I’ve been in hospitality for 45 years! At the age of 18, I realized that my passion is Food & Beverage department. My desire and energy was suitable for hospitality sector, with lot of dynamic, communication, smiles and greetings.

Despite contribution to the family budget, my work was always a place where everything I was doing was with a lot of love, emotion and easiness. For me, working at the hospitality means respect to the work and treating other people with respect. It requires dedication, hard work and treating guests at the highest level.

My career path started as a waiter, later becoming a bartender at  the Grand Hotel Skopje (now IHG franchised Holiday Inn Skopje). After few years, I was promoted as a head of a restaurant and finally as an F&B Manager. Loving my job, working with different people, meeting and knowing people from all over the world, learning different languages, learning about different nationalities and their food and beverages rituals, kept my spirit high brought me joy at the beginning of each working day.

Highlight of my career has to be the time when I worked as a bartender from 1983 until 1996 when there were no mobile phones. People had to meet in person to to share their thoughts or information, when the social moment and human touch was very important for every guest. Being personal with each guest and getting to know them gives my work warmth and meaning, and allows me to give special treatment to each guest.

During my 45 years of service, I’ve met different types of guests, everyone interesting in their own way. I still remember the day at ibis Hotel Skopje when a lady guest liked the cooked breakfast buffet so much that she invited me to cook for her in London! Those kind words and guest satisfaction is what makes me so happy in my job.

Working in this industry for me means meeting new people, some of them becoming friends for a lifetime. After a hard day at work you go home, falling asleep with a good thought that you made a difference to someone.

To all young people or the ones that would like to work at this industry, I would say you need to get a good education and good manners. You must love this job, have positive vibes and just be the best self. Then you can work in hospitality industry.

For me hospitality has changed in every way,- something that was a good practice 45 years ago cannot be implemented today. We used to write everything down by hand on a piece of paper, now we have digital technology. Today our (and most of the countries) are facing with lack of competitive staff. In order to have a qualified workers, governments need to make a good strategy for this sector to be valued higher.

My work is my everlasting love.