Team Grand

Name: MARTIN SLANINA

Job title: Hotel Manager

Age: 48

Work experience in the field: started 25 years ago, now continuously for 15 years

Why hospitality? “I enjoy people and taking care of them, especially when they are satisfied with our services.”

Message to guests: “Enjoy your time with us, come back to us, recommend us further, and if you miss something during your stay, please let us know.”

Message to colleagues: “An individual can’t achieve as much as a well-coordinated team of professionals. Let’s communicate openly, be tolerant, respectful, humble, and learn from each other. I thank each of you for what you put into your work; I appreciate it, even if I don’t say it often.”

Where would you like to be in 10 years? “I hope that in 10 years, I will have a capable successor from the family. My daughter Sofie has started studying at the Hotel School in Poděbrady. And my wife Andrea and I will be able to devote more time to traveling and meeting new people, places, and cultures. And perhaps even to grandchildren.”

Name: ONDŘEJ

Age: 34

Job title: Breakfast and lunch waiter, you can meet him in the Grand Hotel restaurant every weekday, from morning until afternoon.

Language skills: primarily English, but also Italian and French.

Work experience in the field:

+ Studied at the University of Hospitality in Brno and worked as a barista at Air Cafe while studying

+ While at university, I served in the VIP lounge at Monte Bú in Brno, where I conducted rum tastings for up to 100 people

+ After university, I gained about 10 years of experience in the field

+ Worked in a managerial position at Forhaus restaurant, where we placed fourth in the all-Brno gastronomy competition

+ For the past 5 years, I have worked as head waiter at La Boucheé, the second-highest-rated restaurant

What do you enjoy about your work?

I would do my best for the guests; I enjoy making their day better. I simply need to sense their overall satisfaction, and then I feel satisfied as well.

Hobbies:

+ My little daughter

+ I founded a board game club here in Čáslav, and I’m planning to lead a board game group for kids

Motto: “Eat well, laugh a lot, live great”.

Name: Michal

Age: 33

Job title: Chef

Work experience in the field: 11 years

Your favorite cuisine:

Indian

Your favorite dish:

“I enjoy Ramen the most. I like this Asian soup best with shrimp.”

Do you cook at home?

“My girlfriend and I take turns; I usually cook on the weekends.”

What has been your greatest success in the kitchen so far?

“Probably butter chicken with naan. Naan is Indian flatbread, and for preparing the chicken, I use crushed tomatoes, butter, and a mix of Indian spices. I have also prepared it here at the Grand.”

Culinary dream:

“I’ve always wanted to have a food truck with Cuban sandwiches.”

Hobbies:

“I enjoy reading, and currently, I’m playing board games with my colleague Ondra.”

Motto:

“Even when life is challenging and puts obstacles in my way, I take it as a challenge and want to overcome them and succeed.”

Name: Veronika

Age: 42

Job title: Housekeeper and kitchen assistant

Education/Field of Study: SOU Engineering in Třemošnice, Technical-Administrative field

Who cleans at your home:

“I am the only one who cleans at home.”

What did you want to be as a child:

“I wanted to do something with children, so a teacher, ideally in kindergarten.”

Hobbies:

“I enjoy cycling. I also love sunshine, the sea, and relaxing with my family.”

Life motto:

“I strive to make life better for my children.”

Name: Lenka

Age: 26

Job title: Head waiter

Language skills: English

Education/Field of Study: Business Academy and Hotel School, field of study: Waiter

What do you enjoy about your work at the Grand?

“I enjoy being among people the most, talking to them, and being pleasant company. Every day, my colleagues and I try to come up with something new and interesting for our guests, and when I sense their positive feedback, that’s the BEST for me. It’s a beautiful, clean job, and when I have great colleagues around, it makes me look forward to work even more.”

Life dream:

“I have two children. I would like to raise them to be kind, sweet, and polite people. My husband and I love traveling, so my dream is to explore different places, cultures, and people, both here in the Czech Republic and anywhere else in the world, naturally with our children.”

Motto:

“You cannot be happy because you chase what you don’t have, and you forget what you do have.” — William Shakespeare

Name: Romana
Age: 50
Job title: Chef II.
Education/Field of Study: Culinary School / Chef

Experience in the field: 32 years

Your favorite food:

“I love classics like goulash soup or svíčková. Also, any kind of meat and rice.”

