“I was looking for a new challenge, and the opportunity arose to join Protea Hotels as the Head Office Revenue Manager," Rowena tells us. In this article, she tells us more about her career in the hospitality industry.

Rowena is the Director of Operations for a well-known hospitality company. In this article she gives us a glimpse into her job as she shares a bit about her career in hospitality.

Before her role in operations management, Rowena worked as an Information Analyst in the insurance field. So how did she make the career change from insurance to hospitality? “I was looking for a new challenge, and the opportunity arose to join Protea Hotels as the Head Office Revenue Manager,” Rowena tells us. “I was skeptical because I did not have a background in hospitality and believed that I was not the ideal candidate.”

However, the then Group Revenue Manager saw potential in Rowena and gave her the opportunity and training. “The rest is “herstory”, Rowena says. She now works as a Revenue Management Remote Director of Operations for Marriott International where she is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day revenue management functions for the Protea Hotels on the Marriott Systems.

As part of senior management, a director of operation's duties generally include ensuring that a company’s everyday activities run smoothly. These professionals usually need to place parameters in place to measure how well an organisation is operating. Directors of operations spend most of their time reviewing and evaluating business procedures, which also includes overseeing the work of other senior level managers.

Find all Director of Operations jobs here.

Rowena loves that her job challenges her on a daily basis. “Everyday, every hotel and every season is different,” she says. “The rush of making decisions that directly impact the business is absolutely addictive too,” she adds.

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What advice does Rowena have for people aspiring for a career in the hospitality industry? “A few people look at the hospitality industry as a career option, but they shouldn’t limit themselves with traditional career choices,” Rowena advises. “Revenue management is more about economics and business than it is about hospitality.”

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