Tell us about yourself and what you currently do.
I’m a former hotel leader turned coach and trainer. After nearly two decades in luxury hospitality, from my first internship at the InterContinental Berlin to auditing and training roles across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas, I founded my own coaching and consulting practice.
Today, I work with hotel leaders and international teams to strengthen communication, build authentic leadership, and reconnect people with their purpose. My base is in Italy, but my clients are global, just like hospitality itself.
How did you get started in the coaching and training industry? Why are you so passionate about it?
It began organically. During my hotel years, I often found myself being the “go-to” person for others, whether it was a difficult conversation, a culture clash, or a moment of self-doubt. Later, as Training Manager and Quality Auditor, I realised what really fascinated me wasn’t only the business side of hotels, it was the people side.
Coaching became my way of helping leaders find clarity and confidence, the same way I once had to find it for myself. It’s deeply personal. I know what it feels like to be an expat, to lead under pressure, and to feel torn between who you are and who you think you should be. Helping others through that is what drives me.
What would you consider your biggest career achievement?
It’s not a single award or position; it’s the transition itself. Leaving a secure career to create something more meaningful was the most courageous step I have ever taken.
Designing My Methodology and watching it genuinely transform leaders’ lives has been incredibly rewarding. My greatest achievement is seeing others grow, feeling proud, confident, and grounded in their own leadership.
What is your mission?
To bring humanity back into hospitality leadership.
My mission is to help leaders reconnect with themselves so they can lead others authentically, not from fear or burnout. I believe leadership is not about proving your worth, it’s about knowing your worth and bringing that energy into everything you do.
What services do you currently provide?
I work across three main areas:
- 1:1 Executive Coaching for expat and any hotel leaders who want clarity and confidence.
- Group Training & Workshops, combining leadership development with communication and culture integration.
- Speaking engagements and retreats, where I translate complex leadership concepts into relatable, practical stories from real hotel life.
Each program blends coaching, communication science, and lived hotel experience, it’s deeply human and immediately applicable.
What interesting projects have you been involved in recently?
I recently partnered with luxury hospitality brands across Europe and the Middle East to develop cross-cultural leadership programs.
Another project close to my heart is The Expat Leadership Roadmap, a three-month journey guiding leaders through self-awareness, communication mastery, and balance while living abroad.
I’m also completing Passport to Purpose, a booklet that blends stories from my own expat journey with reflections and tools for leaders who want to feel more anchored, no matter where they are in the world.
What do you see as the biggest challenges for hospitality leaders today?
Retention, emotional resilience, and cross-cultural communication.
The industry is evolving fast, teams are younger, guests are more demanding, and expectations are higher than ever. Many leaders are exhausted, caught between corporate metrics and the human side of leading people.
Those who will thrive are the ones who build self-awareness and emotional intelligence, the leaders who can balance results with relationships.
How is your methodology unique?
It’s built from real hotel life. I have been the one managing cultural differences, leading under pressure, and navigating expat transitions.
My Methodology is based on five pillars: Authentic Leadership, Culture Integration, Communication, Conflict Management, and Life Balance.
It’s a blend of coaching, intercultural intelligence, and hospitality know-how. The goal is simple: to help leaders not just perform, but feel fulfilled and grounded while doing so.
What, in your view, makes a great leader?
A great leader is not the loudest voice in the room, but the one who listens the most. They are self-aware, empathetic, and consistent. They know their values and make others feel seen and safe.
In hospitality, great leadership is less about control and more about connection, creating a culture where excellence comes naturally because people feel trusted.
What can executives expect to achieve from working with you?
Clarity. Calm. Confidence.
My clients learn to communicate with authenticity, manage conflict with grace, and lead across cultures with empathy.
They rediscover their energy and influence, not by changing who they are, but by becoming more of who they truly are.
Can you share a case study from your coaching work?
One of my clients, a hotel leader in the Middle East, came to me feeling exhausted and disconnected from her team. Through our sessions, she realised that her polite, perfection-driven leadership style was creating distance.
We worked on authenticity, emotional transparency, and setting boundaries with empathy. Within weeks, her team engagement scores improved, and more importantly, she felt lighter.
She later told me: “I didn’t change who I am—I finally became who I am.” That’s the kind of transformation I live for.
How do you see hospitality training evolving in the next five years?
The future of training is emotional, not instructional.
We’ll see a shift from technical skill training to human capability building, developing emotional intelligence, communication, and well-being.
AI will handle efficiency. Human connection will remain the true luxury.
Hotels that invest in developing emotionally intelligent leaders will stand out in both guest experience and employee retention.
What’s next for you?
I’m expanding my international client base and preparing to launch The Grounded Leader workshop series, designed for hotels that want to build cultures of authenticity and trust.
And yes, my Passport to Purpose booklet will soon be out,a personal and professional companion for leaders who want to reconnect with themselves while navigating global careers.
My goal is to keep bridging the worlds of hospitality, coaching, and culture, to help leaders not just manage hotels, but lead human experiences.
Where can readers connect with you?
You can find me on LinkedIn or visit www.annakatzer.com
I’m always open to conversations with fellow hoteliers, HR professionals, and expat leaders who believe leadership can be both high-performing and deeply human.
