In the heart of Bucharest’s Old Town, at 12 Doamnei Street, lies a beautifully refurbished space. Once a renowned bank during Little Paris’s golden era, built in 1886, it has been flawlessly transformed over 130 years later into what’s now Hilton Garden Inn. Jetsetters with a penchant for bleisure and local architecture have, at last, found their happiness in this warmly elegant territory. But who’s behind the welcoming atmosphere, using soft power, empathy and culture to charm the guests?

Imagine a woman whose joy is deeply connected to the happiness of those around her. A woman who blends the cordiality of hospitality with a profound sense of compassion—someone whose career and life are woven together by acts of generosity and creativity. Her love for connection and natural empathy have shaped her into an outstanding leader in the hospitality industry, where she consistently fosters community through understanding. There’s no wonder she received the Best GM title at the most recent Horeca Women Awards Gala. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Irina Semaca, the Hilton Garden Inn Bucharest Old Town’s leader—the kind of person we need more of in this world.

1. WHAT WOULD MAKE YOUR SOUL SING? WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY? 

Seeing my son, Matei, happy fills me with joy. Offering less fortunate children a reason to smile and seeing it light up their faces makes my soul sing. Trying to bring a little joy to other people makes me the happiest. 

2. A CHILDHOOD STORY THAT ANNOUNCED THE CREATIVE PERSON YOU ARE TODAY 

I’ve always loved being surrounded by people, whether it was family, friends and people I can relate to, I can learn from. I’ve always felt that one can only improve, enrich themselves by knowing other people and their stories. One of my first childhood memories is of me sitting on the roadside, with a big chunk of bread in my hand, making small talk with my friends and neighbors. Somehow, this rather unpoetic image anticipated my future career, as bread is the ultimate symbol of hospitality and communication skills make good professionals in this industry. 

 3. BEST CONTEXT EVER FOR INSPIRATION WAS

Challenges took me out of my comfort zone so many times over the years, leading me to push my boundaries. Meeting different cultures, ideas and ways of life can inspire new ways of thinking and lead to creative ideas. Traveling, art, music and literature from around the world have the same power of sparking new ideas.

4. THE PROJECT YOU LOVED MOST 

Over the past few years, me and my team from Hilton Garden Inn Bucharest Old Town have constantly been involved, along with the fantastic people from “Ana și Copiii” Association or Pavel Association, in various social causes to try to help children suffering from incurable diseases or children coming from disadvantaged families. Not only these actions bond us as a team, but they brought us more down to earth and taught us important life lessons. 

5. THE PROJECT OTHERS LOVED MOST 

Oddly enough, the projects that made me happy made other people happy as well. I remember last year we organized with PAVEL Association a coffee break for the parents of children who were under treatment at Fundeni Institute. We were amazed by the impact of this small gesture on these wonderful people. They sent us emotional messages, telling us we made them feel like home for a while, which was really impressive. Another project that comes into my mind is related to trimming the Christmas tree in our hotel. As a tradition, we always trim it with decorations that we buy from “Ana și Copiii” Association. The decorations are crafted by the children and made only of recycled materials. And every year, after we lit up the tree, these children come to our hotel for a sweet treat and a hot chocolate and some caroling near the tree. It is a special moment that both us, the guests and the children love.

6. THE BEST THING ABOUT LOCAL CREATIVITY IS  

Its resilience which developed during tough times. Local creativity broke through even in the toughest times, such as communism, in all its bitter humor and genius. Humor and creativity are deeply rooted to the Romanian people and in rough times they always acted as a survival method.

7. BEST STATEMENT OF LOCAL HUMOR  

Our language is full of utterly untranslatable jokes—sometimes bitter or self-ironic, but brilliant in their expressiveness. One example that comes to mind is CSF/NCSF, which is currently 'in' among my son’s tech-savvy generation. It’s an abbreviation for 'Ce Să Faci / N-ai Ce Să Faci,' literally meaning, 'What can you do? There’s nothing you can do about it.' It’s a lazy, indifferent observation often dropped into conversations that slightly bore you. 

8. ADVICE FOR INTERNATIONAL HEADHUNTERS, RELATED TO LOCAL CREATIVES 

Expect to be amazed. They are curious, they are ambitious, they are constantly eager to learn, to discover new cultures, new territories in order to nurture their passion.  

9.  BEST PLACE IN BUCHAREST THE CAPITAL  

It’s so hard to narrow to only one. “Infinitea” Tea House in Cotroceni, IOR Park, a less known park for tourists, but so beautiful, Stavropoleos Monastery in downtown Bucharest, Village Museum and, of course, Hilton Garden Inn Bucharest, which besides being my work place and a Hilton hotel, is an architectural beauty raised in 1886 that still preserves many splendid details of its original glory.

