MEDIA RELEASE
10 July 2007
Mercure Auckland's Reception Star
Winner of Regional Final, ARDENZ Hotel Receptionist of the Year
Mercure Hotel Auckland's Helen Kay has won the Regional Final of the ARDENZ Hotel Receptionist of the Year, held on July
5.
The ARDENZ (Association of Rooms Division Executives of New Zealand) event required Helen to first submit a personal
profile and then to perform several role plays tackling various scenarios in front of five judges, made up of a Training
Advisor from the Hospitality Standards Institute, Former Front Office Manager, the President of ARDENZ and Head of
School Catering and Hospitality from Manukau Institute of Technology. The competition aims to identify and recognise
excellence in the field of Hotel Reception and to promote it as a career choice for those entering the hospitality
industry. It was held at Manukau Institute of Technology.
Mercure Auckland General Manager Jim Moore says they are all extremely proud but not surprised.
"Helen obviously showed the judges the warmth and professionalism we know that she consistently displays to our guests."
Helen and the runner up (Kathy Bradford from Langham Hotel, who was previously working for another Accor hotel) will fly
to Christchurch in September to compete in the National Finals. The winner of the national competition will fly to Dubai
in April next year to compete in the international final.
Mr Moore says it is great to see ARDENZ acknowledging the importance of professionalism in the Front Office Department
of the hotel industry.
"All finalists should be proud of their efforts while the competition was close, we are very pleased to see that Helen
proved to the judges what an excellent receptionist she is. Helen's warmth and sincerity, especially when dealing with
difficult situations, shone through on the day, just as it does in her daily dealings with customers at Mercure Hotel
Auckland."
ENDS
Picture available: Helen Kay with Terry Johnston, Senior Academic Staff Member at Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of
Technology and Founding Member of ARDENZ.
Accor is the worldwide leader in hotels, tourism and corporate services, employing 170,000 people in 100 countries. . It
offers to its individual and corporate clients nearly 40 years of expertise in its two core businesses:
- Hotels: over 4,000 hotels (475,000 rooms) in 90 countries (including 150 hotels and resorts in Australia, New
Zealand and the Pacific under the brands Sofitel, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Mercure, All Seasons, Ibis and Formule 1) as
well as backpacker hostels, travel agencies, restaurants and casinos;
- Services to corporate clients and public institutions: 21 million people in 35 countries benefit from Accor
Services' products employee assistance programs, people care and services, incentive, loyalty programs, events, food
vouchers.
Ends