Kathrin Apitz, General Manager of The Whitby Hotel in New York City
In her position Kathrin leads a team of 150 colleagues, has 86 hotel rooms & suites, The Whitby Bar & Restaurant as well as private events spaces and a state of the art screening room (Dolby Atmos). She has been living in New York City for almost 12 years; and after an exciting journey that took her from Germany, to Switzerland, to France, to the US, to Bermuda, to the UK, and back to the US, she now feels at home in New York (at least for now) Starting her career as a Chef Apprentice, with her first years in the kitchen moving on to Rooms and now General Manager of a leading hotel, read her fascinating career journey.
“…..When applicants ask me what it is that I like the most about my job, I happily share with them that I love the fact that I can give someone a platform to spread their wings and with that a stepping stone to develop their skills across all departments in the hotel….”
“…..Stay true to yourself and love what you do. If you don’t love what you do, then find your true passion and move on. If you just do a job for a paycheck, it will not allow you to utilize your full potential. ….”
Kathrin
Thanks for taking the time to speak with me. I am sure the readers will be very inspired by your story. So, let’s start with What is your current role?
I am the General Manager at The Whitby Hotel in New York City; my team and I opened the hotel at the end of February 2017, coming from my previous role as General Manager of the Crosby Street Hotel, sister hotel of the same company, Firmdale Hotels. At the Crosby Street Hotel I was promoted from Assistant GM to GM in 2012. Talking about it now, it’s interesting, that I get asked a lot, what is more challenging – to do an opening as a GM or get promoted into the GM role in the same hotel. Having experienced both, I can now say, both had their challenges. Being promoted from within means working with an existing team where everyone has a certain way of doing things, which gives comfort but also challenged me to apply my own management style to the existing operation and its team. Yet opening and building a new team allows you to start from a clean slate and make your mark.
Originally, I wanted to work in the medical field as a physiotherapist. However, that did not work out and when it came to decide what to do instead, my mom suggested to go into the culinary field, as I always loved spending time with my grandmother in her kitchen cooking and baking; an incredible valuable time. And I liked to “make something” of my own from early on; so, I applied for an apprenticeship as a Chef. Back then the profession of a cook was looked down on (before the culinary world became what it is now) – there was a saying “if you can’t make it in school, you become a cook”. For me this was the opportunity to travel and experience other cultures. I completed my apprenticeship as Chef at the Park Hotel Bilm/ near Hanover and I absolutely loved it. It wasn’t easy; first time away from home, a new environment but I made new friends and enjoyed the combination of vocational school and working at the hotel.
What happened after you graduated from your apprenticeship?
My Head chef recommended continuing in the culinary field, but I was still not sure if I wanted to be a Head Chef one day or if cooking was what I wanted to in the long run. But I knew it would be hotels, I love working in a hotel; I was hooked by the atmosphere and its people. It just felt right for my outgoing personality. I grew up in East Germany, behind the iron curtain with hardly any travel options and working in hotels gave me this feeling of travel and freedom. So, after my apprenticeship I followed the Head Chefs recommendation and headed south to work at the Fasanerie in Zweibrücken (now Landschloss Fasanerie Zweibrücken) a beautiful historic hotel with a great restaurant. I worked as a Commis Chef; we had a fabulous team, a whole different layout of the kitchen from what I was used to, and I learned so much.
Where did you go from there?
Not long afterwards I knew I wanted to work abroad and had Switzerland on my radar. I had made friends with a colleague, and we both happened to apply at the same restaurant in Zürich, Blaue Ente and we both ended up working there. The work permit at the time was only granted for 12 months with an option to extend to 18. I loved living in Zürich, in a foreign country, and with Swiss hotel schools being known all over the world. Some of my Swiss colleagues attended hotel schools in Switzerland where they spend six months in school and six months in a hotel anywhere in the world or they take time off to travel and study abroad. One of them spent 3 months in San Francisco and attended language school there to further his English. He inspired me to do the same. Since my contract in Switzerland ended on New Year’s Eve, I decided to take 2 months off and signed up at a language school in Ft Lauderdale/ Florida. My parents were terrified, the only child going away so far. And my father said he would only agree to this if I secured a job to return to; which I did. I had such a great time, a wonderful host family and met amazing people. I really had a travel bug and never lost it, since. For my return I had applied for a job at Restaurant Victorian owned by 1* Micheline Chef Günther Scherrer in Düsseldorf.
Was this career step a turning point as you returned to Germany?
Partially. But it was surely a very special time in the sense that it was probably the toughest job I ever had. It was a heavily male dominated kitchen at the time, and on top I was the new kid on the block. It was really tough, immense pressure, working split shifts and very long hours. And to be honest, during the first three months, I thought I was not going to last.
