Her Story
About Maria
Maria Anzola serves as General Manager in the hospitality industry, bringing more than 30 years of experience across hotel operations. She started her career in Venezuela, where she graduated from hotel management after four years of college and completed extensive trainings in tourism, culinary school, protocol, and events to prepare for five-star hospitality roles. After relocating to the United States to learn English, she began as a housekeeper in Indiana before advancing through roles including housekeeper supervisor, operations manager, front desk manager, and assistant general manager in Texas, ultimately achieving her position as general manager. Anzola studied through the American Hotel and Lodging Association to reach this level and received an award from the HLA foundation. She is a member of the American Hotel and Lodging Association and HLA, and she credits her success to her daughter, who inspires her daily. Anzola values work-life balance, loves helping guests feel at home, and participates in community services through North Point Church and its Multicultural Woman group.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Maria
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think part of my success is being my daughter. She has been... she's my everything, and she inspires me to do so many things every day. She's so strong, and besides her disability and her challenges. She's still been able to do and to overcome so many things, and that she teach me that every day is a new day, and that we have to live a day at the time, because everything is so different lately that she's so strong, and besides what they say that she could do, she's able to accomplish so many things, and she teach me every day that every day is a new day, and that we have to do the best of what we claim with what we have.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say keep working on what you really like. You have to love what you do. Work is work, but you have to love what you do. And it doesn't matter what you do, always do your 100% and love what you do that way. Also, like, you have to feel that you own that place, that is yours. Taking care of that, it will make you notice. People will notice you, and it will be easier for them to give you opportunities, and to give you, more roles, and more challenges, and to accept everything that they... they wanted to teach you, and having an open mind to learn, and to take, probably, not criticism, but if, a person tells you to do something better, not to take it personal, just to make sure that you do things to get you better, and not to let anyone get into you. Nothing is personal at work, everything is about work, and just to keep working and keep, you know, like, your dreams on, because I know when you... you work hard, you can actually get what you want.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Mostly after COVID, I feel. Unfortunately, people... it's not patient anymore, so trying to get things as fast as people once. For example, if the system, shuts down because the internet is down or anything like that, having to deal with those things nowadays is so different that back in the day, now everything is just a technology and everything is online. And if the system is not working at the moment, having to deal with that lately has become a challenge, because people is not patient anymore. That's completely different, and I feel like after COVID, that has been, like a challenge everywhere in hospitality. People being entitled off a lot of things lately due to, you know, I feel like services is becoming so easy and so quick, like, now you can check in online, you have to do so many things online, when you don't have that at the moment. People can get a little bit on page... on page as well. it's a little bit difficult to work that way nowadays. I would say probably technology is a challenge.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Balance is a big thing for me, being able to do my 100% at work, because I really love what I do. I don't see myself doing anything else but hospitality. I really love what I do. I love helping people, I love making people smile, and for them to feel at home when they come to my property. But I also like to have that work balance where I can live from work and actually be with my daughter and have quality of time with her. Maybe not quantity, but quality of time with her.
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