Ana Krilčić: A Rising Star in Hospitality and Tourism
Last year at the Best Stay Event, for the first time, we introduced a series featuring standout students, and Ana Krilčić was among them. A year later, we caught up with Ana to see how her journey has evolved.
Ana's passion for hospitality led her to study at Aspira University of Applied Sciences . Currently finishing her bachelor’s in international management, Ana has gained practical experience in Germany and actively contributes to the Student Council and student events.
Taking part in Best Stay 2023 was a game-changer for Ana, helping her expand her professional network and boost her confidence. In our conversation with Ana we have explored how seizing opportunities can lead to significant growth and success.
Ana, could you briefly introduce yourself and share a bit about your background in hospitality and tourism?
My name is Ana, and I am a 21-year-old student. I was born in Zagreb, where I finished my high school for the hotel and tourist industry, and at the moment I am finishing my bachelor studies in the field of international management in the tourism and hospitality industry.
My working experience has already started in high school, where I was doing my practice for the school and decided to work seasonal jobs as I started my studies.
My practical work for college transferred abroad to Germany, where I am also currently finishing my practice, and I'm preparing for a full-time job in convention sales.
Since your participation in the Best Stay event last year, can you tell us what has changed or improved in your professional life?
Since my participation in the Best Stay event, I have realized that my networking with students my age and with important and professional businessmen has improved.
I got more open and confident to be surrounded by colleagues with the same interests, and participating in the student panel pushed me right into the field, where I was immediately recognized and on the site already got questions if I was searching for a job.
Have you taken on any new roles or responsibilities at Aspira University or anywhere else since then?
Since then, I have been active in the student council and the organization for students' activities. Also, a big honor was participating in an international student’s competition in the Netherlands on behalf of Aspira University.
The latest news is the official contract as a Junior Convention Sales Manager that I signed for after my studies are finished.
How would you describe networking opportunities at the event? Did they lead to any new connections or collaborations that have benefited you over the past year?
I find the networking opportunities at the event really well organized. We were having enough time during the breaks from the official program, where a little bit of food and coffee helped all of us relax and get more comfortable in the surroundings.
The small games, like working in random groups, were also an excellent push to get into contact with an unknown person next to you.
How did the panel discussion and your involvement in the program enhance your skills or perspective on the hospitality and tourism industry?
My skills in public speaking, creating and of course, expressing a critical opinion were the most enhanced by my involvement in the program.
My perspective did not change a lot; I would rather say that I got confirmation about the situation that I already noticed in the tourism industry.
But the thing that definitely amazed me and gave me hope is the fact that there are so many businessmen who are interested in young people and want to hear their voices.
What inspired you to pursue a career in hospitality and tourism?
All the success and all the stories from the speakers at the event gave me even more motivation to continue working in this industry. All the stories were different; they all had some problems and some failures, but the love and the sparkle that you can notice when they talk about it is something that I set as my personal goal to achieve one day as a hospitality worker myself.
How do you balance your academic responsibilities with your personal life and professional aspirations?
I need to admit that it is not always easy to balance academic responsibilities with personal life. There is also no specific recipe for how I could manage it, but I can definitely confirm that once you find and accept what you love and what your personality is made for, nothing is impossible and you will never lose motivation.
You will be tired, and you will have no energy. You will sometimes be scared of failure, but it is the sparkle and the life calling that are guiding you through everything.
What do you think is the most important value to uphold in the hospitality industry, and why?
In the hospitality industry, the most important value is the human touch. With that, I do not mean only that we need to keep humans at the front desks in hotels, but also in ourselves.
Humanity should be lodestar in all departments and companies, starting from the very top management to the lowest positions in organizational structure.
When we keep that in ourselves, we will keep the good working atmosphere, we will have happier guests, but at the end, we will be happier people, and our job won’t be any more stressful but joyful on a daily basis.
What life lesson or value do you consider most crucial for personal and professional growth?
My always and forever value in personal and professional growth is: “Don’t do to others what you would not like to be done to you.” When we follow this rule, we are taking care of ourselves, our health and we are our own support.
Then we are growing strong enough to be able to spread kindness around other people, creating a comfortable and healthy environment, and we are good at handling situations when we confront someone who has lower values and is maybe greedy or mean to us.
What advice would you give to other students who are considering participating in events like Best Stay?
Short and easy: come.
Let the fear aside and sacrifice your free time because you will challenge yourself in some way that you may have never experienced yet. The event will bring you so many new connections, you will learn a lot and maybe get an answer about whether you are even in a good industry to continue your professional career.
Finally, is there anything else you’d like to share about your experience or any final thoughts on the importance of student involvement in industry events?
I need to say that I was very happy and honored to have the opportunity to be involved in the panel discussion. Even though it was a challenge for myself because I really needed to sort my thoughts and beliefs and put them into words so they could be heard the way they are supposed, I was really satisfied when I realized that all those words were actually heard.
It is great to see that there are so many businessmen waiting on young workers and searching for them, but most importantly, having a strong wish to educate them and work with them in this industry. If you are not involved, you will not be heard or seen.