I got into the hotel industry by chance. Since completing my apprenticeship as a carpenter, I had been looking for a varied job that I would enjoy. I used to be a stage technician at the Vienna State Opera, and colleagues who had changed jobs told me how great it was to be a building services technician; that is how I ended up getting a job in a hotel. 

My career path is diverse and I tried many things but in the end, I trained as a carpenter because they were the first to respond. Immediately after my apprenticeship I worked in a retirement home and slipped into full-time sales on Saturdays to earn some extra money. Then a friend got me a job at Vienna State Opera as a stage technician, and after a few years, at the age of 26 I moved into hotels.  

I have always enjoyed something about my other jobs. However, I wanted to achieve something, to make a difference in my work, and only in the hotel industry, if you do a good job, can you make a difference and help shape things.  

I started in hospitality with Ruby Hotels as a building technician and within a year I was promoted to maintenance manager DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) and was allowed to take care of existing hotels and new openings, as well as work in renewable energy. After three years with the company, I decided to move to Accor because they were able to offer me a job in Vienna that was just as exciting and wide-ranging as my old one but without the travel. Of course, that made my family happy because I was at home more often. 

I love the diversity of the work at Accor, the opportunity to help shape it, and no two days are the same – every day brings new challenges. One day a water pipe bursts and the next, in the middle of summer at 35 degrees, the air conditioning breaks down and you have to find solutions as quickly as possible to ensure guests have a perfect stay.  

On other days, you might start to reorganise the department because things change so quickly in technology. Only in the hotel industry do you experience things like this, and Accor has a lot to offer in this regard, as there are many opportunities to get involved in different areas or receive new training, which only a few companies can provide. 

Whether you enjoy interacting with guests, prefer to keep things clean, like to repair things or, like me, enjoy helping to design and make a difference so that things are as pleasant as possible for guests and employees – there are many opportunities in the hotel industry.   

Being a Heartist® allows you to use your passion to achieve so much, and that is a great thing! 

I’ve had many highlights in my career but one of them is showing many directors how important technology is, that it makes sense to take good care of it because it is valuable for guests, and that investment in this area pays off.  

My proudest moment was at the beginning of my cluster position in Vienna when we completely changed the technology in just a few months. Previously, we had external facilities management companies that looked after our building services and carried out maintenance. Then we brought back technicians in house, installed a different maintenance company – and I was new; no one knew the facilities or the buildings, so it was difficult at first. But by the summer, we had got everything sorted out thanks to good cooperation and team spirit, and I regularly receive feedback that things are now running much better than before. 

I urge new starters to go for it! Be brave, don’t let problems or new things intimidate you; there are always solutions and great colleagues who will support you.