Hospitality was not my first choice; I studied tourism management in Austria. Immediately after university, I joined an event organising company but after 18 months I realised I would be promoted from Project Assistant to Project Manager but that would be the end of it.

I had greater ambitions than that and stumbled across a role in Accor, which was looking for someone to open the sales office in the newly created MICE department in Austria; I joined the company in 2001. I took a bit of a drop in my salary package in order to have a better career path and it was well worth it.

I must have done a decent job because late in 2002 I was offered the opportunity to move to Romania, where I became Director of Sales at the Sofitel Bucharest Worldwide Centre. I stayed there for three years and then moved to Moscow to Novotel Sheremetyevo where I was in charge of business development. My first General Manager role came when I opened the Mercure Ostrava in the Czechia. After that, I returned to Romania to become General Manager of the Pullman Bucharest Worldwide Centre, which had been rebranded from Sofitel.

In 2015, I decided my eastern European adventures were coming to an end and I moved to Zurich, Switzerland, where I started at the Novotel Zurich City West until 2022, when I had opportunities in several Accor properties in Zurich. I ended up having responsibility for three hotels Novotel, ibis and ibis Budget City West.

After 20 years on the move, I expressed my desire to return home, and the company gave me the chance to take over the Novotel Wien City and Novotel Suites Wien City Donau, where I am today. I am super proud of my 20 years on the road – I wouldn’t have missed a day of it, but I am very happy to be home.

I love the fact that hospitality brings a new set of challenges and surprises every day. It is anything but routine and I’ve never seen myself doing a routine job at a computer eight hours a day, seven days a week. My aunt was in hospitality and I grew up in a restaurant; as a child I would run between the tables entertaining the guests, so it’s in my DNA and I couldn’t imagine myself in a different industry.

My travels have taught me to have an open mind – it doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, you have to approach people with a warm heart. Listen to them and their stories, and then use your mind and skills to achieve something positive together.

I recommend hospitality because it is a people business. I see a lot of industries in turmoil because of artificial intelligence, and it will have an effect on our industry. But we are human beings working with human beings, creating experiences for people, and that is something I hope AI won’t be able to take from us for generations.

Hospitality is enriching, it is enchanting to create memorable moments and see people smiling, children laughing, because they enjoy being your guest; it is hugely rewarding.

That is what it means to be a Heartist® – having an open heart, listening, and creating the best experiences for our guests. It also embraces the great talent around me, and I make sure they have the best possible working conditions so that they ensure our clients have a superb, memorable stay and experiences, and our owners have the best financial return. Those are the three pillars I look after.

My personal highlights are when I welcomed to the hotel Gérard Pélisson, one of the founders of the Group and his nephew Gilles Pélisson, who was CEO of the Group, and Sébastien Bazin, the current CEO of Accor Group.

I am also proud of the professional journey of some of our great talent and that I had the chance to develop them; some are now general managers or are en route for that. They are growing – it is rewarding to open doors and promote some of our people, to accompany them on their journey.

I advise newcomers to be curious, daring; no general manager or manager will ever be asked to account for a mistake that was made in the best interest of the client. Look after our clients, have fun and enjoy the journey with Accor!