Learning that one of her passions was meeting new people after a year abroad in high school, Sierra Thomsen embarked on her hospitality career. After years of getting to know guests and creating memorable experiences, she’s applying her personable disposition to Kipsu as a customer partnerships representative at Kipsu!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

The best place to meet new people 

As an exchange student, Thomsen discovered that she loved meeting new people and learning their stories. “I decided a hotel was the best way for me to do that!” she said of her first job at the Home2 Suites in Layton, Utah. 

Starting as a breakfast attendant and eventually leading a position as a front desk agent, she found out quickly that she loved the industry. “Being an extended stay property, I really got a chance to get to know the guests,” Thomsen said. 

After earning a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management at Northern Arizona University, she found her niche: Running the dining room at the Forest Highlands Golf and Country Club in Flagstaff, Arizona. 

Mentioning that she kept “accidentally getting the opportunity to get to know her customers,” Thomsen formed connections with the people she was serving beyond saying hello and goodbye. 

“In one of my earliest hospitality jobs, I learned the importance of creating memorable experiences for members and guests,” she said. “That could be anything from remembering someone’s name, to saving a favorite table at dinnertime.”

Getting to know people became the best part of the hospitality industry for Thomsen. “There’s something really special about being able to anticipate the needs of your members and guests before they even have to ask,” she said.

Sunshine to snow 

Thomsen met her now fiancé while working at the golf club in Flagstaff, and moved to Minnesota with him to continue her hospitality career in some colder climates. 

At 6Smith on Lake Minnetonka, one of Minneapolis’ top lakeside restaurants, Thomsen was the dining room manager. She also held a position as banquet manager at a championship golf club in the Southwest suburbs of the Twin Cities metro. 

While she enjoyed her time in hospitality, after a second wave of COVID-19 related closures in Minnesota, she decided to leave the industry and pursue a more stable career route. 

“I began looking for opportunities outside of hospitality where I could use my experience and education in a different way,” she said. This led her right to a digital messaging software company called Kipsu!

Aligning similar backgrounds

Kipsu ended up being a “perfect fit” for Thomsen, as she uses her experience and skills every day as a customer partnership representative. 

“I’ve experienced many of the same headaches that hotel managers experience every day,” she said, mentioning troubles with hiring staff, internet and system outages, and putting out literal fires. When she talks with hotel staff about hospitality texting with Kipsu, she can sympathize with the everyday chaos that comes with hotel management.

Having studied hotel and restaurant management in college, Thomsen feels her background is very similar to the hotel manager’s she’s worked with—some of whom were previous classmates of hers.

“I work with an incredible team here, and it’s been great to learn about a different side of hospitality while using my background to assist other hospitality professionals in connecting with their guests,” she said. 

Learn more about our awesome hospitality professionals on the Kipsu team or schedule a conversation with our team today.