Meet Chris, Front of House Manager

Age:

36 years old

Nationality:

Aarhus, Denmark

For how long have you worked at SKT. PETRI:

4.5 years

What is your favourite place in Copenhagen?

It depends on what you’d like to do. If you want to eat out I really like Restaurant Puk, that serves classic danish food. It’s a tiny, cosy restaurant that serves tables outside during the summer. It’s my summer hangout place.

Tell a fun fact about you:

I just bought a guitar because I want to learn how to play. I’ve never played a single instrument in my entire life and I have no clue where that idea came from. It was either a guitar or a saxophone, but I thought it was probably a good idea to start with the guitar.

Tell about your nicest guest experience:

We have so many lovely guests but I had an american guest about a year ago, who made organic jam in the US. She thought that me and my colleague were the most amazing people ever, so when she got back home she sent us two jars of her homemade jam. It was really nice of her to actually send it after her stay. Not because everyone needs to send jam, but it was a great way to get recognition for what I do.

What gets you up and to work in the morning?

People. They give me so much energy. I love the interaction between people, and the ping pong between guests and colleagues. I can’t imagine a day, where I’m not together with someone in some way. It’s definitely about getting out and meeting people and do something with them or for them.

What is the best thing about working at SKT. PETRI?

It’s the colleagues. If you think about the tasks it’s mainly checking people in and out, but it’s my colleagues that make the difference. It’s what it’s all about.

Tell a story where you made an unexpected guest experience?

There is not really much to tell, because I’m doing something different for each guest. For me it’s about reading the guest and their needs. It can mean just as much to someone that you just hand them the key and let them be, where as someone else basically wants to be fed with a spoon.

How is your relationship with your colleagues?

We have a really good relationship. We’ll go out for a beer after work and we have fun when we are at work. I never think about a colleague “oh dear, I can’t deal with her today”, and that’s amazing to have a department where it’s great day no matter who is at work.

How would you describe SKT. PRTRI as a workplace?

It’s a difficult question because in a way we’re a little family, but then again we’re actually a pretty big family. Everyone in the reception where I work is there for each other and helping out, so in that way we are a little family. If someone doesn’t feel well everyone will try to cheer up that person. It’s so great to work in a place where that happens. It can be difficult to build that kind of culture escpecially in a big hotel like ours, so that we’ve actually suceeded is quite exceptionel.

Why did you apply for a position at SKT. PETRI?

I was actually working for Nordic Choice in Copenhagen in 2007, but then I moved back to Aarhus. Four years later I felt like I had to try something new. I wanted to come back to Copenhagen and saw that SKT. PETRI was looking for employees and I haven’t looked back since.