48 INTERVIEWCOOKIE
Perfect – we could almost see resurgence in that kind
of stuff. Tell me about your role as Resort Manager with
Neilson.
My job is to make sure that everything runs as smooth as
possible. Everything from transferring and rooming the guests
to equipment, structure of sessions, safety and instruction.
Developing my team is key. I take great pride in helping them
to get better at their personal stuff and that reflects directly
into their teaching and customer service.
That sounds like a dream role for someone who has a
passion for running a hotel whilst still being able to get
out on the water loads.
Yeah we work right alongside the hotelier Stelios who takes
care of hospitality, housekeeping, kitchen and bar. We sort
the operational side of things and there’s 16-22 of us
depending on the time of season.
Your journey with Neilson, what year did you start and
how did you get to the position that you’re in right now?
I started with Neilson in 2006 in Lemnos. I arrived with the
incoming guests on the opening day of the season – and was
ushered down to the bar, told to quickly put on my uniform
and stand next to a wall. I was instructed to smile, welcome
the guests and ask them to keep walking. I later found out
that he wall I was standing in front of had got wet paint on it!
I loved that season and I kept switching between beach,
But once you’ve got a nice picture of you
blasting along, dragging a hand, sticking your
tongue out, etc, you start thinking about what
else you can do.
uk
WIND
SURFING