When I was at hospitality school in Bielsko-Biala, we had opportunities to go abroad for placements and that is how I worked in Italy, Spain and Great Britain. I learned a lot from my adventures there. It made me open to everybody, and now I don’t wait for opportunities to come, I find them. These internships and great teachers showed me the way I should go.

When I finished secondary school, I decided to start my career with Accor. I joined our training program and started work in Novotel Krakow City West. I’m now at Novotel and ibis Krakow Centrum and I love it!

I have had a variety of jobs at the ibis and Novotel – front office member, guest experience, deputy front office manager, sales coordinator and now sales manager, and I enjoyed every moment in those positions; I was fulfilled because reception is the heart of the hotel, so close to the guests, and now I am enjoying being in sales.  During COVID-19, I had the chance to go to Tanzania and work some weeks in Zanzibar.

In the hotel, we have the opportunity to develop our football passion because of contact with sports teams. We had the opportunity to play blind football – we wore black “sunglasses” so that we couldn’t see anything. We played it through a guest, who asked if our team would like to take part in a tournament. It was great fun, and they showed us how to do it.

We have meetings roughly every two weeks; we also play volleyball, go running and biking. Teamwork in hospitality makes you play well as a team because we have a coach, a common goal -guest experience.

The two things I am really into are hospitality and football, so I am delighted that I can combine it.

Because I am Generation Z, I like changes. It’s hard to stay in one place for too long. I try to change position every year so that I don’t get too comfortable. I’m excited that Accor and my manager are open to my developing skills and my career.

To people newly in the industry, I would say – dream! Open your eyes and mind. Life is a game, don’t be afraid of change – hard work really pays off. Your biggest challenger is you, and you can develop yourself through change. Compare yourself only with yourself, and you can do anything you want; just fly!

If hospitality is your first job, the first lesson is getting to know your strengths and weaknesses, what you like and don’t like. Throw yourself into it and if you know yourself, you can take any step because a hotel is not only B&B, it is an adventure for all types of people; we need artists, accountants, and people who love themselves. Hospitality ends where creativity stops.