ENDORSEMENTS
"From the moment I interviewed Silvia for the Reservations Managers position as part of the Business Development team at the Pulitzer Amsterdam I knew she was the right candidate. Although she did not speak Dutch she convinced us easily she could do the job and manage the team because of her past experience abroad. She has shown dedication, enthusiasm and excellent selling skills and managed to build a solid Reservations team. When she applied internally for the Executive Housekeeper position I fully supported this transfer and never doubted she would be a great leader. She exceeded all expectations, worked hard and motivated the team by being fair and earned their respect very naturally. This resulted in a great transfer to the sister property of the Pulitzer, RIGGS in Washington DC. When she wants to get something done she will make it work. I'm proud that Silvia has been part of my team and if the opportunity will arise I would hire her again."
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Yvonne Van Der Klaauw
Former General Manager, Pulitzer Amsterdam
“Silvia was a great asset to our opening team at Riggs Washington DC. Her organization, forward thinking fortitude and leadership set the team to have a near perfect opening and 40 excellent reviews consecutively in a row on Trip Advisor. No easy feat for a new independent hotel. She cares fiercely about the successes of the hotel as a whole and will put in tireless hours to ensure all runs well across the Rooms board. You want a fighter in that role and Silvia is exactly that.”
Dieter Schmitz
Area General Manager DC, Lore Group
"In my position as General Manager, Granduca Austin, I had the pleasure of working with Silvia Kirkland. What I admired most was her dedication to creating an excellent, quality guest experience. She accomplished this by leading her team in a continuous training mode, with training being the foundation of her style. In order to be a good trainer, you have to have great communication skills. Silvia was exactly that, a great communicator.
I would be honored to have her on any team I was associated with."
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Joseph Violi
Former General Manager, Hotel Granduca Austin
“In the nearly 3 years I’ve worked together with Silvia, I have gotten to know her as a person who is extremely dedicated, smart and driven to achieve the best! She is a great leader for her team and coaches them to reach their full potential. Silvia is a hard worker with eye for detail, who is organized and thinks ahead to proactively avoid problems. She’s been a fantastic colleague to work with and I still miss working with her on busy days at the hotel, when we would always find a way in the madness to somehow make things happen together!”
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Caroline Van Kessel
Rooms Division Manager, Pulitzer Amsterdam
"I had the pleasure of working with Silvia as part of the opening team for an independent, high luxury, Italian themed hotel in Austin, Texas. She was hired as our Director of Front Office. As the Director of Human Resources, I was looking for individuals who were professional, polished and understood the luxury hotel business. We got an extra bonus in Silvia. She was not only all that, she was a terrific operator and a compassionate leader. She led her team and our hotel to be #1 in TripAdvisor in less than nine months! Her commitment and passion for high-end luxury service, her knowledge of the industry, and her strength in inspiring her team to excel in their roles, all contributed to building a foundation for long-term success for our hotel. Silvia has a style of grace, caring and compassion, that coupled with her expertise, has allowed her continued success throughout her career. She is certainly one of a kind!"
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Theresa Amaya
Former Director of HR, Hotel Granduca Austin
“I worked with Silvia as Director of Front Office through the pre opening and opening of a prestigious 5 star hotel in Texas and experienced her amazing capability to build a high performing team with an outstanding customer service ethos. I then experienced her cultural flexibility moving to work in Amsterdam for Pulitzer group where she involved me in helping shape the customer experience to reflect the brand DNA .One very talented lady who personifies luxury hospitality.”
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Susy Roberts
Managing Director, Hunter Roberts Consulting
“I was Silvia’s first assistant during her time as Executive Housekeeper at Pulitzer Amsterdam. Working with Silvia has pushed me and my career to the next level. She is highly motivated to accomplish her own and her team goals and will not settle. She expects herself and her team to be on top of their performance. Throughout the process she is a guide and a coach, and the leader a team needs. She has taught me to always reach for the top and to stay honest and humble. She is tactical and she works with a strategy, but when the path gets rough you can count on her and her great sense of humor. Her guidance and support have helped me to get where I am: a successful leader in one of the biggest cleaning companies in the Netherlands. I am very thankful to her and I cherish many memories (and jokes) of working together.”
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Emma Thomassen
Former Asst. Exec. Housekeeper, Pulitzer Amsterdam
Object leader, Hago Netherlands
“I had the pleasure to work with Silvia at Andaz Wall Street Hotel, NYC for about 2 years and at Granduca Hotel, Austin TX for almost a year. At both hotels my position in relation to Silvia’s was a subordinate, however, she never made me or my colleagues feel as such. Her personable mentorship and friendly attitude would encourage us to do our absolute best every day while still having fun!
As a boss, it’s obvious that Silvia exercises her daily duties with high discipline and strong loyalty to the company and her associates. Through her work dedication we knew that we could rely on her whenever we needed support. On top of all that, she is one of the most hard-working and kindest people I have ever met”
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Veronika Novakova,
Former Front Desk Agent, Andaz Wall Street NYC & Hotel Granduca Austin
Paralegal at Keegan Werlin LLP, Boston.
“My family and I have known Silvia for more than 10 years and have always enjoyed our time together. From our first interaction during business travel at Grand Hyatt New York, where I was a frequent guest, and through a variety of personal trips, we have had the pleasure of staying in close touch and visiting with Silvia in several management roles. By far the most touching experience we’ve had was our trip to Italy to attend Silvia’s wedding. The opportunity to meet Silvia’s family and friends only reinforced our already high opinion of the wonderful person that we have come to know and respect over our many years of friendship”
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Richard T. Allison
Chief Executive Officer, SWBC Austin
"I've had the pleasure of working under Silvia's leadership at Andaz Wall Street in New York City. She was not just a manager, but also a mentor and a leader to myself and numerous staff members throughout her career. Silvia continues to think outside of the box, which allows her to come up with fresh new ideas to ensure she goes above and beyond for guests and staff. With her charming personality she makes an impact in the hospitality industry wherever she goes."
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Charles Nagy
Former Asst. Front Office Manager Andaz Wall Street, NYC
Territory Sales Manager EMEA Revinate