SPOTLIGHT Mariam “Masho” Khabazashvili was one of the recipients of a 2024 CHLA Hospitality Foundation Scholarship. She is currently a student at San Francisco State University and works as a Guest Services representative at the St. Regis San Francisco. Masho sat down with Josiah McKenzie from the Hospitality Daily podcast for his episode: From Tradition to Tomorrow: Meet the Future of Hospitality. She was born and raised in the nation of Georgia, on the eastern shore of the Black Sea between Turkey and Russia, where tourism including thousands of historic and cultural monuments is an increasingly important part of the economy. “Growing up in Georgia shaped my view on hospitality, and my desire to want to pursue hospitality as a career, because I wanted to bring my cultural roots to my professional life,” she said. In her culture, there is a phrase that translates to “every guest is a gift from God.” She explained that the phrase guides her to serve each guest meaningfully and with pride. “It means that when a guest comes to your house, as a Georgian host, it is your responsibility to make sure that they feel comfortable. It’s your responsibility to make sure that they’re feeling spoiled,” she said. She moved to San Francisco when she was 18 to study hospitality at San Francisco State University, where she first heard about the CHLA Hospitality Foundation from one of her professors who encouraged her to apply for the scholarship. “When I applied and won the scholarship, I didn’t know what it would mean for me,” Masho said. “Of course it was a financial support, which I’m really grateful for, but it was so much more than that.” Masho had the opportunity to attend a CHLA fundraising event, by invitation of the general manager of the InterContinental Mark Hopkins in San Francisco and chair of the CHLA Hospitality Foundation, Michael Pace, where she was asked to speak about what the scholarship meant to her. After she spoke, she was invited to be a speaker at the CHLA Hospitality Foundation Scholarship Awards Gala. “It was going to be a big event, and all the other students were going to attend. So, I thought that was such an incredible opportunity,” Masho said. “Just being there alone meant so much to me, but I also got to meet industry professionals, and it opened up so many doors for me.” At the Scholarship Awards Gala, Masho met Roger Huldi, the general manager of the St. Regis San Francisco. That connection led her to the job she currently holds at the St. Regis. “CHLA has been such a huge support in the beginning of my career. And there really is so much more to this foundation, because the leaders in that industry are all involved with the foundation and I think it’s very important that people who are currently in the business are supporting young students like me,” she said. Masho describes CHLA as a catalyst for her career. “CHLA opens doors, and not just to the industry professionals and the leaders, but with other students as well,” she said. “The CHLA Foundation really embodies what hospitality is all about: connection and genuine support for each other.” The full podcast episode featuring Masho can be found at: https://podcast.hospitalitydaily.com/ masho/ Scholarship Recipient Spotlight: MARIAM “MASHO” KHABAZASHVILI 18 CALIFORNIA LODGING NEWS www.calodging.com
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