Catching up with the AICR Morocco

The AICR International creates networking opportunities and fosters friendship amongst Front Office Managers, their teams and sponsors in 20 countries across the globe. Following last month’s AICRexperience and the World’s Best Receptionist competition in Brussels, Tobias had the opportunity to meet with members of the AICR Morocco during his trip to Marrakech.

He caught up with Morocco’s Receptionist of the Year Ikram and saw her looking after her guests at the prestigious La Mamounia Hotel with warmth and professionalism. He also got to visit Ayoub Salaheddine, the President of the national AICR section, at the beautiful Mandarin Oriental resort. ‘Shukran’ to Ikram, Ayoub and all the wonderful hotel people for welcoming Tobias and representing the very best of Moroccan hospitality.

Welcome back to Tenerife!

Last summer, Spring Hoteles, a leading Canary Islands hotelier, acquired the Mare Nostrum Resort, adding the complex to their portfolio of hotels in Tenerife’s most iconic beachfront areas. Our Senior Consultant Raad Masarwah had the pleasure of returning to the sunny South of the island to provide their newly formed Cluster Reservations Team with consulting, training and coaching. 

We look forward to supporting you and your team in these vital stages of the transition. As two become one, we will sharpen everyone’s knowledge and sales skills, boost results and enhance guest experience further.

Tailored sales training at Park Hyatt Marrakech

We are delighted to be working with the Front Office and Reservations teams at Park Hyatt Marrakech, delivering onsite consulting, tailored sales training, personalised coaching and regular follow-up. 

Our Senior Consultant Diego Fernández Domínguez would like to say ‘shukran’, ‘merci’ and ‘thank you’ to their team for the warm hospitality, amazing support and investment in their team’s authentic intelligence. We wish you all a very successful year ahead, with great results and many unforgettable guest experiences.

F&B Sales Culture Training at The Churchill

Our Senior Consultant Stefanie Krause spent 4 great days with the amazing F&B team at Hyatt Regency London The Churchill, providing them with tailored training, personalised coaching, designated workshops for managers & motivators, on-the-job observations and bespoke recommendations.

Hyatt Hotels care for people so they can be their best. We would like to thank their management for organising our F&B Sales Culture Training and investing in their team’s Authentic Intelligence. With everyone’s support and regular follow-up, we will boost the team’s awareness, skills & motivation, increase departmental results significantly, and enhance guest experiences further.

First AICR UK event of 2026

Friday’s soirée at The Connaught was the first AICR United Kingdom event of the new year, an elegant evening in the heart of Mayfair with plenty of reasons to raise a glass. 

Andrea García  from Rosewood London made us very proud last week in Brussels where she won the title of second runner-up at the AICR International World’s Best Receptionist competition.

Membership numbers keep growing, well-deserved promotions have been announced, and everyone remains committed to investing in their team’s authentic intelligence. Many thanks to Janine Moeller and her team for hosting a great event. Here’s to many more in 2026!

Welcome back to Bankside!

Hilton London Bankside is in the final stages of completing a major expansion, adding 76 new rooms and suites, a ninth floor with skyline views, and new premium room categories. The project focuses on design inspired by Bankside’s culture, incorporating sustainable materials, featuring bold colors and custom furniture, with art reflecting local graffiti.

Our Senior Consultant Stefanie Krause was happy to return to the hotel, and excited to provide their Front of House team again with tailored sales training and personalised coaching. Invest in your team, and they will invest in you. With your amazing support, and the hotel’s increased capacity & luxury offerings, we will achieve great results, enhance guest experiences further, keep your team’s motivation on a high and let everyone thrive.

The World's Best Receptionists 2026

The AICR International has crowned the World's Best Receptionist 2026! Many congratulations to the winner of the David Campbell Trophy Mateja Simic (AICR Qatar), the 1st runner-up Alicja Panek (AICR Poland) and the 2nd runner-up - our very own Andrea García Santamaría (AICR UK).

It was an honour to support the c ompetition and meet all the amazing finalists, who can be very proud of their achievements. With their talent and dedication, the future of hospitality shines bright. 

As for the UK section, we'll continue celebrating at the next event on Friday at The Connaught.

AICRexperience in Brussels

Many thanks to Dimitrios Trikaliotis, Lara Dröge and the entire AICR International team for staging a fabulous AICRexperience 2026, with finalists, members and supporters joining from 20 countries across the globe.

