Director of Sales for Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa
Paulina Siudym is the new Director of Sales for Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa engaged in promoting sustainable and eco-friendly tourism as a core principle for her little paradise located on one of the healthiest coral reefs in the country. She was previously the Business Development Director for Palm Beach Resort & Spa where she has introduced the property to the international market and revamped sales strategies. She has gained her international industry experience with job placements in Italy, Turkey, and from the middle of 2009 she moved to the Maldives, and that’s exactly when her new adventure with local tourism market has started. Prior to joining hospitality business, she was in charge for four years of operational management of the Special Sales of Ferrari Clients and the Ferrari Club Italia Events. She holds a Master’s Degree in Organizational and Industrial Psychology from Bologna University in Italy.
How did you get started with your career?
I would say I have started my career in hospitality almost by chance with a Summer Seasonal job as a Guest Relation Supervisor at Chia Laguna Resort in the beautiful Island of Sardinia back in 2005 in order to cover my University expenses in Italy. After I finished my Master Degree, I followed Human Resources filed, however; I have been already bitten by the travel and hospitality bug and I knew this is going to be my dream job; where the passion and professional experience can both evolve together in total symbiosis.
What are some of your notable successes?
What I have learnt for the past years is that success is measured on different levels, but for me personally, there is a trio mix that brings up the golden mean, three core essentials: the product, the quality of the service and good, motivated employees that feel the spirit of teamwork towards the victory. Success for me is to meet the expectations of my customers with my best foot forward and to allow my team to achieve our targets by strengthening and appreciating their real potential.
What are some of the challenges that you have faced?
The challenge we have is that this industry is over-saturated with many new Resorts still to open, but I strongly believe there is always a room for a good product with attentive service and proper pricing strategy.
What is your experience of TTM? What are you looking forward to in TTM 2018?
I have been a part of the first edition of TTM and was impressed that even though some last minute changes occurred all was organized in such a professional and exceptional manner. This is the only exhibition promoting exclusively the Maldives which allows us, hoteliers, to meet our target audience and to strengthen our relationships with Partners. Some of them can take it as a good occasion to visit our Properties as well.
What is your advice for young adults interested in entering the Tourism Industry?
My advice for anyone eager entering the hospitality industry is to keep open to different experiences and to be on the lookout for various opportunities. Do not get into tunnel vision as this could cause you to miss out on valuable experiences. Never stop learning.
Pay attention to detail that goes into every product, service and its interaction. “The devil is in the detail”. Be honest with others and especially to yourself by following values.
