For Director of Rooms at Omni Atlanta Hotel Anika Joseph, the hotel staff is like one big family. Anika loves to start her mornings off by visiting with housekeeping, bellmen, and others to understand how they are doing, what she can help them with, and how they can work together to achieve their common goals.
No two days in hospitality are the same, and Anika prepares her team to expect the unexpected. “It’s not always easy,” she says. “But it should always be fun.”
For the past 22 years, Anika has brought a fun-loving attitude to her hospitality career. She began her first hotel job—night auditor at the Ritz Carlton Orlando Great Lakes—while she was completing her hospitality management degree. Since then, she has worked at 10 hotels in cities across the country, including New York City, Miami, and San Francisco.
Throughout her career, Anika credits the support of others with helping her advance to new management positions. “You are always going to find people that want to mentor, train, and develop you,” she explains. “They are going to tap you on the shoulder for the next opportunity.”
From exploring new cities through travel discounts and trying new menu items, hospitality has provided Anika with special moments that she could only receive from this industry. With a family work environment, Anika lets her personality shine through with her guests and her colleagues.
“I love hospitality because I get to be myself every single day.”