Boosted by people who believed in her
Birgit Kjuus wonders what she would have been doing today had it not been for a fantastic hotel director who took her under his wings in 1992.
Who: Birgit Kjuus, 51
Started as: Receptionist
Current position: Hotel director at Thon Hotel Oslo Airport and Thon Hotel Gardermoen.
"I actually had no idea what I was going to do with my life. Of course, I had to come up with something and since I thought it sounded fun to work in the hotel and tourism industry, I decided to apply for the Norwegian School of Hotel Management in Stavanger. To get accepted, I needed to first do an internship, so when I was in my early twenties, I took a job as a receptionist at what was then called Home Hotel Stefan, now better known as Thon Hotel Rosenkrantz. Hans Reinmann was the director of the hotel in the early 90s and turned out to be of phenomenol importance to my career. It didn't take long before the position of head of reception opened up and Reinmann offered me the job over coffee and pastry.
It had a fairly steep learning curve. I didn't have any managerial experience and didn't quite know what was expected of me. Luckily, I got incredible support from Reinmann along the way, who apparently saw potential in me. After a while, I advanced to the position of assistant general manager. I found myself in a situation in which I was hiring people who had graduated from the hotel school I originally planned to attend, so I realised I might as well drop my plan to enrol in the study programme.
When Thon Hotel Opera was going to open in 2001, Hans Reinmann was brought in as hotel director - and I followed suit. At that point, I had worked at Hotel Stefan for many years and was excited about doing something new. Around 2014, Hans was going to retire and I wondered who would be the new director. People around me were quite keen for me to show an interest in the position, but the thought hadn't struck me, to be honest. It may have been because I worked as a freelance musician on the side and sometimes wondered if I even had the time to work at the hotel. But management gave me a lot of freedom and made it possible to do both.
The thought of giving the position of hotel director a try gradually grew on me and I ended up calling the group director to say I was interested. It turned out to be the right decision because before long, I - who had never really had the ambition to become director - followed in the footsteps of my mentor. I was director of Hotel Opera until the end of 2020 and have now taken over as hotel director of Thon Hotel Oslo Airport and Thon Hotel Gardermoen.
Hans Reinmann and I still keep in touch and he visits me at work once a month. He ended up being very important to my career and I don't know what would've happened if he hadn't shown a professional interest in me in the reception at Hotel Stefan.
Over the years, I've wondered repeatedly whether perhaps I should move on, but the conclusion is always the same: I’ve had new challenges every step of the way and have looked forward to going to work every day, so why leave? Like Olav Thon always said, 'standstill is regression', which is something I've thought a lot about. If I had felt that I had hit a dead end, I would've become impatient and looked for something else.
Thon Hotels is a fantastic hotel chain to work for. It often doesn't take long from an idea is on the drawing board until it is implemented, so even though we have become a large chain, we have kept the same pace and enthusiasm. There are really lots of opportunities for those who are eager to develop their careers professionally.
For me, what made all the difference was that someone saw potential in me that I didn't know existed."
"Maybe I’m a bit of a hotel nerd"
Dennis Knudsen Herness had actually started his teacher education studies, but didn't feel he was in the right place. Thanks to a friend of his, he ended up in the hotel industry doing a job he loves.
Who: Dennis Knudsen Herness, 33
Started as: Receptionist
Current position: Hotel manager at Thon Hotel Rosenkrantz
"I loved working as a substitute teacher at a grammar school, but I really did not enjoy teacher education. I didn't know what to do, so I asked for advice from a friend who always manages to get me on the right track. Together, we figured out that it was better for me to pursue my interest in marketing and the service profession and that the best thing to do was to set my sights on hotel management for my future career. And I’m really happy about that decision today! Eight years later, I’m still in the industry and I love my job!
At school, we were always told that we should find a relevant job, so I applied for several receptionist jobs, both at Thon Hotels and at one of our competitors. The latter didn't call me in for an interview, but I was welcomed to interview at Thon Hotel Europa, Slottsparken and Ullevaal Stadion. That alone gave me a great impression of Thon Hotels!
