Cristina DRĂGAN
Hospitality Consultant | HR & Service Behaviors
I help customer-facing businesses spot service gaps, train clear behaviors, and lock them into everyday execution.
Natural, attentive service is the strongest signal of quality a business can send!
Higher Revenue | Stronger Reputation | Repeat Business | Team Retention
18 years in HR Leadership & Luxury HospitalityJW Marriott | The Ritz-CarltonBucharest | Venice | Dubai
I am an independent, hand-on HR Hospitality Consultant.I’ve spent the last 18 years in the kind of roles that make you both fall in love with people and question your career choices on the same day: corporate training, HR leadership, and customer experience in luxury hospitality.Thirteen of those years were in hotels where service isn’t a department, but the whole brand, places like The Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott.The rest? I’ve been working with businesses that depend on customer loyalty, reputation, and the quiet power of internal culture.I step in when hiring has become a guessing game and "onboarding" is just a polite term for throwing people into "swim or sink" pool.I build your reputation through consistent service, no matter who’s on shift, and I protect your revenue by making sure no customer walks away thinking, “It was ok.”
let's connect!
Cristina DRĂGAN 2026
Services
If your team culture leaks into client experience, we need to talk!
I work with owners who are tired of inconsistent service and high turnover.Whether you’re a private clinic in Bucharest or a boutique hotel in Dubai, I bring the Ritz-Carlton blueprint to your front line, minus the corporate complexity.
> Hotels, boutique hotels, and resorts seeking consistency without losing character
> Short-term rental owners, managers & hosts, who want profitable guest experiences
> HORECA businesses (restaurants, cafés, bars) that refuse to be average
> Hospitality-inspired businesses (clinics, beauty & wellness, retail) aiming to upgrade how service actually feels
The Foundation
Before you can focus on the guest, I help you get your team in order: hiring the right people, setting clear expectations, and making sure everyone is in!
Recruitment & Onboarding
Training & Development
Performance Review
Employee Engagement
Employee Relations
Mass Recruiting & Onboarding
for pre-opening hotels
The Behavior
Training the reflex, not the script.Most service training fails because it focuses on what to do, rather than how to think.
I specialize in the "Service Mindset", transforming your staff from transactional employees into intuitive hosts who anticipate needs before the guest even speaks.
Mystery Client Audits & Online Reviews Analysis
Personalized Service Behaviors Workshops
Reinforcement Actions & Rehearsal Plans
The Distinction
The 1% that justifies the premium.Experience optimization - I take your current service habits and strip away the unnecessary to reveal the exceptional.Spot the WOWportunities!
Redesign the guest journey from scratch
Build and use a simple Guest Preferences system
Train teams to notice, predict, and surprise
Brainstorm actions to WOW your guests
how Do I work?
I take the behaviors & concepts that make luxury hospitality so great and adapt them your business (sometimes unexpectedly different industries) in a simplified form and a personalized way.
1-to-1 with Business Owners - to approach your HR, training, and service challenges.
Project-Based Support - hotel pre-opening / opening HR & Training setup & delivery.
Personalized Workshops - engaging sessions and strong reinforcement plans rooted in 5* hospitality.
Hands-On HR Partner - working with your HR team to make things happen - employee relations, recognition, engagement, performance.
Service Audit & Action Plan - mystery shopping & feedback to upgrade your service game.
Cristina DRĂGAN 2026
Working with AMAZING Clients & Partners
Guest Experience RESET
Multi-phase program | 14 hours workshop / 2 sessions | 24 Attendees
2 weeks of daily rehearsal together | 2 months of bi-weakly coaching.Result from 8.4 to 8.5 on Booking in 3 months!
"Cristina delivered a highly engaging and practical workshop with clarity, professionalism, and a touch of humor. Her relaxed and friendly style made complex concepts easy to understand, and she created an interactive environment where everyone felt involved and confident to apply what they learned.PARTICIPANTS' Feedback
5-Star Luxury Coaching
Coached the front-of-house team at a luxury Italian hotel to create personalized actions that consistently wow their guests.
Equip them to spot every “Wowportunity” and turn routine service into unforgettable 5* moments.2 sessions | 3 Hours each | 25 Participants
“The connection Cristina created, from the very first approach with the company to her interactions with the employees, was incredible!
