If there was one thing you could change about the industry, what would it be?
I don’t think we need to change anything, although, I think it is necessary to reinvent our traditional and old custom of our approach to hospitality. For example, regardless of how quickly the new technology integrates into hotel operations, I believe hoteliers should keep the personal touch, certainly something we at Time are proud of providing our guests. Recently, check-in on line is a new trend in hotel check-in procedures. However, a personal interaction with a genuine smile and eye to eye contact will a give a longer lasting impression to any guest.
What would you say your greatest achievement has been?
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From professional point of view, I will say that pre-opening a hotel has been one of my greatest achievements so far. Preparing a hotel to greet its first guest is a complex and quite often a very long and stressful journey full of unexpected challenges. You need to have the combination of good timing and a detailed understanding of the process. Therefore starting from scratch to building a hotel and delivering services in making guests happy is a long process that I will always remember.
What legacy would you like to eventually leave at your hotel?
A legacy of integrity and values. To be an encouragement to all my staff by being resilient yet always ready to give a warm smile amidst the ups and downs in the industry. Not afraid of taking risks even if the outcome is not as expected; at the end of the day, what matters most is you learn something from every situation.
What one piece of advice would you give to someone starting off in the industry?
Passion is essential in the hospitality industry. Being genuine, welcoming and having an empathy vis-à-vis customers and colleagues are essential ingredients for success. If you work hard, acquire the qualifications, get on with customers and colleagues and show initiative, very soon, you'll find yourself in a senior position managing people and projects.
If you hadn’t gone into hospitality, what do you think you would be doing now?
I would be a diplomat. I used to work at Diplomatic Services at the French Embassy in the Czech Republic before changing my professional orientation. The purposes of negotiating and mediating relations between governments always fascinated me. If done correctly, diplomacy is a great way for countries to get every single issue out on the table and establish a great relationship. In a certain way, diplomacy is also applicable when dealing with hotel guests!
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I am an avid traveller. I try to travel as often as possible, I try to get away because I know travel can be a powerful tool for personal development. Travel enlightens me and helps me learn of attitudes of people, quality of food, cultural behavior, differences in fashion and much, much more.
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