Four years ago, Gina Grassi was deciding between three creative careers. Born in Glarus, Switzerland, she considered becoming a hairdresser, florist or a restaurant manager. Her family advised her that if she decided to pursue a career in the restaurant industry, she needed to work at the best restaurant she could. After a trial week at Grand Resort Bad Ragaz, she felt certain that she had found the employer of her dreams and could hardly wait for the HR department’s call.
Her grandmother was particularly proud of Lisa’s choice to work at Grand Resort Bad Ragaz because she had met her husband at the Grand Hotel Quellenhof more than 60 years earlier. “Many people have a very special, personal connection to the Resort. Countless regular visitors are happy to share their day-to-day lives with us, or welcome suggestions from our service staff. I really enjoy having conversations with the guests”, says the 19-year-old. During her three years of training, she not only learned the trade, but also gained valuable experience with both guests and team members.
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« I feel at home here because you still get to know the company despite the size.»
She is known as a motivator far beyond the Restaurant Olives d’Or, is very popular with guests, who always greet her with the biggest smiles, and is interested in learning more behind the scenes. As a result of the restaurant’s integration into hotel operations, Gina has expanded her sights to include the hotel industry as well. This autumn, she will begin her studies at a hotel management school in Lucerne. She is looking forward to learning more about the areas of wine and management. For Gina, who also enjoys sports, one particular highlight of her training was the lockdown in 2020. Because apprentices were excluded from short-time work and only in-room dining was offered during this time, the trainees quickly took control. They drew up shift plans, set priorities and processed feedback. For four weeks, they got to be their own bosses. Today, Gina continues to benefit from this experience and the self-confidence she acquired during this time, saying: “Essentially, we got to experience what it’s like to run a restaurant. We were handed a great deal of responsibility from one day to the next, and all that in an extremely unusual situation.”
