A Hoteza Love Story: Alexey and Elena Golovin

Q: Alexey, how did your journey with Hoteza start?

Alexey:
It was back in 2010. I met Nikolay, Hoteza’s CEO, when I had already accepted another job offer. But during our conversation, he told me about the opportunities to work with international hospitality clients and the vision behind the product. It sounded much more interesting than what I had planned, so you could say he “hunted” me to join the company that later became Hoteza. I started by providing technical support to hospitality clients.

Q: How did your role evolve over time?

Alexey:
Quite naturally. I became deeply involved in understanding the product, its future, and client needs. I also enjoyed communicating with customers and presenting solutions, so at some point it became clear that I could contribute more. That’s how I moved into the IT Project Manager role at Hoteza. Nowadays, I continue to develop the Hoteza Guest App and HotPad, and together with Elena, we’re deeply involved in the renewal and optimization of the Hoteza CMS.

Q: Elena, when did you enter the picture?

Elena:
Our personal story started in 2015 when we met at a party hosted by mutual friends. Professionally, it began in 2016. Alexey was working on a very ambitious hotel project and needed help with content creation. He asked me to support him, and that became my first experience with Hoteza.

Q: What made you decide to join officially?

Elena:
At that time, I was looking for a workplace connected to international hospitality, with flexible processes and room for growth. Hoteza’s needs in content creation and customer onboarding matched my expectations perfectly. 

I joined part-time, working remotely. Later, in 2020, as the number of clients and projects continued to grow, I moved into a full-time Customer Success Manager role.

Q: Alexey, we know 2020 was an important year for you as well, right?

Alexey:
Absolutely. In 2020, I became the Product Manager of the newly launched Hoteza Guest App. It was an exciting period with business trips, negotiations, close collaboration with the R&D team, and presentations to the global hospitality market. I enjoyed being involved in both product creation and client communication. Seeing an idea turn into a solution used by hotels worldwide is incredibly motivating.

Around the same time, one of Hoteza’s key clients, Peninsula Hotels, approached the team with a request for an in-room tablet solution. 

Q: Elena, how did your role expand over these years? 

Elena:
Over the years, I’ve grown a lot professionally. I’ve worked with customers all over the world, helped refine and streamline customer success processes, and built strong long-term relationships with clients.

Q: How would you describe Hoteza’s corporate culture and atmosphere?

Elena:
For me, Hoteza is not just a workplace, it’s a meaningful part of my life. The company fully aligns with my interests and values. I really appreciate that initiative is encouraged here, even when it goes beyond direct work responsibilities. For example, I had the opportunity to initiate and host an English Speaking Club for our teammates.

Alexey:
I’m inspired by the diversity of tasks at Hoteza - it makes the work process dynamic and engaging. I enjoy working with interesting clients and learning more about different countries, cultures, and nationalities through my projects.

Q: How do you see Hoteza today?

Alexey and Elena:
Hoteza is entering a stage of structured growth and maturity. Processes are becoming clearer, responsibilities more defined, and ambitions larger.

Q: What is your focus for the near future?

Alexey:
I’m currently involved in developing a significant part of Hoteza products and additional modules, and building a platform-level vision for the ecosystem. This aligns with Hoteza’s strategic goal to position the company as a comprehensive solution rather than a set of separate services. To reach it, a strong knowledge of business approaches and sales technologies is essential, so I am currently focusing on developing these skills.

Elena:
I have a clear vision for how customer success processes can be optimized and further developed. I try to keep an eye on all key trends in this area and constantly look for ways to improve the customer experience. One quote that guides me is:

“Success is never owned, it is rented, and the rent is due every day.”

It reminds me to ask what else we can do right now to help our clients use the system to its full potential.
I am expecting many new opportunities ahead, including growth in the number of clients from around the world. For me personally, this means discovering new languages and cultures and adapting the system to any market. And I am very inspired by the belief of our CEO, Nikolay, and CTO, Alexey, in the future of the company and in the strength of the team. 

Q: What is it like to work together as a couple?

Alexey:
It gives us shared interests and many topics to discuss. Honestly, one of my proudest achievements is seeing Elena’s professional growth and knowing I contributed to it.

Elena:
It’s great to be able to exchange experiences and understand each other’s challenges so well.

Q: How do you spend time outside of work?

Elena:
We spend most of our time with our two children. I love reading books with them and helping them learn English and Greek. And one of my favorite kinds of recharge is still a good, quiet sleep.

Alexey:
I enjoy playing computer games with the kids. To recharge, I sometimes cook unusual dishes inspired by famous chefs.

Q: What advice would you give to newcomers?

Elena:
Stay curious. Take initiative. Be inspired by what you do.

Alexey:
Do not be afraid to try new things and look for answers independently. It is one of the fastest ways to grow.