Jitendra Yadav

Jitendra Yadav's story
I love looking after human beings, to serve mankind is my passion. And hospitality is the only field that gives you so many opportunities to do that – to meet people, to experience something that is beyond your imagination; it creates a deep, bright feeling. I love it!
Sometimes when you meet someone for the first time, you feel a profound connection, so that they feel like family, it is a like a loving romance – and we enjoy that in hospitality.
Before I came to London I taught for 42 years; I was running many departments and was principal of several schools for more than 18 years. When I came here, I just wanted to join hospitality and luckily I got the opportunity to enter this new environment and start a new era. My first job was in London with Accor at ibis Styles – and I’m still working with all those lovely people. I landed at Heathrow Airport on 20 September 2022 (that was my first trip to London) and I joined Accor on 10 October 2022.
Hotel chains are all different and although this is my first job in hospitality, whenever I travelled with my family, I had many experiences in different hotels. But when I joined Accor the first word I heard was ‘Heartist’. And this is Accor’s difference – you won’t find this anywhere in the world; it directly connects you. The company makes you feel you are family and that gives you the energy to make your best efforts; it is a speciality of Accor. And because Accor makes me feel like family, I can make guests feel the same. Hospitality is to serve our guests, that is the only way.
People who stay with us come to London to have a good time and we are the people they meet first, the first impression they get of the capital, so when we make them feel connected and we treat them as though they are family, that gives them a fantastic start to their journey. The first thing is always to make the guest feel connected, as though they are in their own surroundings.
For people who want to work with people, take on challenging tasks, and who want to learn in a versatile environment, hospitality is the only sector where they can do all those things. In addition, I recommend to anyone that at some point they should join Accor, where they will feel the difference between working here and in other hotels.
Being a Heartist® is deeply connected to the heart, always relating to your emotions and making connections. While we are working with Accor, we are Heartists®. Accor gives us many opportunities and an environment where we love to work, so Heartist is means making a deep connection.
My best moment was when I met my first manager, she was so humble and she invited us to our induction programme. From the very first moment, she treated us as though she had known us for a long, long time. And the second moment came when I met my second manager Eva; I learned a lot from her and she nurtured my real love of hospitality. Our General Manager is also a wonderful personality.
I have met many of the strongest and best people in the world, and I am still working with them and loving them. Every moment I work with them, those are my proudest moments in Accor.
My first piece of advice is that you need to feel really connected with this service; do not get involved if you cannot give your best. If you are coming into hospitality and to Accor, there will be many opportunities to learn and to serve.
Always be prepared for challenges. Be positive and optimistic in every kind of environment, even though it can become stressful as well, but it’s part of life and you have to accept that with a pragmatic, positive and optimistic approach. Always try to find the best solution to have a soothing effect on the guest whom you are serving.
- Jitendra Yadav
- Night Team Leader
- ibis Styles London Southwark (United Kingdom)