Hotel receptionist competition - 4th November 2022

This is the WorldSkills competition in Switzerland. It tests the skills of cooks, receptionists, electricians and more. There are lots of tasks, and people come to watch. Each worker's trying to be the best. 

This is hotel receptionist Tim Oberli. He’s from Switzerland. On family holidays, Tim liked watching people at the reception desk.

Tim Oberli: "Instead of turning to the kids club or doing anything activity-like, I took a chair, I sat in the lobby and I just observed what is happening in the lobby. I observed people at reception interacting with each other."

Oberli's 19 years old. He’s one of 16 receptionists in the competition. 

Oberli manages the reception team at an expensive hotel. But he feels worried about the competition.

At the competition, the hotel guests are actors. They have different problems. The receptionists have to help them.

Jane Stokie works for WorldSkills.

Jane Stokie: "We've got actors here, and the actors are playing the guests. In one module that's happening, there's a troublesome guest, and there's somebody booking in. And in another module, there is an ill guest."

Everyone takes an exam too. This tests their knowledge about the job. But Oberli thinks the guests are more important.

Tim Oberli: "It is very important to be flexible, to be creative, to have the ability to improvise, and to understand what the guests' needs are."

Oberli got second place. He’s happy with his result.

Tim Oberli: "It's way more than just this medal. It is about being an ambassador for my profession, it is about showing passion for what I am doing, to represent Switzerland on an international basis, and to make the profession of the hotel reception more attractive."