How were you able to overcome this or better deal with this situation?
I knew why I did this. I wanted to have a Michelin Star Restaurant on my resume and that was my driver. When I eventually resigned the Chef, Günther Scherrer said to me «You can’t leave now”. Which showed me how much I fought myself through and how he appreciated what I did and how I worked. I told him I was going to England and his response was “What do you want to do there; they don’t know how to cook”. That was too funny. So, I left and went to England to work as a Demi Chef de Partie, at Gravetye Manor, Relais & Chateaux. And this became real turning point.
Why?
My General Manager and owner became my mentor, even though I was only there for 6 months. When I went to see him to tell him that I applied to go to Hotel Management School in Heidelberg, he congratulated me and said he was sad to see me leave. What made this special and key for me until today, was when I left, he asked me to keep in touch and to send a postcard once in a while to let him know where in the world I was working; and should I ever need a letter of recommendation or help with a job anywhere, he would happily assist. I really wanted to further my career and wanted higher education, even though I was still not clear what I wanted to do in the hospitality world. Applying to Hotelschool in Heidelberg and getting accepted for the fall in 1999, was the start of the next chapter. After the first year, I spent the summer break working in France/ Brittany. I had a summer job in the restaurant kitchen of a beautiful Relais & Chateaux Hotel, Domaine de Rochevilaine. It was a great experience; came back from there and completed my second and final year at Hotelschool; graduated with a Bachelor degree. My mentor had helped me to get that summer job.
Through the inspiration from a Swiss colleague at the time, I then wanted to go back to the US. I reached out to this former GM to seek for help on how to apply for a work visa. And in August 2000 I was on my way to California. I started as a Management Trainee at Auberge du Soleil in the gorgeous Napa Valley. I had never been to California before, worked on a J1 Visa and gained work experiences outside the kitchen at Front Office, Room Reservations, and Concierge as well as switch board. My J1 visa was about to expire and after 18 months, it was time for a new adventure. It was impossible to get another J1 visa at the time right after 9/11. I wasn’t really ready to leave the US but since I could not stay, I asked myself where I could possible go that was close and I picked up the Relais & Chateaux catalogue and found out that R&C had hotels in Bermuda. And again, with some assistance, obtained a visa and worked for Horizons Ltd, which had 3 hotels on the island at the time (Waterloo House, Coral Beach & Tennis Club and Horizons & Cottages).
What was your biggest learning during that time?
Mainly to come and work on an island. This is a totally different experience; island mode – everything is a bit slower; everything you need is either shipped or flown in because nothing is produced on the island. Here I also had my first experience with a hurricane (Hurricane Fabien category 4). I was the Assistant Manager for the property, which was a role including Manager on Duty looking after 28 rooms; a property with lush grounds, and a restaurant with a big terrace overlooking the Hamilton harbor.
I loved living there, made great friends and almost stayed 3 years. Work Permits are restricted to one company only and as a foreigner, you cannot apply for any work while on the island. I felt restricted in that regard, so I decided it was time to go to London next. I felt this was missing on my resume. I read an article in the travel section of the Sunday Times about a female traveler going to London, and where she would stay, and therefore came across The Soho Hotel and this was how I came to learn about Firmdale Hotels. I accepted a position as Front Office Supervisor at The Soho Hotel; I learned a lot, had many opportunities in a busy city environment and subsequently was promoted to Reception Manager and became part of the opening team of The Haymarket Hotel where I was later promoted to Front Office Manager.
What a journey thus far! What steps did you take then?
After two years at Haymarket Hotel, I wasn’t quite ready yet to go home to Germany. I wanted to see more of the world, wanted to grow and had various application sent out at that time; with one being for the company’s first property outside the UK in Manhattan. I had lived and worked in the US before but only on the West Coast. So the opportunity to move to New York seemed like the right fit. And as they say: If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere! When I was asked “Why you?” I replied, “I can pack up my life in 2 suitcases and have lived in the US before”; a few days later I got the offer. I was promoted to Assistant GM after a year and then offered the GM position in the fall of 2012, right after hurricane Sandy had swept over the city. So there it was; my first job as a General Manager of a boutique Hotel; basically a gift to myself while still under 40.
