In our latest Getting to Know You feature, we speak to Sabina Wyss di Corrado – Interstate’s newly appointed Vice President Development – Europe.

Sabina joined Interstate in November 2020, bringing with her an impressive 17-year hospitality career history, including senior positions at PPHE Hotel Group, Christie & Co, TRI Hospitality Consulting and the ITC, following operational roles across Europe, Latin America and Australia.

Here, Sabina shares an insight into her role, as well as some little-known facts about her time in hospitality.

Tell us about your role and what it involves?

SWdC: My role with Interstate was created to further develop growth for the company throughout Europe. It is my job to identify new opportunities for Interstate across the continent and to then work with the team to explore viability and terms for each opportunity, in order to determine suitability for us as a third-party operator.

This could include anything from how established Interstate’s presence is in the area, to our expertise in each vertical, and the region’s market conditions, too.

What does a typical day in your role involve?

SWdC: As with all hospitality roles, there really is no such thing as a typical day! I could be talking to people about what opportunities there are, exploring and researching markets, using my network of contacts to gain market intelligence, assessing the feasibility of a particular opportunity, or working with our technical, operations and commercial teams to progress talks with owners and developers.

The European market differs hugely from the UK or US, as third-party management is a relatively new concept, so a big part of my job is around education and relaying the benefits of what we do at Interstate, and how we can add value.

Equally, each European country is so different, hence, having a deep understanding of each country’s cultures, languages and ways of working is vital in my role.

What’s your favourite part of your role?

SWdC: Ever since the age of seven I have wanted to work in hospitality. I was lucky enough to go to the prestigious EHL hotel management school in my homeland of Switzerland and from there, I have been able to travel the world to do my job, building up experience in all areas of hospitality.

Starting work with Interstate in my new role is fantastic. I love having a pan-European remit, exploring opportunities in different countries and meeting and working with people from all sorts of cultures and backgrounds.

It’s an exciting time for Interstate and I’m very proud to be playing a part in the company’s growth across Europe and beyond.

What do you think makes Interstate stand out from the crowd?

SWdC: Interstate has a fantastic reputation for being a friendly yet hugely experienced team of hospitality professionals and, since joining the team, I have found this for myself first-hand.

The knowledge and expertise Interstate can bring to hotel owners and investors is enormous and, coupled with the global scale of being a part of Aimbridge Hospitality now, I am incredibly proud to be working as a part of this team.

Tell us something about you that not everyone knows

SWdC: I have a few answers for this! Not many people know I worked as a flight attendant when I was 19-years-old to finance my studies, working across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and North America. This allowed me to get an excellent overview of hospitality around the world, at a young age.

Also, when I was a student at EHL, I worked on a project for the UN, helping to drive the development of a community-based tourist destination in Ecuador as part of the Export Led Poverty Reduction Programme of the ITC. This led to me being offered a role with the organisation post-graduation, an amazing experience I will never forget.

And finally, alongside my role with Interstate, I lecture at EHL, too. I am very passionate about nurturing the next generation of hospitality leaders and I love to support young people as they take their first steps into our industry – especially at the moment, in such difficult times.