Let’s take a look “behind the scenes” at our hotel, get to know our charming employees and gain exciting impressions of what’s happening in Vienna’s most charming private hotels – the Schick Hotels!

My name is Barbara and as an HR manager I am responsible for all personnel matters in our 5 hotels in downtown Vienna. I am proud to work in a company in which we are valued as employees and in which cooperation counts. That’s why, in this column on our popular blog, I’d like to offer my colleagues the opportunity to introduce themselves, their respective occupations and their departments. Be there when we “give away our secrets” and join me on a virtual tour through our hotels!

Welcome!

If you enter Vienna’s oldest hotel, the Hotel Stefanie, located on the Taborstrasse not far from Schwedenplatz, you’ll be welcomed and cordially received by our ladies and gentlemen at the reception. One of them is Anna-Carina Schiefert. I’d rather let her tell how she came to the Schick Hotels and why she likes it so much…

Anna-Carina Schiefert, Receptionist at Hotel Stefanie Vienna

I’ll be happy to tell you exactly what a receptionist does and what qualifications you ought to bring with you:

As they say, the reception is ‘the face of the hotel.’ So that you can perform this job professionally, the pleasure of working with people, a communicative attitude, politeness, flexibility, language skills and a charming smile are the basic prerequisites, since we at the reception are the first points of contact for our guests!
Be it telephone queries for possible hotel stays, general questions about the hotel, the city or excursion destinations, booking concerts, check in / check out, etc. – everything is managed at the reception day in and day out.
We receive our guests, ask them upon arrival whether they are in Vienna for the first time, and if so we compile a little program on the most important places of interest. We likewise are happy to give guests insider tips on restaurants and will reserve a good table for them.

My nicest experience in my 4 years in the hotel business so far has been in the Hotel Stefanie.

It was closing time and I was about to say goodbye to my colleagues when the phone rang. I picked up the receiver and on the other end of the telephone was a nice lady from Australia. She wanted to make a reservation for her brother and her, and we instantly got along and chatted for nearly an hour! I explained to her the breakfast times, sightseeing tours, the history of the hotel, etc….
Four weeks after our phone conversation she arrived at the hotel while I was at the reception. When she saw me, her whole face beamed, she hugged me and gave me a little koala bear keychain from Australia (on which my house key hangs to this day).
For the rest of her hotel stay we talked as often as possible. When she departed, she gave me a letter that stated how happy she and her family were to have gotten to know me and the hotel, and if I ever fly to Australia, I’d always be a welcome guest at her home.

That was to date my nicest experience at the reception and I know that it won’t be the last.

These moments and experiences, as well as the great familial atmosphere at the Schick Hotels, are the reason why I perform this job with passion.
In case you’ve become curious about our hotel, I’d be very happy to greet you personally at our ‘Stefanie.”

Have we aroused your interest? In our next blog entry, we’ll take you into the core area of our business – reservation!