Inside Impala: Alessandro Nesta talks transitioning from front desk to home office
Inside Impala explores life on our team from the perspective of Impalans themselves. Alessandro Nesta, a Customer Operations Associate on the Booking Operations team, shares how he stays connected with his team, where he loves to travel and how he transitioned from front desk to home office.
Hi Alessandro! Can you describe what you do in a few sentences?
As a Customer Operations Associate, my job is to follow the bookings coming through our system from beginning to end. I’m there from the time the booking is made by the guest to acceptance by the property itself and the payment. I also field any messages or requests that are coming through from the guests.
How long have you worked at Impala?
I've been here for just about four months.
Have you worked in travel before? What did your journey to Impala look like?
Before Impala, I worked at a well-known hotel in Monza e Brianza, outside Milan, where I grew up. I started as a bellboy and worked my way up to Senior Front Desk Agent. After five years, I felt that I needed a professional and personal change — especially after Covid. I actually found Impala through a job listing on LinkedIn, and connected to the team from there.
I had a concept of what needed to change about hotel bookings, but I didn’t understand the issues to the extent I do now
Has working in Impala changed how you think about hotels?
My mindset has definitely changed about hotels, properties and travel. When I was joining Impala, I had a concept of what needed to change about hotel bookings, but I didn’t understand the issues to the extent I do now. My previous employment was very useful, particularly coming to the Booking Ops team, but I’ve learned so much more since that time.
What does remote working look like for you?
It’s been a great experience. When I first approached remote working, I was a bit scared of not being able to separate my private life and work life. That was one of my biggest fears. I’m also the kind of person who always likes to be up to date and not miss any notifications, so I was worried about focusing all my energy on work. I still occasionally fall into that mindset. However, I work in shifts and they’re very regular and well-organised, which makes it easier to find balance.
Coming from the hotel industry, my shifts could be crazy, given with little advance and sometimes variable. At Impala, I already have my schedule weeks in advance, so I have time to plan and live my personal life. It’s been really nice to be able to live my life and still feel really productive and focused at work.
How do you and your team stay connected?
One of my fears coming into remote working was not being connected. When I was working at a hotel, I was working next to my colleagues, with clients and customers — so transitioning to my home desk was scary at first. But I honestly never feel disconnected from my colleagues now. I think we all adjusted to remote working and we’re all just click away from each other.
Tell me about one of your best travel experiences.
I really love Berlin. I’ve been there twice for a couple of weeks each, and I love everything from the culture to the people. You can still see the history of the city very clearly — I love The Brandenburg Gate, and to just sit and watch people live their lives in such a historical place. It gave me a very strange but positive feeling that I haven’t felt anywhere else.
What’s been your favourite part of working at Impala?
Everything has been as great as I had hoped. I wanted to change my workplace because I couldn’t see a bright future for me in the industry as it was. Before I even joined Impala, I was really impressed with how much I liked the culture and the mindset of everyone on the team. Since I’ve started, I got to experience that all first-hand. I don’t feel like a number, or just a name on a page — I feel really appreciated and motivated every day.
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