Lorena Lobo

I think that when people ask me that, I say two things. The first thing is that I don't listen to the noise, so when I decide I want to do something, I think people can come and put a lot of obstacles on my way, but I don't listen to it. I think about it, maybe it's not a short-term thing. If it's difficult, maybe it's a long-term goal, but I go after it. The second thing is that I am very adaptable. This is the fifth country that I am working in - I started working in hospitality in Brazil, spent some time in Argentina, then went to the Caribbean islands where I spent some time in Anguilla and also worked in St. Kitts and Nevis, and now I am here in the United States, in Maryland, Baltimore. It's been very, very interesting to see the differences in the cultures that we have in the work environments. Your ability to adapt and connect with the teams, I think that this is a key lesson that I've learned that drives my success.

The best career advice that I received was from a leader who told me, 'Lorena, work the job you have, behave the job you want.' It has always been like that for me, and it's guided my approach throughout my career.

Being a woman, we have a lot of qualities that we need to highlight. If I give an advice, learn how to sell yourself in a confident way. Know your skills, know how to mention your skills in a very, very objective way, so that people can perceive the value you have.

In hospitality, the challenges and opportunities that we have is always been innovating and integrating the technology, not losing the personal touches that we bring. It's what makes us connect to the guest in a personal level, because luxury is that - luxury is to make the guests feel that they belong, that the hotel is their home away from home. Our challenge is that more and more, we have to aggregate technology to everything that we do on a daily basis, because more and more, people are relying on technology for whatever they need. So I think that that would be a challenge for us.

In personal life, I would say that I like stability, which is something that I hold very dear with me, whether it's regarding my family, or my job, my finances - stability is the key word for me. Professionally, it's to work in a company that believes in the corporate values. It's not something that's sitting on the wall, it's something that we experience, and you can feel it when you are working there.