Andrea Flenik

I was born in Brazil in Sao Paulo and started my hospitality career in 1986 when I moved to the U.S. for six months to work for my first hospitality job with a tour operator. I was just a teenager at the time. After six months, I was invited to come to another tour operator in Orlando, and I never left Orlando. I spent many years with Westgate Resort before moving back to Brazil, where I worked in the airline business for about 13 years. Ten years ago, when my husband had his second heart attack, we decided to move back to Florida because his family has been here for 55 years. My daughter was already here finishing high school and ended up graduating from the Air Force Academy last year. I got back into the same hospitality business and worked for two companies before getting this big opportunity to start a brand new department from scratch for Vacatia. The company was in ownership until 2024 and decided to go to the rental side in January 2025. I now handle the two biggest properties, one in Orlando with 2,804 units of full apartments, and one in Las Vegas with 400 apartments. I also oversee two luxury properties, Berkeley Orlando and Berkeley Vegas, plus another unique property in Vegas called the Cliffs in the middle of the mountains in the desert. I really like what I do. I don't do it just because I need a job, I do it with my heart. This hospitality business is essential for us, especially in the U.S. We bring a lot of people, I work with a lot of international clients, and we're able to help a lot of families with jobs and do a lot of good things for the community as well.