An applied linguistics graduate, Agnieszka Goerdt made a sudden U-turn for the hospitality industry in the ‘90s. Now a sales and marketing manager at the Astoria Hotel, St. Petersburg, the Polish-born hotelier spoke to the Leader on the intricacies of the industry and what it takes to host world-famous celebrities like British Prime Minister Tony Blair and film megastar Jack Nicholson.

Could you tell us a little about your educational background?

I was born in Warsaw, and my whole education and first professional steps were connected with this city. I majored in the Russian and English languages in the faculty of applied linguistics at Warsaw University. In fact, I should have been either a foreign-language teacher or a translator; at least, that is what is written in my diploma.

What were your previous places of work before coming to Russia?

I started my career as an English teacher for Marriott Hotel staff in Warsaw. That was my first contact with the hotel business. It was then that I realized that my students had very interesting jobs and decided to follow their steps. I applied for a job at the Warsaw Bristol Hotel, which is still considered the best in the city, as well as one of the world’s leading hotels. I got a job there and then stayed on for five years.
I served in different capacities in the hotel and ended up in the position of sales and marketing director. However, I had to quit in 1997 following my husband’s relocation to the Astoria Hotel in St. Petersburg. This was because, as the company knew that I had experience in hotel sales, they also offered me a job as a sales and marketing director.

How has your university experience studying the Russian language helped you in your new position?

Generally speaking, it has helped a lot, especially on a personal basis. Based on my prior knowledge of Russia, the Russian people and the Russian language, I felt it would be easy, despite the fact that my studies took place before Perestroika, when I was still a student. But, professionally, I had no knowledge whatsoever as to what it takes to be a hotel manager in Russia, which is quite different from my previous place of work. But things have gotten better now, probably because I have always loved the city of St. Petersburg, which I truly believe to be one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Tell us a little about your company and its distinguishing features.

My company is the Astoria Hotel, part of Rocco Forte Hotels. Sir Rocco Forte bought the Astoria in 1997, and it then became a part of his portfolio. Now we have seven hotels in our portfolio. These include hotels located in the cities of Cardiff, Manchester, Edinburgh, Rome, Florence, Brussels and St. Petersburg. All of them are deluxe five-star properties and some of the worlds’ leading hotels.
After our arrival in 1997, we started a refurbishing program, which is slated for completion in April of this year. During this period, we spent a lot of time and resources on training our employees so as to be able to deliver real five-star standard services to our guests.

How would you describe your role in the company, in other words, how challenging is your job?

The position of director in charge of marketing and sales in a hotel of this category comes with a lot of responsibility. Technically speaking, I’m directly responsible for the revenues in our hotel, and that means the financial status of the company. The enormity of this responsibility becomes even greater when one puts our aim of becoming the best hotel in the city into consideration. Though such enormous responsibility at times also means a lot of stress, I enjoy doing the job, maybe simply because I love working in the hotel business.

How would you rate your company’s position in this sector?

I would say that Astoria is well-positioned on the St. Petersburg hospitality market. For instance, last year Astoria became one of the world’s leading hotels and a preferred property of Virtuoso, a U.S.-based organization of travel agents. It is also listed in Tatler’s 2002 best 101 hotels list.

Could you briefly highlight your employment policy?

Currently, we have 10 expatriates, and the rest are Russians. We couldn’t do otherwise, as we believe the Russian staff is the future of the hotel. In this context, we believe our job is to teach and show the way so that, sooner or later, they will be able to take over the management of the hotel. We also believe this to be the natural way and, consequently, invest a lot of money in training and development programs. For instance, one of my sales executives will go for two months to one of our sister hotels in the U.K. next month.

What category of clients do you usually have in the hotel?

Our clients are mainly from the United States and Europe, mainly France, Italy, Japan, Russia and Great Britain. Professionally, these are mainly businesspeople, politicians or just tourists.

Have there been celebrities here, such as high-profile politicians, artists, members of royalty? If yes, please tell us what it takes to have such clients and how difficult or easy it is to serve them?

We have quite a lot of official delegations and artists. Since my arrival here in 1997, we have hosted British Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Greek and Portuguese presidents, as well as the prime ministers of India, China and Japan, while Jack Nicholson and Duran Duran were among the high-profile social celebrities who stayed with us.
It’s really exciting to host all these people. I would not say it is specifically difficult to serve them, as all guests are very demanding in five-star hotels as they pay a lot for their services. This is only natural, and we also try to do our best to satisfy their needs.

How do you see the present economic situation in the country, and what are your plans for 2002?

The present economic situation is much better than it was two or three years ago, especially when compared to the 1998 crisis. However, we feel the market situation could still be better, as it’s currently far below its potential. Judging from the number of Russian clients at the moment, I can say that the economic situation is better, and we also think 2002 will be a good year. We are quite optimistic that this trend will even be better in 2003, that is, if nothing extraordinary happens in Russia or in the world at large. And we really hope not!

What would you recommend as a formula for success in the hotel business?

A success formula for the hotel business? No, I can’t tell you one, because I personally do not believe there are any. However, a favorite job, working hard, good customer relationships — understanding and respecting their wishes — will always help to move things in the right direction.

Do you have free time, and how do you spend it?

“Free time?” What does that mean?