Australia’s top hotel receptionist has revealed how she navigated role playing with a fake general, mathematics and the game-changing tactic she used to win the quirky competition.

Maddie Heffernan, 30, spoke to 7NEWS.com.au after winning Australia’s Receptionist of the Year award last month in Melbourne, a regional award for the Amicale Internationale Des Sous-Directeurset Chefs De Réception Des Grands Hôtels (AICR).

The little-known competition sees hotel staff from around Australia tested on their hospitality know-how in exams before having to compete in a roleplaying scenario.

Heffernan, a concierge at Melbourne’s W Hotel, said she fell into working in the industry having “never really knowing what I wanted to do”.

“I started off as a guest service agent, so doing the check-in and

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