So which career milestones; in retrospect were particularly formative
The first one was joining Firmdale; at the time. Today we have 10 hotels, with 8 female General Managers. And at the time, the VP of Hotel Operations was a woman too. Maybe subconsciously I felt I was given a platform where not everyone was “suited up”, and where you can dress in bold colors for work; a company where my colleagues are very hands on and are true hosts. The second milestone was to move to New York City; there is an amazing energy here that simply grabs you. And lastly, meeting Peter Herbert; the General Manager/ owner I mentioned earlier. He was a classic and true hotelier, who I look up to. He inspired me to also be someone that looks after others that need help. He was an absolute role model in this regard. And letting others grow is something very important to me today. When applicants ask me what I like the most about my job, I tell them I can give someone a platform where they can spread their wings. And to keep in touch, he said the same, he did not say this lightly, and neither do I.
Did you every experience and had to deal with any (career) obstacles?
Not really; I never felt a real barrier. Maybe only one instance, where I thought there was a real barrier that frustrated me at the time. I had applied for a FOM role within the company; got declined twice and was told this was a step too soon, which I understood. After a second regret I was a bit crushed and I really started to have doubts. I had to learn that this was more a matter of being the right fit between the hotel and myself. And I had to learn that experience is critical. Relevant life and job experience is important, and not only ones own drive to progress.
Can you give additional Insights into mentors, role models or superiors with special influence?
It was definitely the GM I mentioned. He passed in 2013 and I was not able to tell him that I eventually became a GM. Over the years we sporadically kept in touch and I always kept an eye on Gravetye Manor. He was always so sincere and encouraging. I remember he told me once “a work permit should not hold you back; if you really want to go somewhere”.
Any female role models?
Yes, I had a wonderful GM at Haymarket Hotel, Lisa Brooklyn. She challenged me in several ways; she taught me that if you (as a leader) don’t lay out your expectations clearly, you can’t get the expected results from your team. I loved working with her; she was very detailed, one of her sayings was “always triple check” And she always knew when to be behind the scenes and when to be on the floor looking after guests.
If any, do you see any differences between men and women in regard to career planning and development; management style?
I believe key is what your true passion is and that is regardless of gender. Originally, I had not seen a difference in career planning. However, I learned at a later stage in my career, when networking with other female leaders, many women had to fight for their position. Looking at my close network of GM friends, most of them are women and some of them still work here in NYC and some of them have moved overseas. I think it comes down to what you bring to the table and how ambitious you are to make it to the top; for example one of my friends is a GM at a Four Season’s Hotel, worldwide they have very few female GM’s. Another friend is the Senior VP of Operations at a privately owned boutique hotel & resort company.
Why do you think there are more male GM’s then female GMs?
With the job comes a huge responsibility, but I don’t know why not more women aim for the position of General Manager.
Are you encouraging women “to aim higher” and how are you doing this?
Yes, I am discussing career development with other women in my network. I feel women are sometimes still intimated by the “suited” setting. However, moving forward we will see more women progressing as they will be less afraid or will have gained more self-confidence. I have a few female colleagues who are very talented, and if they want, I will support them to reach their goal.
What is the key to successful leadership or what are characteristics of a good leader in your opinion?
Listen (not easy to learn for some), patience, lead by example, be flexible to adapt to changes, let them (the employees) be, and give them the right tools and install confidence.
Combining work and family life; work life balance theme, what are your thoughts on this?
This is actually a blurry line. As a true host you are always the host, also at home. But you need to be able to disconnect from work. For example, as a start not check emails at a certain time and find other things important, outside work. Me, I walk a lot, I go for sailing practice, work out, and I also have good friends outside the hotel business who I travel with, cook and go to open air music festivals. Especially these friends help me to switch off and enjoy time outside of work. One of my dear friends, who works in the wellness industry reminds me of my own activities of mindfulness, the importance of my morning routine and self-care. A GM job can be 24/7 and if your tank is empty you cannot give. As a GM you have to make sure, you empower your team, let go, and let others do their job; for your own good but most importantly for theirs. If my GM would have constantly checked on me, I would have thought I wasn’t trusted. So again, let them be, and let them get on with their job.
What are your tips for career starters; and emerging leaders on the topic of professional life in general; especially on establishing themselves as managers
Don’t be afraid. And lead from the front not from a desk. Leading by example is key to gain your teams trust. See that you have a 360 vision, with ears and eyes wide open to learn; spend time in all departments; understand what people do on a daily basis! It is constant learning, networking; and learning about how others got to where they are.
Do you have any other insights to share?
Stay true to yourself and enjoy what you do. If you don’t enjoy what you do, simply move on. If you just do it for the paycheck, it will not allow you fulfilling your full potential. I thrive when I hear have given someone an opportunity or have inspired them. I am really grateful for all the experiences, and I never want to lose that travel bug.
Thank you so much Kathrin for sharing your journey. A true inspiration and encouragement to look for and go for opportunities.