Back of House session (creating personalized stay and recreation offers; booking confirmation; response to complaints, guest opinions sent via e-mail or OTAs; KPI calculations - ADR, RevPar, OCC, their indices - and analysis of results, possibly benchmarking).
The Receptionist of the Year (ROTY) competition has been promoting young hotel talents for years, emphasizing the importance of service quality and professionalism in everyday reception work. Participants compete in realistic simulation tasks, presenting their communication skills, industry knowledge and readiness to solve situations requiring empathy, creativity and quick action. Last year, the winner of the ROTY competition of the Polish section of AICR was Julita Musiał from Sheraton Sopot, who then won 3rd place in the "World's Best Receptionist by Bucherer", which took place in Athens in early 2025. This is the third year in a row that a representative of the Polish section takes a place on the podium of the international competition. Last year, the winner was Jędrzej Król (who then worked at Sofitel Grand Sopot, since the beginning of this year he has been a Guest Experience Manager at Mercure Old Town Kraków), and two years ago Krzysztof Studziński took 3rd place (then at Sofitel Grand Sopot, from the beginning of 2025 - deputy reception manager at the Sopot Marriott Hotel).
The title partner of the event is Refindi.
The event is under the Honorary Patronage of the President of the Polish Tourist Organization, and the media patron of the event is the industry magazine Hotelarz.
The title partner of the event is Refindi.
The event is under the Honorary Patronage of the President of the Polish Tourist Organization, and the media patron of the event is the industry magazine Hotelarz.