A special shout out to the World's Best Receptionist competition organisers Krzysztof Studziński and Rachael Stevens, and merci beaucoup to Rosario Farruggia and the AICR Belgique for hosting this great event in sunny Brussels

Just like London, The Standard is anything but.

Following last year’s acquisition, the iconic The Standard Hotel London is now part of Hyatt’s Lifestyle group. As you may know, The Right Balance partners with many of their sister hotels in London and across the EAME region. 

We are delighted to be working with their Front of House team, delivering onsite consulting, tailored sales training, and regular follow-up. Together, we will boost results and enhance guest experiences further.

Our Senior Consultant Stefanie would like to thank their team for the amazing support. We wish you a happy & healthy festive season and a very successful start to the new year!

AICR UK crowns their Receptionist of the Year 2025

Many congratulations to the winner Andrea García Santamaría (Rosewood London), the first runner-up Ava Chisnall (Grantley Hall) and the second runner-up Jack Ward (Estelle Manor). 

Andrea will now proceed to represent the UK at the AICR International Congress in Brussels and compete for the ‘World’s Best Receptionist’ title in January.

Invest in your team, and they will invest in you. All finalists and supporters can be very proud of their achievements. Here’s to a bright future for the UK hospitality!

Who will be the UK's Best Receptionist?

The organisers, judges and role players are ready to meet the 10 talented finalists of the AICR United Kingdom Receptionist of the Year 2025 competition.

We wish you all a successful day and look forward to finding out who will be crowned the winner at tonight’s gala event at The Savoy.

Reservation Sales Training at The Peninsula London

Our Senior Consultant Stefanie had the great pleasure of training and coaching the wonderful Guest Communications & Reservations team at The Peninsula London. We would like to thank Miriam Waldmeyer, Anıl Soytop, Shafique Uddin and Keiko Ferradj Ota for giving us this opportunity and their amazing support for our Reservation Sales Training program.

We look forward to following your team’s progress. Together, we will boost results and enhance guest experiences further – at booking stage, prior to arrival and throughout their stay.

Great evening at IC Park Lane

Last night's AICR United Kingdom event took place at the InterContinental London Park Lane. This hotel has recently celebrated its 50th anniversary and, as many of you know, is close to our heart.

Many thanks to Amandine Breteau, Marlyn Brunke, Adrien Lecerf and the committee for organising, to Rachael Stevens and Emily Gilson-Jones for staging the Receptionist of the Year competition, to HotelManager for joining as new sponsors, and to James Hodson, Alexandros Chrysanthakopoulos and their team for hosting a fabulous evening.

Invest in your team, and they will invest in you.

Huge congratulations to the finalists of the AICR United Kingdom Receptionist of the Year competition, who were announced at the InterContinental London Park Lane tonight. You and your supporters can be very proud of reaching the last stage of this amazing competition!

We’re excited to support the finals at The Savoy on 17th November, wish you all great success, and look forward to finding out who will be crowned the winner.

Proud sponsors of the AICR UK

Many thanks to Amandine Breteau and her wonderful team at Raffles London at The OWO for hosting us and fellow sponsors Gold Key Media last night.

It was great to catch up with the AICR United Kingdom committee and find out more about their exciting next activities. We're proud to continue our support for this amazing group of hospitality professionals!

Our first training in KSA

Earlier this month, Raad had the pleasure of visiting and training the great F&B team at Park Hyatt Jeddah. While the hotel boasts 142 exquisite rooms and suites, and some of the best food you can have anywhere in Jeddah, it is their team that really makes this hotel shine.

With the right support and development, these young men and women will be the foundation of a bright and prosperous Saudi tourism sector in the future. A big “shukran” goes out to Sven Hoffmeyer, Shamsir Rehman, Alia M Dandashi and Ahmed Nafe for the hospitality, the fantastic support and for the openness to our recommendations. 

Reservation Sales Training in Windsor

The Sutton Hotel Collection is a distinctive collection of boutique hotels in culturally-rich locations: The Athenaeum Hotel and Residences in London’s Mayfair, The Castle Hotel Windsor and Francis Hotel Bath. 

Tobias had the pleasure of consulting, training and coaching their amazing Reservations Team. Many thanks to Filomena Vitoriano, Edward Bracken, Sienna-Vita Cofek, Maciej Piatkowski and their colleagues for the excellent hospitality, great support and openness to my suggestions.

We look forward to following your team’s progress and providing them with further training and guidance. Together, we will boost results throughout all areas of the 3 hotels, whilst delivering personalised guest experiences that make a difference.

