The People Behind the Experience

Memorable experiences aren’t created by places – they’re created by people. In this series we shine a light on colleagues from across our destinations who have put their hearts into what they do, navigated real challenges and choose every day to go the extra mile. The people you actually meet when you walk through our doors.

First out is Marijana – Account Manager at Jacy’z Hotel & Resort in Gothenburg.

Hi Marijana, who are you and what do you do at Jacy’z?

Hi! First and foremost I’m a mum to two amazing boys who are my biggest sources of inspiration and my best friends. Through them I’ve learned what truly matters in life – presence, strength and endless love.

My role is Account Manager at Sweden’s absolutely best hotel and my mission is clear: to get as many people as possible to experience our exceptional place. But I stopped seeing myself as a salesperson a long time ago. My why is about people. Every day I strive to make people feel seen, heard and genuinely cared for. I don’t sell rooms or conferences – I sell feelings, memories and experiences that people never forget.

What has your journey within ESS looked like?

A hell of a ride – but I love every single moment of it!

I arrived in Sweden on 23 April 2013 and already the day after I got my first job as an hourly employee in housekeeping at the hotel that shortly after became Bellora Hotel & Ristorante. Going from “owning” my beloved Belgrade where I had worked as a real estate agent to starting over from scratch in a foreign country was an enormous transition. But I never saw it as a step backwards – “just one more mountain to conquer!”

After just one month I got the opportunity to develop further as a breakfast hostess, then Breakfast Manager and operations manager at the nightclub – a period with very little sleep but I had fun in abundance and learned Swedish fast. One of the most defining milestones was when I got to be part of the opening of Steam Hotel in Västerås. That’s where I truly understood ESS Group’s vision – to create meeting places from nothing into something completely extraordinary.

What is your best memory from your time at ESS?

Have you had breakfast at Bellora? If not, do it. That buffet is still very similar to the one I once left behind – created with so much love and pride together with the fantastic Salvatore Papalardo, or as many know him, Turi Panino.

Every morning from 5am it was just Turi and me on site. We took care of guests, cooked the food, served, cleared up and did the dishes – everything ourselves. Forty dusty seats and up to 200 bleary-eyed guests in the dining room. Intense, chaotic and completely wonderful at the same time. Our hectic mornings filled with loving arguments, laughter, stress and an incredible drive forward, it was in those moments that we grew the most, both as a team and as people.

From that time I also received the greatest award you can get within ESS; ESS of the Year – recognition for my sense of service and my dedication. As part of the prize I got to travel to Disney World in Florida and attend the course Disney’s Approach to Quality Service. It was a life experience that left a deep mark on me and confirmed how much ESS and Disney actually share the same approach to people, service and experiences.

Who inspires you?

I’m not that easy to impress. I value authenticity, integrity and deep moral values more than anything else. As a woman and a mother I feel a particular admiration for strong women with their hearts in the right place. Within ESS I have two such role models, Carina Dillman, CEO at Ystad Saltsjöbad, and our Commercial Chef at Jacy’z, Gabriella Jankovska. Their leadership isn’t something they’ve learned, it’s just something they carry within them.

Your best tip for an aspiring Account Manager within ESS Group?

Never forget that we are human beings.

We are not numbers and neither are our customers. Behind every title and every quote there is a person with feelings and expectations just like our own. Be genuine. Listen to actually hear, not just what is said but also what isn’t said. Relationships aren’t built through pitches but through genuine interest in people and their world.

And it all starts with something as simple as: “Welcome, how are you today?”