[...] During the training, we were impressed by her ability to engage everyone, despite the different roles and departments, and the results were immediately visible with our clients.The positive impact lasted throughout the season, with colleagues continuing to recall the examples, tips, and tricks Cristina shared.Her experience in the luxury world, her deep understanding of operational dynamics, and the real-life scenarios she presented captured everyone’s attention."Pasquale AURIEMMA
Executive Head of People&Culture
Hotel La Palma, Capri - Oetker Collection
Hospitality for
NON-Hospitality Businesses
Delivering a workshop for professionals in engineering & technology, focused on applying 5-star hospitality principles to everyday interactions.Serving the Internal Client | In-person delivery | 1 Day | 5 Hours | 18 Participants
"The training was very interactive and well-balanced. I really liked the open, friendly atmosphere and how easy it was to stay involved. I learned how important it is to stay calm, smile, and treat every interaction with kindness, as if each person were a VIP client.""I found the session really useful and motivating.
The concept of being assertive without offending others stood out the most, it helps a lot in daily communication."Participants' Feedback
The 5-Star Voice Workshop
Working with the customer representatives of a 5* Short Term Rental business in Dubai to turn every message and chat into a 5* experience, to promote upsell and turn guests into loyal customers.Online delivery | 2 Hours/session | 3 Participants
"Cristina transformed the way our company trains and develops both employees and collaborators. She didn’t just create training materials—she gave us a system that actually works, making learning practical, engaging, and easy to apply.
She understood our challenges, simplified complex concepts, and designed reinforcement strategies to ensure real, lasting improvements.Most companies struggle with training that feels like a box-ticking exercise, but Cristina changed that for us. Now, our team feels more confident, our service quality has improved, and our people are truly engaged.Beyond her expertise, she’s incredibly easy to work with—reliable, professional, and always delivering results. If you want training that doesn’t just inform but actually transforms, Cristina is the one to call!"Ionut DRAGOMIR | Hostmind
Company Owner & Serial Entrepreneur
Short Term Rental Business Consultancy
Luxury Hospitality for Highschool
Luxury Behaviors | 5-Star Communication | Complaints HandlingMentored Albert Iacovita specifically in luxury behaviors, 5* communication, and complaints handling. Together with the mentors team, we sharpened his ability to anticipate needs and exceed expectations, skills that earned him the Excellence Medallion at EuroSkills 2025 Denmark and a top spot in hospitality performance for Romania in such a competition.
Luxury Hospitality in University
Facilitated an immersive workshop to international students, organized by Universitatea Româno-Americană, teaching luxury service behaviors and the STAR interview method.Through interactive exercises and real-life examples, students practiced observing, analyzing, and replicating high-standard service behaviors while preparing for career-ready interviews.In-person delivery | 2 Days | 5 Hours/day | 32 Participants
"The training had a perfect balance of practice and theory, good examples from real life and experience. The host really makes everyone feel welcome and included." - Participant's Feedback
"I really liked your performance, I find the information and practical workshop that you gave us very valuable. I appreciate your energetic way of leading the course - I think you perfectly tailored the presentation regarding the audience.
Thank you!" - Participant's Feedback
""I learned that luxury hospitality is about personalization and exceeding expectations. This mindset will help me anticipate clients’ needs and provide exceptional experiences." - Participant's Feedback
Tourism & Hospitality Competition
Serving as jury member, sponsor and coach for the national Tourism & Hospitality Skills Competition organized by WorldSkills Romania, supporting the evaluation of future industry professionals across Hotel Reception, Housekeeping, and Tourism disciplines.
The project focused on assessing real-world 5* service behaviors, technical accuracy, and customer interaction standards,On-site delivery | 2 Competition Days | 29 Participants | 12 High Schools | 19 Industry Partners
Contact
My approach to HR and service behavior is high-touch and highly specific. To ensure I can give your business the attention it deserves, please share the core challenge you’re currently facing.Once you hit submit, I personally review every inquiry to determine if my expertise aligns with your goals. You can expect a direct response within 24 hours.
Cristina DRĂGAN 2026