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We speak with Léa Rogacki, who was responsible for implementing the DialogShift chatbots, about her personal journey into the hospitality industry, what she likes about our chatbot, her wishes for the hotel industry, and what is personally important to her during a hotel stay.
Léa Rogacki has been working at Living Hotels since 2015. Since February 2021, she has been serving as the Director of Reservations, a position she resumed after returning from parental leave. She is the technical lead and focuses on optimizing processes. This primarily involves easing the workload and creating transparency for colleagues and guests. Léa mainly works from home and communicates daily with colleagues from the headquarters and the hotels. They discuss current opportunities and challenges and coordinate on projects. Her regular tasks include reviewing reservations and daily checks of the chatbots, such as how they can be further optimized for Living Hotels.
During my school years, I worked part-time in the gastronomy sector. After finishing high school, I faced the typical question: university or vocational training? Despite my good grades, I was not admitted to either of my two preferred universities, which led me to the Hotel Management School Bernkastel-Kues in Rhineland-Palatinate. This was a three-year program, with two years of theory and one year of practical experience. I was fortunate enough to be hired directly in the sales department after my internship. Overall, I have been working in the hospitality industry since 2010. Fortunately, I later completed my studies because I wanted to continue my education and obtained a degree in business administration.
"Besides the human component and being a host, what I particularly like about the hospitality industry is that the principle of performance counts. A degree is relevant, but not as indicative as your personal performance."
Besides the human component and being a host, what I particularly like about the hospitality industry is that the principle of performance counts. A degree is relevant, but not as indicative as your personal performance. Especially young people have the opportunity to be rewarded for good performance and quickly move into leadership positions. This is unusual in many other industries.
Thanks to my mentor, I joined Living Hotels in 2015, specifically at the Living Hotel De Medici. Since Living Hotels is family-run, the level of appreciation is completely different. I was previously with a hotel company managed by a hedge fund. The differences in employee management and overall appreciation are incomparable. Living Hotels actively promote involvement from their employees, so you don't feel like just a “number among many.” The short decision-making paths within the company are very pleasant, and employees can "be themselves"—truly great aspects. We are allowed to try and implement ideas within the company. We operate according to our brand essence, the "Living Moments," allowing everyone to be the host they want to be. Today, I am pleased to know that employees at Living Hotels are actively encouraged. I personally felt this trust and quickly became the deputy hotel director at the Living Hotel De Medici, and later moved to a management position at our headquarters.
"The Living Hotels actively promote employee involvement, so you are not just a ‘number among many.’ Moreover, the short decision-making paths within the company are very pleasant, and each employee can be who they are – truly great aspects."
Clearly, the shortage of skilled workers remains a challenge. The hospitality industry needs to position itself differently. Hoteliers need to be open regarding the know-how of their employees. The traditional hotel specialist will not always be available. The training regulations must continue to evolve and adapt, as has recently happened, thankfully. But employers also need to reposition themselves. Hoteliers cannot expect digital competence from their trainees. The digital sales channels have become quite complex, and hoteliers need to guide trainees and employees more closely in this area. Additionally, the current cost situation poses another challenge for the hospitality industry. I believe this will lead to new hotel concepts in the future.
I personally value the human component, especially during longer stays. For example, do I get greeted? Am I recognized? Am I actively approached? Do people remember details, like that I enjoy the same wine? Do they offer it to me again or not? The question, “What makes the stay unique for me?” always has the same answer for me: “the employees.” Digitalization should simplify processes so that employees can focus on being hosts. However, the people I interact with still make my hotel stay unique.
Thanks to a recommendation from HSMA Deutschland e.V. I had the idea of integrating a chatbot for a while, but it was not easy to get an overview of the chatbot market. HSMA came in handy as they recommended DialogShift, a good German product.
I like the user-friendliness, which is very intuitive, as well as the clarity and the good partnership support. There is always a very constructive exchange, and I get quick answers to my questions. I am also pleased that I can now view reports for our hotels together at the same time.
I hope the hospitality industry can position itself as an attractive employer because it is one of the most wonderful industries. I would also like to see more mentorship, as this is a significant factor for young people. We are on a good path, but there should be continued improvement in working conditions. Of course, we don’t have the same conditions in hospitality as in the chemical or steel industries. However, hoteliers should strive to make working conditions attractive and fair for employees. I am glad that Living Hotels have been on a good path for several years, creating different work models where possible, increasing vacation days, and adjusting general benefits. A little more publicity would also do the hospitality industry good. HSMA Deutschland e.V. is already quite active in this regard. Our industry is characterized by flexibility and the ability to adapt to and manage challenges. Take Covid-19, for example. Living Hotels were able to remain open thanks to our service apartments. We also took new approaches, such as offering our apartments on AirBnB, while our direct bookings remained high.
On vacation: The Valamar Hotel Group in Croatia. They offer a great overall product with an excellent customer journey.
From the Living Hotels: The Living Hotel De Medici in Düsseldorf, because it is simply unique in terms of product and design. There is a lot of attention to detail and excellent implementation. The hotel is filled with art, so staying there is like sleeping in a museum.
I want to help and support people through mentoring, to identify and develop their strengths. We are already successfully doing this at Living Hotels, but I would like to expand this even further in the future. It brings me a lot of joy.
Thank you for your time, dear Léa - It was a pleasure talking to you! ⚡
About the Living Hotels:
Living Hotels is an apartment hotel chain with 18 hotels in nine locations in Germany, Austria, and South Africa. The family-run company was founded in Munich in 1982, is part of the Derag Group, and pioneered the concept of serviced apartments in Germany. With around 3,500 room and apartment units, Living Hotels create individual spaces for working, living, and residing in the best residential areas of cities like Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna, and Bonn.
