Hospitality was not my first choice but my mum hinted that I was good with people, she looked at my interests when I was young and made an appointment for me with the Mövenpick in Berlin in 2011. I started my training and that was the beginning of something big, a career with passion and with heart.

After three years at the hotel, I was wondering what to do next when the front desk manager asked me to stay in his team, so I extended my time there for about 18 months as a front desk agent and supervisor. Then I decided I needed to try something different and I left hospitality for an administration role; only then did I realise I needed the social contact and after about four months I came back to hotels.

I got experience as a front office supervisor, assistant manager and manager in other hotel companies, and after the Covid lockdowns, the Mövenpick was looking for a reservation manager, so I applied and have gone back to my roots!

I love the many options we have with Accor, which has properties around the world, and there are many opportunities you don’t know about both in Accor and in hospitality. You grow so much as an individual because every day you meet different personalities in your team and in guests; you get broad experience through all these people and that is helpful for getting through life.

You learn a lot about yourself and how to deal with different people and there is also the opportunity to learn about religions and to learn languages; it is so helpful to see the world differently. I had school English and what I learnt from Britney Spears lyrics – I wanted to sound like her! I also learnt a bit of Greek from family holidays and I can practise in the hotel, and I’m interested in Spanish, and French which I learnt in school.

Being a Heartist® is to be  a part of something big and to be there for other people; that is irreplaceable. It is a big movement and you are not working alone, we are small cogs and part of something that works so well. My position can be replaced but I am not dispensable – my personality and attitude are important for my job and for Accor; my passion makes me a Heartist®. I am grateful for hospitality, for Accor and to be part of this big feeling.

I have had a couple of highlights in my career. The Mövenpick Hotel Berlin is closing and I was worried about contacting guests because I thought they would be angry but they were so thankful for what we have done.

And there was a cool situation with a Russian guest who could only speak Russian, and I used my phone to translate and drew pictures to find a way to express myself and to understand what he needed. When he checked out, he left a note for me to say how grateful he was that I had tried to understand him, that he had never met anyone like me and he thanked me for my support and efforts to be there for him, even though we don’t speak the same language.

And to newcomers to hospitality, my advice is, don’t be shy and grow with your daily experience, so that you learn by doing. You are important enough to create something big and if you don’t feel confident about doing something, do it with a colleague you are close to. Also, try everything because hospitality is open to you, and if you enjoy contact with people you are in the right job.