OF COURSE, ONLY STELLAR PEOPLE WORK AT WESTCORD. THEIR DRIVE AND PASSION FOR PAMPERING GUESTS IS TRULY AMAZING. COVER MODELS CLAUDIA VAN POELGEEST AND LUDWIG SAMBO ARE FULL OF ENTHUSIASM AND DRIVE FOR THEIR WORK AT THE HOTEL JAKARTA AND THE ART HOTEL AMSTERDAM. WE ASKED THEM ABOUT THEIR CAREERS AND BEST EXPERIENCES AT WESTCORD. THEIR ENTHUSIASM IS CONTAGIOUS.

CLAUDIA VAN POELGEEST | ASSISTENT FRONT OFFICE MANAGER

YOU’VE WORKED AT WESTCORD FOR YEARS NOW. HOW DID YOUR CAREER AT WESTCORD START?
‘My career at WestCord started in May 2013 at WestCord Fashion Hotel in Amsterdam. I did a Duty Manager internship there. I got to know WestCord on the company day of the study I was doing at the time. I knew straight away that I wanted to do this internship and kept walking past the WestCord stand so they’d be sure to remember me. I was attracted by the idea of being the spider in the web linked to all departments. After my internship, I was allowed to continue working in the hotel, which I thought was a huge honour! In December 2014, I switched to F&B. The evening restaurant shifts fitted better with the schedule of my further education. During this period, I had very nice evenings with large groups and great New Year’s Eves, really fantastic. After living in Porto for half a year in 2016, I joined the SKYY Bar team. That was also a great place to work and a lot of fun. Every evening we had a good time, and I learned a lot. I even created my own cocktail, sold at the hotel, the Pink Claud. Brilliant! I had such a great time at the Fashion Hotel. Creating the best and most unforgettable memories for our guests. Taking care of their private parties and creating the best evenings! Hospitality is a blast. Every day is different.’

YOU WERE INVOLVED IN THE PRE-OPENING OF THE HOTEL JAKARTA. HOW WAS THE OPENING?
‘Best time of my life! An exaggeration? Maybe for others, but I really thought it was awesome! In November 2017, I started working together with General Manager Nico Evers and Sales and Marketing Manager Pascal Lesimanuaja at the office opposite the hotel. You need to imagine a building completely under construction. There was nothing there. I was allowed to do so much. Creating the website, organising the neighbourhood and recruitment days in the hotel, setting up and maintaining our social media channels and holding lots of job interviews across all departments. It was constant, non-stop, organised chaos. Do you know what were also really enjoyable moments? When we had created the fundamentals and the hotel could open up, the teams had been put together and we could move our stuff in. The whole Jakarta team was assembling tables and everyone made a human chain through the hotel, handing things from one person to the next, moving items into the rooms. Such wonderful team spirit! Then you are not a department, but you are Jakarta. It’s fantastic! When I think back to that period I get so many positive feelings, Hotel Jakarta is in my heart.’ YOU ARE A VERY POSITIVE PERSON; HOW DO YOU KEEP YOURSELF SO UPBEAT? ‘I have no idea. It’s something I was born with, I guess. Both my grandmother on my father’s side and my grandfather on my mother’s side are very positive. For them, life is an adventure every day. That’s the best example you can have, isn’t it? Sometimes I struggle with people endlessly complaining. I just think: do something about it, solve your problem or stop complaining. Us Dutch people do like to complain though. Whinging about the weather is a national pastime. But you can dress for the weather, so why get worked up about it? I myself have a red raincoat that I love to wear.’

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB AS FRONT OFFICE MANAGER?

‘The challenge is to send every guest home with fantastic memories. The whole guest journey from checkin to check-out should exceed guest expectations. Guests may be going through, or have gone through, many things before they arrive at the hotel, which may leave them feeling on edge. Isn’t it amazing that, with your enthusiasm and positivity, you can make the guest feel good during their stay? And supporting the team to do the same for the guests is what I enjoy most in my current role. We have a wonderful product to work with, the service should at least match this level.’

WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES HOTEL JAKARTA SO SPECIAL?
 ‘There are several factors that make it truly special. Of course, it’s a breath-taking hotel. The beautiful subtropical indoor garden with palm trees that grow as high as the fourth floor. The building with the three basic elements – wood, glass and concrete. Not a blank wall in sight at the end of any of the hallways. Everything ends in glass for a transparent look. We bring Amsterdam in and we bring Indonesia out. The shape of the building, which is in the shape of a ship, refers back to WestCord Hotels, among other things. The hotelgroup, of course, started on Vlieland, expanded to Terschelling and Ameland and boasts, among others, Hotel New York and ss Rotterdam under its name. The ship shape also signifies the theme around which the Hotel Jakarta is built. Namely, the history of the Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland (Steamship Company Netherlands). Today, elderly people of Indonesian descent still come to commemorate the moment of their arrival in the Netherlands around seventy years ago. Because of the pre-opening, I really immersed myself in this piece of history and the thought of what they went through moves me. The guests also enjoy being here and telling their story to their children and grandchildren. Wallowing in the beautiful Hotel Jakarta. As guests tend to do. Everyone has his or her own story. We’ve managed to be a part of many proposals, weddings and other parties in the hotel. Guests come here for their honeymoon, birthday, babymoon or even to celebrate their divorce. All our guests come to Hotel Jakarta for a special reason, and we make sure that that special reason becomes an unforgettable memory.’

LUDWIG SAMBO | OPERATIONS MANAGER

YOU STARTED AS OPERATIONS MANAGER IN THE SUMMER OF 2021. HOW DID YOU START YOUR CAREER AT WESTCORD?
‘I lived around the corner from the hotel at the time and often walked past with my dog and the hotel always caught my eye because you could see into the kitchen. But I’d never actually been inside. I also really liked the two colorful cow statues standing outside at the time. In the end, I saw a vacancy for the position of Operations Manager, responded immediately and have been enjoying myself here ever since.’

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT THE WORK?
‘The team wasn’t yet complete when I started at WestCord. Of course, this was a huge challenge, because it was up to me to assemble a dream team. One of my passions is coaching and inspiring colleagues and that is exactly what I was able to do here. What I also really love is that we have a very multicultural team. We learn so much from each other and our different backgrounds, which means that every day is different, and teaches you a lot.’

WHAT DOES A TYPICAL WORKING DAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
‘That’s very difficult for me to answer, because literally no two days are ever the same. One of the things that is constant is that I always start my day with a nice fresh cappuccino and a teaspoon of brown sugar. In general, I begin my day by getting things organised and going through the back-office tasks. After that you can always find me on the work floor. I try to be present on the floor as much as possible so that I can manage the core operations and lead the way where necessary.’ WHAT MAKES THE WESTCORD ART HOTEL IN AMSTERDAM A HIDDEN GEM?
‘One of the main reasons is the employees. This is what the guest reviews often say. This makes the WestCord Art Hotel a hidden gem. We always make sure to surprise our guests with our love of hospitality, and we always give them a special stay.’ WHAT DO YOU LOOK FORWARD TO? ‘I’m looking forward to a holiday somewhere with lots of sunshine and a beautiful sea.’ WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO IN LIFE? ‘Stay positive, have patience, perseverance and enjoy. Those are the four values I apply in my everyday life. By having a positive outlook on my life, I maintain a good mindset and I have more patience to deal with everything that comes my way. Perseverance to achieve your goals, without, of course, forgetting to simply enjoy. In the end, it’s not about the final destination, it’s about the journey.’

HOW DO YOU ALWAYS STAY POSITIVE IN LIFE?
 ‘It really is a mindset. By approaching everything in life in a positive way or by looking at every situation and finding the positive, you create a habit where this comes naturally. It may be easier said than done, which is why it really is a mindset. You can train yourself in this and this has helped me enormously in my personal and professional life. There is always a lesson or challenge when a difficult or challenging situation arises, but in the end, everything contributes to your development and growth. It’s also in my nature to enjoy life. I try to celebrate life everywhere I go.’

HOW DO YOU MOTIVATE YOUR COLLEAGUES?
‘By being a good leader for my team. Leading by example. I don’t believe in managers who hand out tasks from behind a computer or desk and who don’t spend time coaching and developing colleagues. That is an outdated concept and counterproductive. I also believe in developing a good relationship with your colleagues. I involve them in everything and appreciate everyone’s input. This creates a working environment in which everyone feels heard and at home, where you are allowed to make mistakes and learn from them. When you take good care of your employees, they will also take good care of the guests.’