To be honest, working in a hotel was never part of my plan when I was young. At university, I thought hotel work was boring and repetitive – but I was wrong. After university, I moved from Asturias in Spain to Portugal, where I worked in a travel agency and as a Tour Guide; later, I was a Flight Attendant in Barcelona for two years. In 2007, I moved to Madrid and spent a year in a small NH hotel – only 30 rooms. That was my first experience in hospitality and how I discovered the world of hotels.

I have always been outgoing and love working with people, so hospitality is perfect for me! I joined this hotel in 2008, and this year marks 18 years here – a long time, and very unusual in hospitality. I started as Assistant Receptionist, then became Receptionist, working in reservations, accounting and guest relations along the way; later, I became Assistant Front Office Manager.

Then, about five years ago, my GM offered me the housekeeping role – I knew nothing about it. It has been a big challenge, but I have learnt a lot as Housekeeping Manager.

In 2025, I joined the Bloom leadership programme. It was special because I discovered a lot about myself and about leadership; I learnt that to lead other people, you first need to understand yourself.

And now, thanks to my GM, I’m involved in preparing the hotel’s annual budget, reviewing the P&L, controlling costs and learning more about staff management and hotel profitability. It’s new for me and outside my daily work as Housekeeping Manager, and I’m really enjoying it.

Accor takes care of both guests and employees. The guest experience is important, but happy employees matter too, because they look after guests and give the hotel a warm atmosphere.

In my hotel, I feel valued, supported and recognised, and I have many opportunities to learn and grow. What I love about hospitality is that every day is different; you never know what will happen tomorrow. It is ironic that I once thought it was boring – I am still in touch with my professors at Asturias University, and they can’t believe I’m in hospitality!

I recommend the sector because it offers so many opportunities. I have worked in guest relations, housekeeping, reservations and F&B – it’s a big world where you can develop personally and professionally. My career is a good example: I had never had a job in a hotel until 2008, and now I am Housekeeping Manager, working hand in hand with my GM. In hospitality, you can try different departments until you find your place.

For me, being a Heartist® means working with your heart. It is not only about doing your job well, but about making people feel special when they come to the hotel. Some of our guests have been coming here for a long time, and over 18 years I have built relationships with them.

I also handle Lost and Found, contacting guests to help reunite them with what they left behind. Last week, a guest gave me special chocolates from Switzerland to say thank you. This is what it means to be a Heartist®, and guests feel it.

One of my proudest achievements is my housekeeping team. Their work is very hard: it’s the same every day, and it’s as though the hotel is always full. When I became Housekeeping Manager, I wanted to change that so my team would feel happy, valued and proud of what they do. It wasn’t easy, but today I’m proud of the team we have built together.

I spend two seconds every day motivating them because I want them to understand that their work is essential to the hotel’s success and to achieving its goals. I am also proud of my own journey: I am learning how to manage our hotel, and my dream is to become a hotel GM.

My advice to newcomers: be curious, listen to people, never stop learning and be eager to grow. Don’t be afraid of new challenges; leaving your comfort zone may be difficult, but it can lead to new opportunities, particularly when you are young.

Work hard and enjoy what you do. It doesn’t matter where you start – you never know where it will lead. I tried several different jobs before I finally found hospitality, and now it’s my passion!