Hospitality was my first choice of career. As a teenager, I watched a documentary about Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi and was fascinated by everything that went on behind the scenes, so I started an internship in the school holidays. Then I did an apprenticeship in the Mercure Hotel Dűsseldorf and also went to school and got a diploma – like a degree – over three years.

I worked in Bristol for a year and returned to Germany at the Mercure Köln West; since 2019, I have been Rooms Division Manager, overlooking front office and housekeeping at the Mercure. There are six people on my team, as well as  2-3 apprentices.

It is a hotel for every type of guest and I love being part of the guest trip to make their stay as convenient as possible. We have a lot of tourists, and have family rooms for up to four people, as well as business guests, and we are working at being a bit more sustainable.

I find people in hospitality are more open minded than in other industries, and we have the advantage of rates and benefits all over the world, allowing us to travel a lot.

Most of the time I work from my office and have a passion for developing and guiding my team, helping them to progress. I also still love working on the front desk, listening to guests’ stories to find out what we can do to make their stay even better.

My proudest moment was becoming Front Office Manager when I was 24. It was a head-to-head race between a former colleague and me, and I was pleased when the General Manager decided in favour of me. The highlight of my career was working as a bartender in Bristol; it was a great experience and I got to know so many people from around the world because Bristol is a melting pot.

Working in hospitality is not always the easiest, so I recommend newcomers settle in and find their love for the industry – don’t give up too early because you will probably miss it!