A hospitality veteran, Jolanda started in the sector 44 years ago, during which time she has moved, by choice, 27 times and worked in eight countries.
Jolanda was born into hospitality, the daughter of parents who both worked in the industry. After school she took a six month summer job at a hotel in Jersey, and immersed herself in the local ways of life. When she returned the comparison with her friends was stark; had experienced new horizons while they were in the same routine. After that realization, Jolanda never looked back.
“I went away for six months and I came back 28 years later,” explains Jolanda. “I loved being in a completely different new environment with a totally different culture. I met so many people and experienced many different situations which shaped me as a person. This is the gift of hospitality, the people, cultures and experiences that teach you about the world and yourself.”
Today Jolanda leads a team of 37 people at the flagship MGallery hotel in Amsterdam. “Out of 37, 18 are ladies and we have 26 different cultural backgrounds. That’s so rich, it creates a fantastic, open and inclusive environment for the team and our guests.”
This year will be the seventh year The INK hotel has rebranded as the PINK Hotel during Pride. “This is a statement that we believe in diversity and inclusion, even in Amsterdam, where the world thinks that anything is possible, we know there are places where it is not. Inclusion makes you feel rich and that’s the formative power of travel and hospitality, to open us up to embrace the differences around the world.”
“Hospitality is special because we work with people for people. It is a gateway to people, cultures, differences and experiences around the globe and these experiences shape you. You can travel your whole life in hospitality. How nice is that?”
The Heart of Hospitality podcast is part of a pan-European industry platform of the same name, built to tell stories of the sector and its people. Accor is inviting stories from across the industry to be shared via #HeartOfHospitality
To listen to the full episode, visit https://heart-of-hospitality.com/podcast/ or find the podcast on Spotify and other leading Podcast platforms.
For more information and more stories from hospitality, visit https://heart-of-hospitality.com/
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Biography: Jolanda Sadni Ziane
General Manager at INK Hotel Amsterdam – MGallery
Jolanda Sadni Ziane became the General Manager of INK Hotel Amsterdam – MGallery in 2016, a year after the hotel opened.
Jolanda has lived across the globe, working in 8 different countries across Europe, Africa and Central America. During these 28 years of living abroad, she worked in various leadership roles for Hilton, Sheraton, Disneyland Paris and Accor. During her 13 years at Accor she has been Hotel Manager of Sofitel Marrakech, General Manager of Sofitel Fes and General Manager of Sofitel Mauritius, in all 3 hotels she was the first female GM ever.
Jolanda’s years of experience in leadership positions working with cultures across the globe plays a big role in creating an atmosphere of respect, diversity, inclusion and performance. At INK Hotel Amsterdam – MGallery this an intrinsic part of the teams’ DNA, to make the hotel a space that is safe, respectful and INKlusive to people of all ethnicities, genders, religions, sexualities, abilities, ages or any other differentiators. One of the many examples of how this is fostered is through the yearly celebration around Pride Amsterdam Week when INK Hotel transforms into PINK Hotel for a full week. During this week, INK organizes informative and celebrative events to raise awareness for diversity and INKlusivity.
Top 3 tips to the next generation of leaders
- Stay curious/passionate: The world keeps evolving, so keep exploring, learning and developing. If you don’t get energy from your job anymore then it is time to move on. Don’t get stuck in something you’re not passionate about, there is so much more to explore.
- Show interest in the people around you: If you show genuine interest in people and their ideas, you’ll get so many new insights and ideas. Take time to ask questions, listen carefully and especially be open-minded! There’s so much to learn from differences.
- Take risks: Dare to make mistakes, take risks, try new things and take ownership of your actions. Even when things seem to ‘go right’ it might be time to shake things up in order for them to ‘go great’. Be bold and courageous but always overthink the consequences and results of your actions, don’t be reckless.