Finding a Perfect Career Path

August 26, 2024 | Careers

Trotting the globe as a child led Maria Maksimova directly to her career path today.

A native Belarusian, she was in third grade when her father’s job moved them to Oman for a 24-month project that stretched into 15 years. The family traveled often — roving adventures that exposed Maksimova to a mélange of experiences from Eastern Europe to the Middle East and beyond — and the hospitality workers she observed caring for hotel guests during those trips left an indelible impression.

“I’ve always loved staying in hotels,” says Maksimova, who is now director of sales at Hilton Garden Inn St. Pete Beach. “When it came time to choose a college degree, there wasn’t a second thought about what I wanted to go to school for. It was going to be hospitality. Definitely.”

Deciding there was no better place to pursue a career in hospitality than one of the busiest tourist locations in the world, Maksimova moved to Orlando, Florida. She earned a degree in hospitality and tourism management from Valencia College in 2017 — with a perfect 4.0 GPA — and went on to graduate Summa Cum Laude from the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management.

Maksimova found her first stateside job on Florida’s Space Coast, beginning as a catering sales coordinator at the Crowne Plaza Melbourne Oceanfront. She advanced quickly at the property over the next two years; then, ready to expand her knowledge base, she earned an MBA from Florida Tech with another sparkling 4.0 GPA.

In September 2021, she joined OTO Development at Hilton Garden Inn (née DoubleTree) in Cocoa Beach, rising from sales coordinator to catering sales manager; a little over a year later, Maksimova moved from the Space Coast to the Gulf Coast, where she was promoted from sales manager to director of sales at Hilton Garden Inn St. Pete Beach. Here she continues to shine at a property that consistently earns Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice awards for the hotel and OpenTable Diners’ Choice awards for the popular on-site Coconut Charlie’s Beach Bar & Grill.

“Being on the beach, we have a lot of wedding groups, family reunions, and vacations," says Maksimova. “We really get to meet everybody and have a variety of guests at the hotel, which makes it fun. It's a great location. I love St. Pete Beach.”

Maksimova says finding a company with such an excellent support system, like OTO Development, has been very helpful in her career. She credits Jodie Kuchta, senior regional director of sales, with much of her success. 

“Jodie has provided me with opportunities time and time again to grow and develop,” says Maksimova. “She has coached me to be where I am today.”

Maria also credits the culture across the company as a whole. “All the tools and resources — from mentorship to the Corry Oakes Leadership Academy — make a big difference,” she says. “I’m right where I want to be.”

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