What do you not eat:

“I’ve never liked spinach.”

Why do you work at the Grand:

“I like it here. The environment, the well-equipped hotel kitchen. I’m happy when guests come, enjoy the food, and we hear praise for our work. And last but not least, we have a good supervisor.”

Hobbies:

“Reading, gardening, family trips, for example, to try white wine, which I really enjoy.”

Motto:

“Morning is wiser than evening.”

Name: Léňa
Age: 29
Job title: Head waiter.

Education/Field of Study: SOU Čáslav, Chef-Waiter specialization.

Why Hotel Grand:

“Hotel Grand is a beautiful place with a modern, tastefully decorated interior. The biggest bonus is the most beautiful view of the square. And when I received a job offer here (a tip from my best friend), I didn’t hesitate. I also knew Mr. Slanina, so I knew what to expect and was excited.”

What do you enjoy about your work:

“I enjoy the contact with people in my job. I like making guests’ time with us more enjoyable, chatting with them, and sharing laughs. And when a positive review comes in any form, it warms my heart. It’s nice to feel that guests appreciate my/our work; that’s what we are here for. All of this keeps pushing me forward.”

Where do you see yourself in 10 years:

“In 10 years, I see myself with my boyfriend Tomík on our ‘Maldives.’ To clarify, this means a wooden cabin somewhere in nature, with a huge pond full of Koi fish, where we’ll swim and feed them by hand. There will be excellent coffee and relaxation.”

What do you wish for from Santa:

“Some people wish for a new phone, others a great kitchen appliance, but for me, something else is essential and important: FAMILY and spending time together!”

Motto:

“Always with a smile”

Let us introduce you to a team of “young and promising” students and part-timers from our restaurant in Hotel Grand Čáslav. Some of them study hotel schools to become chefs/waiters, some are at secondary school.
In the photo, they are together with the hotel manager, Mr. Martin Slanina, who would like to thank all part-timers, even those who are not in the photo, for their participation in the smooth service of the hotel restaurant, their desire to learn this craft, their eagerness to develop and improve themselves and to gain new experiences. He would like to wish them only the best in their personal and especially in their study and work life. He wishes for them not to be discouraged at the first failure, to be humble, respectful, patient and tolerant, listening to older and more experienced colleagues.

Motto: “One for all, all for one”

Name: Helena
Age: 48
Job title: Cook II.
Work experience in the field: 13 years

Why Grand:

„In short, a coincidence during the Covid period. And as you can see, I´m still here. Nothing can defeat me! “

Your favourite meal:

„Definitely Czech cuisine. I love being able to cook my own sirloin steak at home, I enjoy that or maybe hairy dumplings. I would never eat seafood. “

Hobbies:

„Any relaxation, walks with our dog“.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?:

„That´s in the stars, you never know what life will bring.“

What do you wish for Christmas?:

„Most of all, for the whole family to get together again. And if Santa Claus is going to read this, my husband, then he should put that big robot in the kitchen.“

Motto:

„A smile and a good mood are a sign of victory over anything“.

Name: Eva
Age: 38
Position: Hotel receptionist

Education:
– BA Tourism Management, University of Hradec Králové
– MA Hospitality Management, University College Birmingham, England

Language skills: English, German

Work experience:

“I have been in the hotel industry for 23 years. I started working at hotels part-time while studying, as a receptionist and waitress. Then I worked as an “event manager” at the Hilton and InterContinental hotels.”

Why Grand:

“I started looking at the Grand during my maternity leave. It is a beautifully renovated hotel with an amazing view.”

What about your family:

“I have two small sons, Marek and Šimon, and a wonderful large family who support me and I thank them very much for that.”

How do you like to spend your free time:

“In my free time, I like to travel the most, especially to the mountains, I like to read and dance, enjoy sewing, coaching and self-development. Next year, I would like to walk the Trail through the Czech Republic.”

What is the Trail through the Czech Republic?:

“It is a non-commercial project of a group of enthusiasts who have joined forces with the Czech Tourists’ Club and together offer you the opportunity to go on a beautiful and interesting journey through our entire republic. If anyone is interested in more, they can visit www.stezkaceskem.cz .”

Motto:

“Every problem has at least three solutions.”