A fresh, young wind is blowing at the Schweizerhof Lenzerheide: Jamie Rizzi and Michelle Juker have joined the management team and are now welcoming guests as hosts together with Claudia and Andreas Züllig. For SNOWTIMES Arosa Lenzerheide, we conducted an exclusive interview with the two of them and they told us about their personal highlights in the industry and how they enjoy travelling themselves.
Jamie and Michelle, since this summer you have both taken over the management of the Schweizerhof Lenzerheide and are now working side by side with Andreas and Claudia Züllig. Introduce yourselves briefly so that readers know who the new hosts are:
Jamie: Originally, I almost did my apprenticeship at the Schweizerhof Lenzerheide, but then decided to pursue a career as a footballer – as you can see, this plan didn’t work out. After studying business administration with a focus on tourism and a detour to Bern to work for ZFV (Switzerland’s leading catering and hotel company), I finally got into the tourism industry. In March 2021, I started at the Schweizerhof Lenzerheide as Head of Reception, then became Vice Director and have now taken on the new challenge as a host.
Michelle: My path into the industry was rather classic. I grew up in the catering trade, my parents ran a restaurant and so I was inspired by the industry early on. I completed an apprenticeship as a hotel manager and then went to hotel management school. I started working at ZFV in 2018, where Jamie and I met.
What is the current management situation at the Schweizerhof Lenzerheide? Claudia and Andreas Züllig are still involved.
Michelle: We always make major decisions as a team of four. We are mainly involved in operational management.
Jamie: Claudia and Andreas are and will remain the owners. They are still very present and the faces of the house.
What is it like to run a hotel together as a couple?
Michelle: We have clearly divided up our areas of responsibility and don’t interfere with each other’s work.
Jamie: We complement each other very well, know our strengths and weaknesses and can also support each other. But it’s definitely a big challenge. At home, you have to make a clear distinction – it can’t always be all about work. We have a rule: our journey home takes seven minutes and during this time we can still talk about work. Then at home, no more.
Michelle: After that, I’m not allowed to say anything (laughs). No, but it’s really important that there are other things to talk about at home and that my whole life doesn’t revolve around work.
Jamie, at the beginning of the year, you and your colleagues stormed the stage at the delegates‘ meeting of the Graubünden Hoteliers’ Association. The reason for this were statements by President Ernst Wyrsch, who described the younger generation as effeminate. To take up this topic again briefly, how do you perceive the younger generation in the tourism industry today? How do you young people differ from the older generation?
Jamie: As representatives of the younger generation, we deliberately wanted to defend ourselves against the generalised accusation of this ‘effeminacy’, because we perceive it quite differently. The industry thrives on young people. They are motivated, but of course it is a different generation to that of our parents. Young people are motivated differently – they want to have a say and a say and are very well informed and therefore also very critical. But if this generation recognises the meaning behind their work, they will be fantastic employees. The hotel industry is ideally placed to be an attractive labour market in the future and to offer meaningful work. We just need to publicise the positive aspects even more.
Michelle: Today, we have to pay much more attention to the individual needs of each employee and involve them in decisions. I think we are on the right track.
‘The hotel industry is ideally placed to be an attractive labour market in the future and to offer meaningful work. We just need to publicise the positive aspects even more.’
– Jamie Rizzi
What advice would you give young tourism professionals?
Jamie: Don’t strive for short-term success. When you do something, do it with passion and conviction.
Michelle: The hotel industry thrives on creativity and innovation, so try things out, even if not everything works straight away.
What is the biggest challenge in your job?
Jamie: A major challenge is to build a strong team and keep it together in the long term. Continuous development is also an important task. The great thing about this profession is that you can never stand still. The ability to constantly reinvent yourself and not rest on your laurels is crucial.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Michelle: For me, it’s the people, whether guests or employees.
Jamie: For me, besides the people, it’s the variety and versatility. Every day is different.
What do you wish for the hotel industry in the future?
Michelle: That the positive aspects of the industry are once again given more weight than the negative aspects. It’s a wonderful industry where you’re always surrounded by people, meet lots of new people and the working days are extremely varied.
Jamie: The holiday hotel industry should continue to be a retreat from the hustle and bustle of everyday life for guests – and this will certainly not diminish in the future.
Describes the Schweizerhof Lenzerheide in three words:
Beide: warm, passionate and authentic
I know that you both also love travelling and enjoy going on trips. Your next travel destination together?
Jamie: Cape Verde is our next travel destination. We are planning to go island hopping and are travelling with a backpack.
What do you focus on when you book your holidays or trips?
Michelle: We like varied holidays. We love culinary delights and enjoy getting to know new cultures.nd lernen gerne neue Kulturen kennen.
Jamie: We are not classic ‘returning guests’. We’ve never stayed in the same hotel twice together. When travelling, we enjoy simplicity, but we also look for inspiration.
Do you plan your holidays well in advance?
Michelle: Thin ice Malin, thin ice (laughs). We planned the last two holidays at relatively short notice, which isn’t that difficult for me. Jamie prefers to plan a bit in advance.
Thank you dear Michelle and Jamie for this insightful, exciting and very personal interview. We wish you continued success and happiness!
www.schweizerhof-lenzerheide.ch
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