Tell us a little more about yourself and your career to date.
I am originally from Estonia where I was born and grew up. Later in my adult years I lived in the USA, Malaysia and the UK. I was around 12-13 when I first got a taste of hospitality via catering at outdoor events. Later that led me to work in a bistro, then at weddings and eventually to working in a bar and restaurant. During my studies, I worked for a year for a reinsurance broking company in New York, but realised that the office 9-5 is really not for me. I have now completed 2 years on a graduate programme with Jurys Inn and Leonardo hotels, and I am starting a front office manager position in Birmingham in August.
You recently took part in a panel discussion as part of our AGM. How was it?
I really enjoyed the panel at AGM. I can quite confidently say that I was not even nervous (thank Zoom!). Phil made it very easy for all of us. It was such an honour to share the panel with such amazing fellow hospitality colleagues. I loved hearing about the experiences that Paresh and Stephen have had and their ideas about the future.
You’re an AIH… what does this mean to you?
Being an AIH means to me that I am still in the beginning of my career, but also that there is so much ahead and so much to look forward to. I love being part of the IoH community, and every time I make a new connection with another member, it is always very eye opening and beautiful to hear about their journey.
What makes hospitality such a great industry to work in?
The two greatest things about hospitality are there’s always room for growth and no two days are the same. There are so many things to learn from every single day. In addition, there are so many opportunities and directions in which to go. Also, once you have worked in one country, the skills you learn are easily transferable if you decide to work someplace new. I love the flexibility of hospitality and the huge “playground” that is out there.
If you could change three things about the Institute what would they be?
I would like to change the division between different membership groups, to bring everyone more together and to make the networking more efficient to all.
Secondly, I would create another programme alongside with Mentor Me scheme, perhaps Shadowing. That would be shorter in duration and more hands on.
Lastly, I would also love to see a group or a hub, where people with similar job titles could connect more easily to support each other and share their stories and experiences.
What has been the most memorable moment of your hospitality career so far?
I very vividly remember my first day in my current hotel in Southampton. It was my very first time starting to work in a hotel, and I will be forever grateful to my GM Andy Gray for hiring me and taking me under his wing. It has given me a chance to grow as a person and as a professional. That day was beginning of something so much bigger than I could have ever imagined and thanks to that I have been able to grow into the female leader I am today.
Which elements of Membership did you use most during lockdown?
During second lockdown is when I joined the institute. I became a mentee very soon after joining. Therefore, being part of the Mentor Me scheme and having meetings with my mentor Sara Ballinger was the biggest use of my membership. During the process, I got to use the library resources. I also attended some of the webinars that were very useful and gave me new insights and tips for more efficient work and lockdown etc.
What change in government policy is crucial to help the recovery of the hospitality industry moving forward?
The main thing now is to support people in hospitality with return to work. The Government has been very helpful with the furlough scheme, but it is important to provide people with the flexibility and focus on the mental part of returning to work. Also, helping the organisations to gain back the employees that were lost during the pandemic, either because of switching industries or leaving the country.
What is your hope for the hospitality industry as the year progresses and for the beginning of 2022?
I am hoping that the venues can gain back their customers and regain the business levels. But I also hope that there will be more co-working and supporting each other. Everybody has been through tough times, and it would be lovely to see more interaction between hotels and theatres and cruises etc. Now more than ever its important to have each other’s backs! I would also like to see sensible understanding from customers’ point of view as all of hospitality is slowly getting back to their feet and restoring the staff levels.
What would you like to see more of in the IoH?
I would love to see more face-to-face networking events now that the regulations have been eased, especially between the younger and older generations. I would also like to see more personalised focus on each membership group so that everyone can get the most out of it. Lastly, I would like to see the resources being more promoted. The library that IoH has is huge, but I think not many members are even aware of it, not to even mentioned taking advantage of it.
What are you excited about for the future of the IoH?
There a lot to be excited about with the Institute lately, but for me, it’s got to be the newly formed Youth Council which I’m proud to be a part of. We have named ourselves using the AIH letters – Aspiring in Hospitality. We are a small group, but highly motivated and there are a lot of things in the pipeline. I am truly passionate and very excited about the topics that we have been discussing. Everyone will hear about them sooner or later, so watch this space! I truly hope that we can engage more with AIH members and bring new ones into the Institute.
Tell us three things about yourself that we don’t know!
I have travelled across 30 states in the USA.
I can speak a little bit of Spanish (on top of Estonian, English and a little bit of Russian).
One of my favourite sports is snowboarding which I practice myself as well.
Connect with Katariina on LinkedIn
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