From Front Desk to Revenue Management: Lillas career

As a child, I saw a globe and became determined to travel. As a result, I invested much time and energy in learning languages. I graduated from university in tourism economics and as part of that did a three-month internship in Novotel Le Havre in France and that is when I fell in love with hospitality. After that I worked in hotels in Budapest and Novotel World Trade Centre in Dubai, where I learned a huge amount as a receptionist. When I finished my mission in Dubai, I did a Masters in hotel management in France and then spent six months as a revenue manager assistant.

Before I got to know about revenue management I always imagined myself at front the desk and meeting people. Then I realised I like numbers and they are not just about calculation, you also have to have a good relationship with the hotel team. I liked the mixture of work and have been in this field since 2017.

In revenue management, the hotel team is our customer, from GM to receptionist and reservations agent. I provide revenue management service to hotels in several countries. I monitor what is happening every day and from this I implement or suggest pricing and distribution strategies. I do forecasting as well; every GM needs to know what kind of revenue he can expect in the future and I predict that and budgeting worldwide: our objective for the next year and which strategies we need to implement to optimise and maximise the revenue of the hotel.

I am always seeking new opportunities and want to learn. I work in Budapest Headquarters, where I started as a junior and after some months I became revenue manager. Now, I am senior revenue manager and one day I would like to be regional revenue manager.

At HQ, we are not in a hotel but it is like being part of a property’s daily life; I am involved with the hotel’s family and I have to fulfil goals. If you do not feel involved it does not work; you have to be part of the whole picture.

To someone who is newly in the sector, I think you should be very attentive because there are endless possibilities. When I fell in love with hospitality, I saw there are many departments and opportunities; look for them and you will find them. If I try something and feel it does not fit my personality, I have the chance to try something else in the sector; this is useful if you are not clear about what you would like to do. Every day is different, so if you like a colourful job and not to get bored, hospitality is a good choice.

And to someone who is looking for work, it is the same; besides having a lot of opportunities to test yourself and develop, you are also never alone, you will always be part of a team; they can be like a second family. You work towards the same objective so that guests leave a hotel happy; numbers are more than just sitting alone doing calculations, you belong to a team.