My dad work in a hotel and I have followed him since I was a child. I remember watching him working in the kitchen, he inspired me; I wanted to continue the family tradition and now we work together in the kitchen. Today I know it was the right choice – I feel great pride that I am part of the hotel team and in my daily work I fulfil my dreams.

I’ve felt the atmosphere of hospitality since I was a child, as my dad would talk about his work at home; I have always felt like a hotelier and have never worked in another industry.

For me, hospitality is such a focus on guests that they will say during their stay that they feel as though they are at home. At Accor we create a friendly and family atmosphere, the right mood so that each of our guests feels special and they will gladly return to us. A guest is sacred to a hotelier.

My work involves managing the team, organising supplies, and attention to the quality of the dishes served. I create menus for individual guests and for business groups. I watch food costs, control other outgoings and oversee the administrative activities of the department.

I have had many proud moments, including our restaurant Novo2’s first menu and catering for large, demanding events such as the Handball World Cup. But my greatest pride is the value our guests put on the quality of our service and the high rating my work for the team achieved in a survey conducted at our hotel.

Being a Heartist® is putting my heart into my daily work to take care of guests in the right way, to make their stay enjoyable and inspire them come back to us on their next trip.

When you join hospitality, have humility and empathy because this is a difficult industry – it is very demanding because it affects people’s feelings. We are with guests during personal, often difficult, moments of their life. The satisfaction of customers during their stay is the best reward for our daily work.