The team were delighted to catch up with Nikola Mazurek, the first winner of the Hotel Rising Star, an award that was launched at the Independent Hotel Show Awards in 2024. This category shines a spotlight on the most promising emerging talent in the hospitality industry, and is making a return for the 2025 awards, find out more about the categroy and submit your nomination here. In this interview Nikola shared with us how it felt to be named Hotel Rising Star, some career highlights so far, where she sees her future in the industry growing to and more. 

Tell us about yourself and your journey into the hospitality industry. 

I've always been really drawn to the world of events and design, and I feel like hospitality has truly allowed me to bring those two passions together. It's been incredibly rewarding. My journey started at South Place as an event waitress, which meant I got a proper taste of things from the customer's perspective, how events run, all the coordination involved, that sort of thing. So, quite literally from the ground up, that's how I got my start in events.

Following that, I moved into a sales and coordination role, and I believe my experience as a waitress, especially here, was a massive help. It really gave me an understanding of the guests' point of view, their requirements, what we can realistically do, what we can't, and how we can generally improve the events hosted at South Place going forward.

I've found my real passion in weddings and bespoke installations. At the moment, I look after all the weddings here at South Place, and I also handle the installations as well. For instance, I did the garden here, so any sort of décor around the hotel also comes through me. It's rather nice because I've got the sales side of things, but I also get to see my creative side come out, which is brilliant.

How did it feel to be named Hotel Rising Star at the Independent Hotel Show Awards 2024?

It was an incredible moment and felt so humbling, yet also really energising and motivating all at once. It felt like a proper recognition for all the hours I've put in and the sheer passion I pour into every event, especially weddings, given that they're such personal and truly memorable moments for the couples, such important milestones in their lives.

It also really speaks to the fantastic support I've had here at South Place, as well as my whole team who I can always lean on and who have supported me throughout the years, allowing me to grow into the person I am today. I honestly couldn't have done it without everyone here.

I feel really proud to represent the new generation of hospitality, and especially South Place itself.

What does your role at South Place Hotel entail?

My role here covers quite a lot, officially, my title is Event Sales Executive. In that capacity, I handle all the private event enquiries that come into the hotel. I also specialise in weddings, so I'm the only person here who manages them. All wedding enquiries come directly to me, which is great because I get to be the main point of contact for the couples right from their initial enquiries, through the wedding tasting, the site visits, even bringing in family members to be a part of it on the day as their host. It's a really nice, personal experience and allows me to develop a personal connection with the couples.

I also look after installations, any sort of brand collaborations. At the moment, we've got Flor de Caña in the Secret Garden. The installation for that has to be organised and put up which allows me to utilise my creative side.

Have there been any pivotal moments or mentors that helped shape your path in hospitality?

Yes, there have definitely been a few. When I first moved from waitressing into the sales team, my manager Sharif was a huge help. He really guided me through that transition from operations to sales and showed me how all my existing skills could be applied in this new area. It meant it didn't feel like such a massive leap, which was really good.

When our General Manager Dean joined, he encouraged me to just trust my own instincts and my eye for things, and to speak up, especially in a sales-focused environment. I think that gave me a lot of confidence. Being trusted to take the lead on weddings and build up our whole wedding programme here after COVID had such an impact was a real turning point for me at South Place. It reinforced how that personal touch can really make all the difference for certain events.

In your view, what makes an independent hotel stand out today?

I believe it's all about personality. Here at South Place Hotel, as an independent establishment, we've got a lot of flexibility. We're not tied down by brand guidelines, for instance, so we can adapt quickly and tailor things to exactly how our guests want them, which has been a massive help. Because we can take on board feedback and make changes pretty much instantly, rather than having to go through too many approvals.

I think at South Place, you really see our personality shining through everywhere, it's on the walls with artwork from local artists and our work with independent and local brands. We tie ourselves into the community. That flexibility is especially important for events, particularly weddings, because everyone's big day is different. We've done some really fun things for weddings, even having a fire show outside the hotel, we try to accommodate everyone, and that flexibility allows us to do that.

What has been one of the most challenging moments in your career so far and how did you overcome this?

One of the toughest moments was last year, but I'm actually in the thick of it again now, which is wedding season. The real challenge with that is managing multiple back-to-back weddings in a single weekend. We've got quite a few weekends this year where we have a wedding on Saturday and another on Sunday, and sometimes even a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday wedding. There are tight timeframes, unique designs for each, different suppliers turning up, couples checking in a day early, and then sometimes having to juggle two brides at the same time.

It's certainly tested me, but I feel like I've stayed on top of it through good planning, clear communication and by relying on my team. Knowing when to delegate tasks and when I need to step in myself, that sort of balance has really helped me get through it. It's tiring, no doubt, but it's also incredibly rewarding. The feedback I receive, even just seeing the wedding pictures and the testimonials, it really does make it all worthwhile.

Where do you see yourself in the next five years within the industry?

I'm keeping quite an open mind and am keen to take things as they come. I try to learn as much as I can from the people I work with, but ideally, I'd love to be leading a team in a senior events or brand experience role, preferably within luxury or boutique hotel groups, much like South Place. With South Place being my home, I am hoping that will be here.

I want to shape the full experience, encompassing strategy, creativity, and delivery. I've absolutely loved that aspect of my role so far, and that's what I want to bring forward wherever I go. Trusting people and giving them the freedom to express their own personality, because I feel like that really helps them within their role as well.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out in the hotel industry?

The advice I'd give to someone just starting out would be to be like a sponge and soak up everything you can learn from everyone. I truly believe that everything in hospitality is interconnected, and we all have to work together to make things happen for our guests.

Also, don't underestimate things like empathy and attention to detail, because that's really where the key lies. It's all those small, seemingly insignificant parts that add up to create a truly memorable experience. Whether you're setting up a room or helping with a guest request, how you make someone feel is what they'll remember the most.

How do you see the hospitality industry changing as you move through your career?

The hospitality industry is becoming more personal and experience-led. A lot of guests are after something authentic, something genuine, something they don't come across every day, and that's not just in what they see. It's also about how they feel, how they're treated. Sustainability and inclusivity are also becoming essentials, they're not just extras anymore, you know, they're fundamental. Technology will also keep evolving, so we just need to stay on top of how we operate and how we welcome that in as well, which I think can be a bit tricky because hospitality is such a personal experience.

For events, we'll see more focus on storytelling, personal spaces, and unique venues. Like here at South Place, we have our Secret Garden, where we're currently sitting now. We change the installation here about three or four times a year, so there's always something different, always something colourful, which keeps it nice and personal for those companies and guests who keep returning.

Nominations for the Independent Hotel Show Awards, in partnership with Preferred Hotels and Resorts, are now open! Submit your nomination here before Thursday 12 June.