Our sponsored AICR UK event

The Right Balance were proud to sponsor last night’s AICR United Kingdom event at the ME London hotel. After welcome speeches and our presentation, we all moved on to the Radio Rooftop Bar with amazing skyline views.

Many thanks to Amandine Breteau and the committee for organising this fabulous evening, and to the hotel team for their generous hospitality and great service. 

The tube strikes had ended, the sun came out for a while, and everyone clearly enjoyed themselves after a busy week at work. See you again next month at the InterContinental Park Lane!

AICR Summer Event

Yesterday’s AICR United Kingdom summer event at Bicester Village had the right balance of luxury shopping, cocktails & nibbles, and hospitality networking.

Many thanks to Marlyn Brunke, Adrien Lecerf & the committee for organising this great day out, and to Sarah Chéri-Zécoté & her team for the VIP treatment. 

Enjoy your well-deserved holidays and see you all again in September at the next London event!

DoubleTree Ku'damm Berlin

Overlooking Los Angeles Platz, DoubleTree by Hilton Berlin Ku'damm is in walking distance from the Kurfürstendamm, the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and Berlin Zoological Garden. 

Managed by Event H otels, this recently renovated and Green Key certified hotel offers 420 comfortable rooms & suites, the restaurant Berlin Eatery, and 10 modern meeting rooms.

Our Senior Consultant Raad Masarwah had a great time consulting & training their Front Office team on ways of boosting revenue and enhancing guest experiences further.

Raad looks forward to following everyone’s progress and wishes you a very successful summer!

Fab evening at The Londoner

The Londoner Hotel is known as the world's first ‘super boutique hotel’, with 8 floors above Leicester Square – and 8 more below! 

We definitely had a super evening at tonight’s AICR UK event. Many thanks to Amandine Breteau and the committee for organising, to Michael Cheung & his fabulous team for hosting, and to our fellow sponsors HotelPartner for sponsoring.

Le Petit Beefbar Edinburgh

Our Senior Consultant Raad very much enjoyed travelling to beautiful Edinburgh and had a great time training and coaching the amazing Le Petit Beefbar Edinburgh team. 

The first Scottish residence of Beefbar Global has opened its doors in the historic InterContinental The George. 

Many thanks for organising all aspects of our F&B Sales Culture Training, and a special thank you to their Head Chef for the delicious team lunch. With your support, we will boost results and enhance guest experiences further.

Welcome back to IC Park Lane!

It was a great pleasure to return to the InterContinental London Park Lane for tailored training and personalised coaching sessions with their amazing Reception, Club & Guest Relations teams. 

Many thanks to their FO management for the meticulous organisation and openness to our suggestions, and to all their associates for the warm welcome and eagerness to learn new sales techniques. We look forward to following your progress and wish you a very successful summer!

A great day in Mayfair

After a successful training day in Mayfair, it was just a short walk to the AICR event at Claridge's.

Many thanks to Amandine Breteau & the committee for organising, to Johanna Dlugosch & the entire team for hosting, and to Gold Key Media for sponsoring a fabulous evening!

Hospitality Podcast

50 Shades of Hospitality is a global podcast hosted by the Swiss Hospitality Guild. Dedicated to learning from industry players around the world, it consists of a series of around 100 conversations with international hospitality and tourism experts. 

Many thanks to Crystal Cavin and Egidio Marcato for inviting us as guests, and for giving us the opportunity to share our thoughts on the importance of investing in hotel teams. You can now listen to our conversation on all major podcast streaming services.

AGM at Raffles London

Tonight’s Annual General Meeting of the AICR UK took place at the spectacular Raffles London. Many thanks to Philipp Leboeuf and the entire team for hosting and to our friends Impact London for sponsoring this special evening. 

We would like to thank Thomas Reesink for his creative leadership & great support, and congratulate the newly elected President Amandine Breteau. We wish you & the new committee all the best and look forward to continuing our successful partnership!

Getting ready for Athens

As proud sponsors of the AICR UK, it was a great pleasure to spend time with the UK's Best Receptionist Sonia Bharj at Pan Pacific London. 

During a tailored training & coaching session, we worked on further enhancing her upselling & cross-selling skills and helped to prepare her for the international competition. 

We wish Sonia, her managers and all supporters a fantastic trip to Athens and keep our fingers crossed for the AICR World's Best Receptionist finals!