Hospitality journey — Kwankitiya

Every journey has a starting point, even if you don't recognize it as one until much later. Mine begins on an island, at a wellness sanctuary whose name translates to "the realm of the lotus."

This place shaped how I think about hospitality more than any classroom ever could.

Moving to a New Town for a Single Opportunity

Before this chapter, hospitality wasn't part of my plan at all. I'd studied International Relations, and my path had been pointing somewhere else entirely. But an opportunity came up on an island I'd never lived on, in a field I hadn't trained for, and something about it felt worth the leap. So I moved to a new town to take it — a decision that, in hindsight, ended up defining the direction of my entire career.

A Different Kind of Hospitality

What made this place different wasn't just the setting, though the setting was beautiful. It was the philosophy behind it. This was hospitality built around well-being — not just for guests, but for the people delivering the service too. Training wasn't only about procedure and standards; it was about health, balance, and genuine care, extended both outward to guests and inward to the team itself.

I spent over a year there as a Learning & Development professional, and in that time, I learned far more than I taught. I learned how training actually lands when it's rooted in care rather than compliance. I learned how much language — genuinely being able to communicate in English — shapes a host's confidence and a guest's experience alike. And I learned what it feels like to help someone grow, not just perform better at their job, but actually feel more capable in themselves.

What I Loved Most

If I'm honest, what I loved most wasn't any single skill I picked up. It was the environment itself — carefully curated, intentional in every detail, the kind of place where you could feel the thought behind every decision. Being part of something built that thoughtfully, and getting to help shape how people grew within it, is not something I take for granted.

This was where my career in hospitality truly began. I'm genuinely thankful for that leap — for the version of me who moved to a new town toward something uncertain, simply because it felt right.