Spring Voss

I began my career in hospitality not at the front desk, but behind closed doors—cleaning rooms. I wasn’t there because I lacked ambition or heart. I was there because I was told I could never be the face of a hotel. I was told that with Tourette’s and ADHD, leadership wasn’t for me. That guests wouldn’t understand. That I wouldn’t be polished enough, calm enough, or “normal” enough.

So instead, I scrubbed floors. And I listened. And I learned.

I learned that hospitality isn’t about perfection—it’s about care. It’s about showing up, even when no one is watching, and doing the job with pride. I learned that every position matters, every department is connected, and dignity exists in every task when you give it your best.

I didn’t remain silent or invisible for long.

I worked my way into the night auditor role, where numbers meet responsibility and trust is earned hour by hour. From there, I stepped into the front desk—finally face to face with guests, doing the very thing I was told I could never do. I proved not only that I could handle it, but that I excelled. I became a night manager, then a front office manager, and then an assistant general manager. Each role brought new challenges, longer hours, heavier expectations—and louder doubts from those who continued to underestimate me.

But I never underestimated myself.

For fifteen years, I showed up. I learned every side of this industry. I failed, I grew, I adapted, and I led with empathy born from experience. I didn’t erase who I am to succeed—I embraced it. My Tourette’s and ADHD didn’t disqualify me from leadership; they sharpened my awareness, my compassion, and my resilience.

Today, after nearly two years as a General Manager at Candlewood Suites, an IHG property, I stand as living proof that limitations placed on you by others are not prophecies—they are obstacles meant to be outworked.

I didn’t just climb the ladder. I built it—step by step, role by role, shift by shift.