This year’s challenge attracted 73 talented young people from 25 countries. A high point was welcoming two new continents to the competition – Asia and the Americas!
2013-01-21 — /travelprnews.com/ — Organized every year by the Accor Operations Human Resources department, the Accor Professions Challenge this year welcomed candidates from Europe, Africa and the Middle East – and also from Asia and the Americas. This in-house challenge invites talented young people employed in a Group hotel or on a work-study contract with Accor to
compete in one of two age categories – 19/22 years or 23/25 years. The finalists, selected in regional and national heats, are then assessed by a jury made up of general managers and Accor executives and go head to head in practical runoffs in their pecialty: reception, table service, cooking and bartending.
“These young professionals are key to our success – they are the ones who give life to our hotels. For 10 years now, the “Accor Professions Challenge” has enabled us to showcase and reward their performance but also promote and recognize the know-how of the hotel and catering professions,” explained Evelyne Chabrot, Operations Human Resources Director. “This challenge is a genuine human adventure. We are very happy to welcome candidates from Asia and the Americas this year, which means that all the countries in which Accor is active are now represented.”
On the occasion of this 10th Challenge, 73 participants from 25 countries* competed in the four key hotel professions. They work in hotels ranging from economy to luxury and enjoyed the opportunity to measure their performance against peers and share their know-how, while living moments of incredible tension but also unforgettable fun.
The day after the grand finale held on January 15th at the Lycée des Métiers de l’Hôtellerie Santos Dumont in Saint-Cloud and the Mercure Paris Centre Tour Eiffel, Yann Caillère, Chief Executive Officer, Antoine Recher, Executive Director Human Resources and Evelyne Chabrot, Operations Human Resources Director, awarded the prizes to the eight winners of this high-profile competition.
The winners of the 10th challenge
Cooking – a two-part challenge
– Preparation and presentation of a main course: “Technical performance and inventiveness: design and produce a unique and personalized recipe from a basket of ingredients known in advance”
– Starter: “Creativity and speed”: devise a recipe using the contents of a “surprise” basket
– 19/22 category: India – Biplab Kumar Patra – Novotel Mumbai BKC
– 23/25 category: South Korea – Ha Yeon Jung – Pullman Grand Ambassador Seoul
Reception:
“Sales and reception: welcoming guests, check-in formalities and selling a room then presenting the services offered by your hotel and responding to requests for concierge services”
– 19/22 category: China – Lea Cheung – Novotel City Gate Hong Kong
– 23/25 category: UK – Roselyne Astier – Novotel London Excel
Table service:
“Setting a table, service and advising guests: set your table choosing from a range of tableware and decorative elements. Welcome guests, promote products from the hotel’s restaurant menu, advise diners in their choice of dishes and provide wine service.”
– 19/22 category: France – Suzanne Masserann – Sofitel Strasbourg Grande Ile
– 23/25 category: Poland – Magdalena Wiatrowska – Novotel Krakow Centrum
Bartending:
“Agility, speed and originality: mix a cocktail drawn by lot from a selection proposed by the International Bartender Association, then devise and make a cocktail according to a recipe invented by yourself”
– 19/22 category: UK – Agustino Schiavo – Pullman London St Pancras
– 23/25 category: Poland – Lukasz Ksieski – Sofitel Warsaw Victoria
* Some 25 countries took part in this 10th challenge: Australia, Austria, Brazil, Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Luxembourg, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, the United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates.
Accor, the world’s leading hotel operator and market leader in Europe, is present in 92 countries with nearly 3,500 hotels and 450,000 rooms. Accor’s broad portfolio of hotel brands – Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Suite Novotel, Mercure, Adagio, ibis, ibis Styles, ibis budget and hotelF1 – provide an extensive offer from luxury to budget. With more than 160, 000 employees in Accor brand hotels worldwide, the Group offers its clients and partners 45 years of know-how and expertise.
www.accor.com | www.accorhotels.com
Press contacts
Charlotte Bourgeois-Cleary
Vice-President, Global Media Relations
charlotte.bourgeois @accor.com
Laurie Bonnaud
Tel.: + 33 1 45 38 18 95
laurie.bonnaud@accor.com