The feminine side of the Hotel Winzer
2020/04/02
An interview with Tamara Winzer on hotel life and renovation work
Tamara Winzer – the junior manager at Hotel Winzer – answers our questions today in an exciting interview... What is life like as the hotel’s ‘mum’? What challenges do you face on a daily basis? How do you balance work and family life? What changes will there be at the hotel in 2020? And how does the manager see the future of the business? Tamara answers these and other questions in our interview.
Hello Tamara, you represent the female side of Hotel Winzer. What are your responsibilities and what does a typical day look like for you at Hotel Winzer?
My main responsibility is in-house marketing. Social media is a big part of that. I also handle complaints management. But I regularly work in the restaurant too, as I find serving to be a great balance to office work. I simply enjoy it! Yes, and my day starts with breakfast, then I take our 3-year-old son to nursery and after that it’s off to the office. Before the lunch break there are always meetings, and in the afternoon or evening, depending on what’s needed, I work in the service team. So the day is always well filled.
What’s it like being a mum and a wife? Isn’t it difficult to help out at home and look after the little one at the same time? How much time do you have left for your private life?
The hardest thing is to give everything equal attention: child, job, love, friends... But I’m very ambitious and determined. That’s why I manage quite well to juggle everything. Markus works six days a week and also at the bar in the evenings. So we often don’t have much time together. But we always manage to make it work somehow. We really do enjoy our one day off each week!
What do you like best about your job?
The variety! Marketing is a wide-ranging role these days. Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, in particular, require a lot of maintenance and attention. You have to stay on the ball so you don’t miss out on new developments. The service side is a whole different world. You work directly with people. I love that! I enjoy chatting with the guests. It gives me new perspectives and you learn lots of interesting things from all sorts of areas. That way, I always stay very close to what our guests want.
Where does someone who runs a hotel actually go on holiday?
As we have a three-year-old son, we’re currently spending our holidays at a children’s hotel. Of course, we also keep an eye on what the competition is up to and what’s new at other wellness hotels. But I also love being by the sea, preferably in Croatia! That’s where my family comes from. We’re also raising our son to be bilingual. And when I need a quick break, I go up to our sun deck. That’s my favourite spot in the hotel.
Now, in spring 2020, the hotel is undergoing renovation again. Why is this necessary and what will change?
You have to move with the times these days. We want to delight our guests on every stay, and they’re always curious to see what’s new. Over the last two years, we’ve invested heavily in the wellness area. The new Sole Spa has been built and the Edelstein Spa refurbished. In 2020, we’re focusing more on the ‘cosy’ theme again. The Cosy Suites and the Venezia restaurant area are being refurbished and redesigned to make them even cosier. The corridors in the main building are also being redesigned. The main building is our original establishment, and you simply have to improve or refurbish things from time to time.
What do guests gain from the refurbishment work?
New highlights! And even more of a feel-good factor! Incidentally, the refurbishment of the cosy suites is based on feedback from our guests. A modernisation is now on the cards. Our guests’ opinions are very important to us and, as you can see, this actually brings about change.
How long will the renovation take? Will you be closed during that time?
Well, we’ll be doing most of the work during our annual closure. That runs from 14 April to 21 May 2020. The renovation of the rooms will probably take a bit longer, so the work might continue into June. But our guests can rest assured that there won’t be any noise disturbance.
At the Hotel Winzer, romance and a sense of well-being are top priorities. To what extent did these aspects influence the renovation plans?
These are the most important aspects! We’re always looking at how we can improve, renew or even expand our two main themes: cosiness and wellness. Of course, we can’t do everything at once, so the development always proceeds step by step. We’re already giving serious thought to everything we want to renew in 2021.
I have one last question. How do you see the Hotel Winzer in the future?
I hope it will be one of the best wellness and cosy hotels in Austria.
Thank you, Tamara, for the friendly and open chat!
Written by Christian Messmer