After her first semester at SHL, Eloisa Amberg decided to take her first professional step abroad and joined the Mandarin Oriental Ritz in Madrid as an F&B Trainee. Working in Palm Court and supporting various outlets, she gained insight into the dynamics of luxury service, multilingual communication, and the teamwork behind a world‑class hotel. In the interview, she reflects on her learning journey, the cultural experience of living in Spain, and the skills she is developing for her future in hotel management.
I chose Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid because of its incredible history and reputation. The brand’s philosophy inspired me. I was attracted by its Asian heritage, strong attention to details and personalised guest experience. In addition, according to LTI, Luxury Travel Intelligence, Mandarin Oriental was ranked the world’s leading luxury hotel brand in 2025, for the third consecutive year. Another important reason was the location. I wanted to do my internship in Spain because I really wanted to improve my Spanish and experience a different culture. I chose service instead of kitchen because I enjoy direct contact with people. In addition to that, for my future career as a hotel manager, I think it is very important to understand the «face» of the hotel, the part that guests experience directly.
My future goal is to become a hotel manager, and I believe restaurants are an important part of a hotel’s identity. This internship allows me to understand the operational side of a hotel. In addition, by working in different outlets, I can see how each restaurant has its own concept, atmosphere, standards, and way of serving guests. Even within the same outlet, there can be different service styles depending on the time of day. I believe this experience will help me in the future, because I will understand not only the theory, but also the daily reality of service work.
This is my first work experience in Food & Beverage, but not my first work experience in hospitality. Before this internship, I worked for nine summers at the reception of Camping Campofelice in Tenero, Switzerland. The experience is very different. Campofelice is a five-star camping village with strong recognition at European level, but its atmosphere is more family-oriented, while Mandarin Oriental Ritz is an international luxury hotel with very high standards and a completely different type of guest.
Another big difference is the role itself. At the reception, I was mainly dealing with check-ins, information, and guest requests. As a waitress and hostess, I am much more involved in the service experience, the atmosphere of the restaurant, and the small details that make the guest feel welcome. At the Ritz, I also have the opportunity to meet many well-known and important guests, including politicians and public figures, which makes the environment even more unique.
What I am most looking forward to is becoming more confident, independent, and proactive in a luxury hospitality environment. I want to improve my ability to understand what needs to be done in each situation and identify priorities. I also want to develop my ability to «read the room» better: understanding guests’ needs, noticing small details, and knowing when to be present and when to give guests more privacy. For me, this is especially important in luxury hospitality, where service should feel natural, elegant and personalised. By the end of the internship, I hope to feel more professional, more confident when communicating in Spanish, and more prepared for the future management roles.
What surprised me the most was how much teamwork is involved, not only inside the restaurant team, but mostly with other departments. For example, Bar Pictura and Jardin prepare our cocktails, the florists prepare all flowers for the restaurants and rooms, and the pastry department prepares special birthday gifts for the guests. As a guest, you only see the final result, but behind one small detail there are often many people involved. This helped me understand how important communication between departments is in a luxury hotel.
I would tell my younger self to be brave and just go for it. Moving to another country and starting a new experience can be scary at the beginning, but it is one of the best ways to grow. You learn a new language, discover a new culture, make new friends, and become more open-minded. This is not only useful for your professional future, but also for your personal life. I would also tell myself not to be afraid of making mistakes. Mistakes are part of the learning process, especially when you are working in a new language and in a completely new environment.
One aspect of the internship that I had not really considered before is that I often meet very well-known guests. Due to privacy reasons, I cannot share details, but it is impressive to serve people you would normally only see in the media. It made me realize even more how important discretion, professionalism, and natural service are in luxury hospitality. Another inspiring moment was having the opportunity to attend a meeting led by our F&B Director, Enrico Petrella, together with our Culinary Director, three‑Michelin‑starred chef Quique Dacosta. They presented the vision for the future development of Palm Court.
What I enjoy most about working in Palm Court is the team. It is one of the most experienced teams in the hotel, and many colleagues have been working there for 20 or even 30 years. They know so much about the hotel, the guests, and the history. I find it very interesting to listen to their stories about how the hotel was before and how it changed after becoming Mandarin Oriental. It also feels like a big family. People help each other, and I know that I can ask for help, not only with professional questions, but sometimes also for some personal advice. This makes the working environment much more supportive. As an intern, I feel very lucky to be surrounded by such experienced and supportive colleagues. They make me feel part of the team, trust me with responsibilities, and encourage me to keep learning every day. I am grateful to work with them, and they are one of the reasons why this internship is such a positive experience for me. Another aspect I really appreciate is that the HR team organizes workshops and activities for interns. These moments are a great opportunity to learn something new while spending time with interns from other departments. We had activities such as Mexican cooking workshop, wine tasting session, cocktail workshop and more.
The skill I have developed the most is Spanish. Working every day with Spanish-speaking colleagues and guests has helped me improve much faster than I expected. I have also developed my communication skills and my confidence when speaking to guests. At the beginning, I was sometimes shy or unsure, but now I feel more comfortable approaching guests, answering questions, and managing different situations. Another important skill is attention to detail. In a luxury hotel, every small detail matters, from the table setup to the way you speak to a guest. I was already a very detail-oriented person, but this internship made me even more aware of it.
I also developed adaptability. I am Swiss, working in Spain, in a different culture, with very hot weather compared to what I am used to, and sometimes in different outlets. This taught me to adapt quickly and stay flexible.
SHL helped me mainly through its Job Portal, where I could discover internship opportunities in hotels all around the world, including some internationally recognized luxury brands. This gave me the confidence to apply to Mandarin Oriental, a company that I had previously considered out of reach. The school supported me with my CV and application documents, and whenever I had questions during the process, they were available to help. This support made me feel more prepared and confident when applying for an international internship.
One task I worked on was creating a service order checklist. Developing it helped me understand the service sequence and how each step connects, including the expected timing for each phase. Another experience I really valued was working as a hostess at Palm Court during busy periods, where I managed reservations and coordinated guest flow. This role requires constant awareness of occupancy levels and quick decision-making to balance guest satisfaction with operational limits. What makes me proud is that I sometimes explain procedures and daily operations to new trainees or to extra staff members who join us during the busy days. I also often take responsibility for checking the mise en place throughout the day, ensuring that all stations remain prepared and stocked despite the continuous flow of service. These tasks may be more operational, but they taught me how small details and organisation directly influence the overall efficiency and guest experience.