Hello Sam! How long have you been in Gstaad and where do you work?
I’ve been in Gstaad since April 2019 and work at the HUUS Gstaad Hotel.

Have you always wanted to work in the hotel industry?
Yes – as a child, I spent every vacation with my grandparents in an Austrian hotel in Styria. I started to take an interest in the hotel industry there at a very young age.

How did you come to work at the reception desk in the Huus? Where and what did you learn and where did you work before?
I had started training as a hotel and catering assistant in Vienna, but then changed my mind after a year and finished my training as an office administrator. I then worked in an exhibition systems company for three years. Then I switched back to catering and worked in catering and then as a “stewardess on train” at ÖBB. As I often had tours to Zurich by train, I took a liking to Switzerland and decided to apply for a job in the hotel industry throughout Switzerland. And that’s how I ended up at the HUUS Hotel in Gstaad. I worked here for three years in service in the à la carte restaurant and at the bar and have now been at reception for a year.

What are your typical tasks? What does your normal working day look like?
At reception, I am responsible for the check-in and check-out of our hotel guests, creating and processing reservations in the OPERA system, corresponding with guests and all other front office tasks.

What do you particularly like about your job?
I particularly like the variety, because every day is different. And that I come into contact with so many different cultures at reception through our international guests.

What challenges do you face or what don’t you like so much?
I see my personal challenge in constantly taking on new tasks in order to develop further in my professional career.
It’s a bit difficult to find enough time outside of work during the peak season. That is sometimes exhausting. But because our hotel is a seasonal business, I can make up for it well in the off-season and have time for myself to recharge my batteries.

What do you need to know and be able to do to do your job well? What personal requirements do you need?
First and foremost, I would say you need to be interested in and enjoy your job, enjoy dealing with people, have a sales-oriented mindset and, of course, be flexible.

What is your favorite thing to do in your free time?
In my free time, I like to visit restaurants and other hotels or spend a day at a lake or in a city.

What do you like about Gstaad and do you have any tips for people who are new to Gstaad for work?
In Gstaad, I like the mix of alpine panorama and luxury, as well as the coming together of people from all over the world and from all social backgrounds.

My tip: find a company that you can identify with and where you feel comfortable!