I accepted a part-time job at Thon Hotel Ullevaal Stadion and started as a receptionist there in the autumn of 2016 alongside my studies. At work, I heard rumours about a trainee position at Thon Hotels and was determined that this position would be mine after I finished school. I even said in an interview that if they didn't give me the position, I would have to create my own trainee position, haha! That's how eager I was.
Luckily, I got the position and it was a very informative year! I had to spend a few months at the head office and travel around to different hotels. Having grown up in Oslo, it was really great to get to spend a few months in Lofoten and Tromsø and I got to do everything from helping out in the restaurant to checking in guests and sending invoices. I love being an all-rounder who can be tasked with just about everything and the year ended up being a crash course in hotel management and how everything works in this industry. And, of course, I may be a bit of a hotel nerd.
After a trainee year, I started in the booking department at the newly opened Thon Hotel Storo before taking over as head of the course and conference department a few months later. This was where a new identity crisis developed. I had been conference manager for a while and felt a bit stuck. So, I asked myself: Where direction do I want to go in? What kinds of challenges do I want? I looked at Finn.no and one of the first job ads that appeared was for hotel manager at Thon Hotel Rosenkrantz in Oslo, a hotel I’ve always liked. It was an obvious sign that I should apply!
With my background, especially as a trainee, I have a wide range of skills and know a little about a lot and a lot about a little. Having experience from several different departments comes in very handy as hotel manager. And who knows, maybe I’ll become hotel director one day. But for now, the journey is more important than the destination."
"As a receptionist, I realised that I belong in the hotel industry"
Lauma Turnele ended up as a receptionist by coincidence. But she became enthusiastic about the hotel industry and 12 years later, has both a Bachelor’s degree in tourism and several exciting positions on her CV.
Who: Lauma Turnele, 36
Started as: Receptionist
Current position: Digital marketer
"When I first began working as a receptionist at Thon Hotel Gyldenløve, I had no previous experience in the hotel industry. I really appreciated that they took a chance on me.
Originally from Latvia, I moved to Norway at the age of 19 to work as an au pair. After a few years, I wanted to try something different and since I like to work with people and didn't have a specific career in mind, the position as a receptionist seemed like the perfect match.
And it was - because I’ve never regretted it! Working in reception made me realise that I belong in the hotel industry, so I decided to get a Bachelor’s degree in tourism. For five years, I juggled my studies and commuting to the University of Latvia, with new and exciting roles at Thon Hotels along the way.
From my position as receptionist, I advanced to booking assistant at Thon Hotel Terminus before ending up in a temporary position as booking manager. During these almost two years, I learned a lot about revenue booking and figured out that this was what I wanted to pursue.
From there, I continued to Thon Hotel Triaden in Lørenskog, where I had seven fantastic months with great colleagues and an excellent manager who pushed me get ahead. Having such great support from my manager from day one has really helped me develop and is one of the things I have appreciated the most during my career at Thon Hotels.
After working in Lørenskog, I returned to Oslo, where I became booking manager at Thon Hotel Ullevål Stadion. After a year and a half, I became reception manager, so I could learn about that side of the job as well. I then became hotel revenue manager at Thon Hotel Opera, followed by senior revenue manager at the head office and then head of Revenue & Distribution Development, before landing my dream job - digital marketer in the marketing department.
I think the fact that I’ve had the opportunity to try out lots of different roles has given me vital experience. I know how things work in the hotels, which benefits me in my job today. Now I’m responsible for the distribution department, choosing which channels to be visible in, who to collaborate with and making sure that the systems and rates are always correct. No two working days are the same and I really like that!
In other words, I’ve had an exciting and meaningful journey, which is exactly what’s so great about Thon Hotels. Here you have the opportunity to get very far ahead and you can try out different positions to figure out what suits you best and what you are passionate about. And there’s a lot going on at Thon Hotels right now, so I’m looking forward to being part of the journey!"