\nAre you still studying German?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nYes, I started a course. What I\u2019m focusing on is practicing my grammar and reading because speaking is something I do every day here. I\u2019ve always been very good with languages, so it doesn\u2019t pose any issues for me. I love speaking different languages and connecting with people from all over. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nAnd how\u2019s your team at MEININGER Hotels?<\/strong> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nCompletely international. I think we have only two or three people from Germany. Our team includes members from Morocco, Spain, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Syria, and many other countries. It\u2019s very diverse. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nHow do you like working with so many different people?<\/strong> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nMy team in Cologne is one of the best I\u2019ve ever worked with! We\u2019re all very different, but most of us share the same values. Elle (Hotel Manager) and Simon (Assistant Hotel Manager) did a great job assembling the team. We had fun from the very beginning, even when we were in the middle of the hotel pre-opening phase with almost nothing in place. We only had the reception set up, the rest of the hotel was still under construction. But being there with the team… we could really imagine ourselves working together\u2014our team behind reception with the computers. Now it\u2019s busier, but we\u2019re all doing a great job. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nDo you have any specific examples of team-building activities you did during the pre-opening?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nI remember the first breakfast. It was my first day, I had just arrived from Hamburg and was really happy to be back home in K\u00f6ln. When I arrived at the hotel, everything was covered in plastic, but in the office, there were two or three tables filled with food. That\u2019s when we all sat down together and started getting to know each other. There were no more than 13 of us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nWas it your first hotel opening?<\/strong> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nYes, and that was one of the things on my bucket list. I really wanted to be part of creating a team from scratch, where we all start with the same knowledge and then watch as we grow and learn together. During an opening, you don\u2019t know how things are going to turn out. Every step is interesting\u2014\u2018Oh, we\u2019re opening in two weeks,\u2019 \u2018Oh, we\u2019re opening in one week\u2019\u2014and you\u2019re like, \u2018Wait, wasn\u2019t this and that thing still broken?\u2019 It was exciting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nWere there a lot of challenges?<\/strong> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nYes! The main challenge for me was first creating a team from scratch. In Hamburg, I joined a team that was already established, so I was just trying to fit in. Then I had to come here and work with people I didn\u2019t know at all. Also, when I came from Hamburg, I thought I was a pro and knew everything. But no, I didn\u2019t know anything. When I arrived here, everything was different. I had to forget what I had learned because this is a different region, and some of the rules there don\u2019t apply here. So, there were many things to learn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nDo you remember the first guest you welcomed?<\/strong> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nI remember the day we cut the ribbon. We prepared everything for the first guest, but I had an early shift that day and left when the first guest arrived. I think it was a mom and her kids. I remember putting together the VIP basket and writing the note with a colleague, but I didn\u2019t have the privilege of welcoming them. <\/p>\n\n\n
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