Paola María García, front office agent at Hotel Montera Madrid, Curio Collection by Hilton, may have only been in the workforce a few years, but she’s already started quite a career in hospitality thanks to the opportunities provided to her by Hilton.
García’s passion for hospitality started in childhood, when she’d play “front desk” at home. She started her professional journey with an internship at Atocha Hotel Madrid, Tapestry Collection by Hilton in 2019 as a front desk trainee while completing her studies at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid. She began working at the front desk full-time in 2021. In 2022, she briefly served as a front desk agent at Hampton by Hilton Alcobendas Madrid in 2022 before moving into a reception position at Canopy by Hilton Madrid Castellana from 2022 to 2023. García then joined Hotel Montera Madrid, Curio Collection by Hilton, working at the front desk in March 2023, where she continues to welcome guests today.
“[Hilton] taught me the fundamentals of hospitality,” García said. “When you visit a country or a city you need to feel you’re from there, and to make sure the guests in the hotel are having a great experience you need to show them this is their home.”
García says some of her favorite parts of the job include welcoming guests to the hotel and recommending activities they may enjoy while visiting.
“The most special thing about showing off my city is the desire that tourists have to explore it after I have described it to them and after that, to hear that their expectations have been exceeded.” García said. “My favorite spots in Madrid I always recommend to visit are the Cibeles Palace and Fountain and the Royal Palace and its gardens.
One of the stand-out guest experiences for García since the hotel opened involved assisting a couple who only spoke Chinese, which García happens to have studied privately for five years. For her, sharing her multilingual skills is yet another way to provide exceptional hospitality to all guests.