This blog is not about remunerating people in the gastro segment, so I will not develop this topic further, but those who work in this business know that the shortage of staff is also caused by unfair practices of many employers. New employees will only believe that the approach to people is different in Hotel Lomnica when their first paycheck arrives. But I am digressing again.

A waitress with 3 colleges and 4 degrees? Yes!

During the aforementioned conversation, I thought why not try the job for myself. It will certainly be beneficial not only for the hotel, but also for me. I will get to know my colleagues better, I will get to know our customer from the other side and especially I will get to know the "day-to-day" routine of a job I last did 24 years ago - as a student.

It would probably be presumptuous to think that I had any experience. Standing up in a hotel café, where literally hundreds of people a day mill about, and where the customer expects a certain level of service, it takes not only a bit of courage, but also faith in your colleagues to help you. I can already reassure you that everything went well, I only changed one bill, I recycled plates that should have gone in the dishwasher and not in the bin. ? And I publicly apologize to our pastry chefs at the hotel, I really had no idea those "mini" plates were real plates. Just to illustrate - we sold something like 80 cakes a day. That's to give you an idea of how many discarded plates I'm talking about.

24 years ago, when I started working as a 16-year-old in a hotel in Orava, I certainly didn't approach the job the way I do now. My professional life has taken a completely different direction and, in addition to academia, I am also working as a marketing director.

On the way in the car before going on duty at the hotel, the first stress and a huge feeling of responsibility arrived, whether I would give it. How I would be received by my colleagues and whether I would do more harm than good.

108 419 steps in 6 days and 75 kilometres

I think Matej Tóth would be proud of me and my colleagues as well. In a couple of hours you can practise a brisk - short waiter's step, which is strikingly similar to the fast walk of our national team members. After 6 days, I was surprised myself at what I could see on the calculator display - I had walked 75 kilometers in the hotel cafe and terrace area, which was a whopping 108,419 steps. I hadn't anticipated that this would also be a fattening stay for me, with habitual and literally practiced fitness steps. None of this was planned, but the pace really surprised me.

What to do when your crosses are burning?

When the waiter has some time, he helps out where needed: clearing tables, preparing ingredients for the bar, helping colleagues... I thought I was pretty fit, but I'll tell it like it is - I'm not. My body, after more than 20 years of mostly office work, really got the shock of being on its feet all day. Back pain and burning lower back pain was about the only unpleasant thing I had to deal with. But my colleague Peter's advice was comforting: "Don't worry by Wednesday on the third day it will break and the pain will dull". And indeed, my back went numb, took on a hunched-over waiter's charm, and I miraculously regained energy to spare during the night.

100 euros tip

If this seems excessive to you, it is not. Yes, I was given a 100 euro "tringelt", but it wasn't just for me and even the guests who gave it to me said straight out that I should split it among my colleagues. Because what they experienced in Hotel Lomnica, they didn't experience anywhere else. And they were experienced travelers in their fifties.

They were incredibly complimentary about the attitude of all the staff, were thrilled with the fine dining dinner which absolutely exceeded their expectations and wanted to thank us all. I'm talking about a team of about 50 people who are mostly not visible, but each and every one of them matters.

If you have to give the customer the well-being and service at the level they expect, you can't do without exceptional food, a clean table, clean plates or fresh flowers and divine desserts. Indeed, every detail matters, which is why the nightly combing of chairs and balancing of vases was of paramount importance. It completes the overall impression, which the customer perceives as a pleasant interplay of place, a genius loci that breathes on him everywhere. And behind it all are a lot of people.

Of course, it's not just about tips. Personally, I was also really pleased with the interest of our customers in us, their enthusiasm for the quality food, great pastry treats or paintings we have in the hotel. They were also interested in the people who work there or in the overall atmosphere that is typical for Hotel Lomnica. If you can't imagine what I'm talking about, come and visit us. Maybe you'll bump into me too.

It doesn't matter what you do, you have to enjoy it

Dear reader, let me put it simply, it was an unforgettable ride. A wonderful experience with wonderful people. I already know I will repeat my "waitressing" experience. Because for me, it was literal mental relaxation - the kind of therapy you go to different retreats and pay expensive money for. A form of physical labor when you've been working differently for years is really restorative.

The second benefit was that I got to know the work of my colleagues through their eyes, and I also got to know the perspective and need of our customer, and that is priceless for marketing. No amount of brainstorming from behind a desk can replace personal experience.

Another pleasant surprise, not so much a surprise as a conclusion, was that despite my 40+ years, I can say that I made the right decision in my twenties and that working with people is what I enjoy and will continue to enjoy. It doesn't matter if you're leading a team of people, or working on the front desk, or waitressing. Without passion and interest in the work you do, you can't do it well.

And I wish that Hotel Lomnica, as well as Pálffy Manor, since we have joined our teams and helped each other, would have not only a satisfied customer, but especially a satisfied and convinced employee. Because if you put passion into your work, you are in the right place with the right people.

Zuzka, Petya, Marek, Kristínka, Miriam, other Petyas, Tomáš, Martina, Baska, Pátka, Robo.... thank you and I am looking forward to seeing you.

Your "spoiled" waitress Zuzana