A powerhouse trio on reception at the Hôtel du Centre
At the Hôtel du Centre front desk, three ambassadors work tirelessly to ensure that your stay in Noumea is a success. These are Françoise, Samantha and Alix, our team of Receptionists who are at your service all year round. They make sure that our guests are welcomed and informed. They are also your special point of contact for the concierge service. Here is a brief introduction to these three "Reception Angels"!
An interest in business hospitality
Following successful completion of an Advanced Vocational Training Certificate (BTS) in Tourism in 2015, Françoise chose the role of Receptionist as her calling.
She was drawn to the Hôtel du Centre primarily because of its positioning as a business hotel, the only one in New Caledonia. For her, the relationship with guests and the desire to serve them are an integral part of her job. Her versatility and ability to handle stress during busy periods are just two of her strengths.
She still remembers her baptism of fire when she was working on the Isle of Pines and had to urgently find overnight accommodation for twenty or so Japanese travellers after an Air Calédonie flight was cancelled at the last minute! Her quick thinking, organisational skills and composure made all the difference.
In search of a new career path
Alix did not know what the job of hotel Receptionist entailed until she joined the Hôtel du Centre family. Driven by the desire for a new challenge, she applied for the position and landed her job at the reception desk in 2021. Nowadays, the tools for scheduling accommodation reservations and room occupancy hold no secrets for her.
Her affinity for personal interaction and her curiosity are greatly appreciated by guests seeking advice and information. Additional strengths, especially in stressful situations, are her courtesy and self-control.
What does she like most about her job? Its variety of tasks, which can even include decorating the Christmas tree in the foyer during the festive season.
Still connected to tourism
After studying foreign languages in New Zealand, Samantha started working in a travel agency in Noumea.
While the hospitality sector was previously unknown to her, this travel professional was no stranger to the tourism industry and hence had plenty to offer as a member of the Hôtel du Centre’s reception team. This she became in 2021.
Her communication skills and good humour work wonders with guests. When asked what motivates her in her job, she answers without hesitation that she loves the interaction with clients and the fact that no two days are the same!
Chinese portrait
A break between shifts? This is the perfect opportunity for our three Receptionists, who cross paths in turn between opening and closing shifts, to take discuss their respective Chinese portrait, with kindness and complicity, of course.
- If Samantha were a type of guest? As in her life away from the hotel, she would be simple and refined, thinks Alix. This is confirmed by Françoise, who adds that she would be one of those guests who chat freely with everyone.
- If Alix was not a Receptionist? Without a shadow of a doubt, Samantha imagines her colleague being a professional dancer because she loves to do a few dance moves before taking up her post at the reception desk. Françoise, on the other hand, is convinced that, with her impeccable sense of style and radiant smile, she would have made an excellent stewardess.
- Something that Françoise always carries with her at the Hôtel du Centre? When she was pregnant, she had a container of fruit with her every day. Now, the fruit has been replaced by chocolate, which is her real guilty pleasure!