10.  BEST PLACE IN YOUR COUNTRY

My favorite two are Bucovina, because it’s my homeland and because of its unparalleled beauty and Danube Delta, because it is a unique, universal treasure, that has been on the list of Unesco’ World Heritage Sites since 1991. 

11.  MOST DISTURBING CLICHÉ ABOUT ROMANIA IN THE MEDIA OUTLETS OF THE WORLD IS

The most inoffensive cliché is that Romania is still considered to be the Land of Dracula. This way everybody confuses a real person, which was Vlad the Impaler, Prince of Valachia, with a character made up in Hollywood studios. Although this stereotype brought so many tourists in Transylvania, history should not be distorted. 

The most offensive cliché is that Romania is a land of gypsies. This is extremely offensive for the 3% gypsy minority, as they are often seen abroad as beggars or thieves. Though local authorities are still struggling to integrate this ethnic group, what tourists can actually see while discovering Romania are even thriving gypsy villages, with well-defined rules and traditions. I’ve personally met many talented young artists among this community. Their culture is so deep rooted in history and so beautiful, and it has surpassed Romania’s borders long time ago. Fanfara Ciocârlia and Taraf de Haïdouks are just two of the famous examples that come into my mind.  

12. ROMANIA SHOULD BE KNOWN FOR  

For the small, quiet, breathtaking villages in Transilvania, such as Malancrav, Biertan or Copsa Mare. Few of these wonderlands are already world famous, such as Viscri or Săpânța, in Maramures, but it’s still so much more to discover.  Romania becomes a lifetime story once you get to know it’s soul, it’s remarkable traditions, it’s genuine kitchen. And one can only do that if they get to know Romania’s authentic, spectacular villages.

13. YOUR VIEWS ON SPIRITUALITY

I believe that we cannot evolve as human beings without spirituality. Spirituality implies exploring fundamental universal themes such as love, compassion, altruism, selflessness, truth and justice, that define our journey through life and make us better individuals.

14. YOUR VIEWS ON MONEY  

Money is important, but never enough on its own. And always an overrated topic. 

15. AN INSPIRATION SOURCE YOU RECOMMEND FOR A YOUNG CREATIVE  

I think that inspiration is a very personal matter, what inspires me might not inspire others and so on. But I would definitely suggest a young creative to never stop looking for inspiration. The world is full of amazing things patiently waiting for us to discover them. So travel a lot, read a lot, listen to music, meet new people and let each person or place’ story inspire you.

16.  A LOCAL BASED FEMALE TALENT THAT DESERVES TO BE PROMOTED AT INTERNATIONAL LEVEL, AS EXPONENT OF LOCAL CREATIVE SPIRIT

Over the years, I had the privilege to meet extraordinary women, whose generosity, power of sacrifice, selflessness and life stories are inspiring. If I had to give just a few examples, it would be Roxana Dumitru from PAVEL Association and Mihaela Voivozeanu, from “Ana și Copiii” Association. They are both powerful examples of devotion and commitment in putting other people first. My dear friend and colleague Natalia, who is our fairy godmother, always helping us help others, is yet just another extraordinary woman whose ambition and enthusiasm can move mountains. I don’t know if these women will ever be promoted internationally, but I they can inspire others the way they inspired me, they should.  

At the same time, I think that one should never limit to finding powerful examples in only one culture. Each local culture we come across is a wonderful opportunity to learn, to grow, to become a better version of ourselves. I’ve recently had the opportunity to go to Kenya and visit Kazuri Beads Factory, a workplace created by the visionary Lady Susan Wood for the single mothers in the surrounding villages. This place mission was to create employment opportunities and uplift the lives of these resilient women. Their stories, strength and optimism and simply empowering and could act as life lessons for all of us.

IRINA SEMACA'S BIO 

Born in 1980 in Gura Humorului. Her mother worked in IT and her father was an engineer. She has an older sibling, Iulian. She graduated the Bucharest University of Economic Studies in 2003. She started to work in hospitality as a receptionist and then gradually got ahead in other hotel departments. She believes that the experience she had in almost each department of a hotel helped her understand each department’s needs and become a better manager. She was general manager of K+K Hotel Elisabeta in Bucharest and then she was appointed general manager of Hilton Garden Inn Bucharest Old Town. During the pandemics, for a year and a half, she was a cluster general manager for both Hilton Garden Inn Bucharest Old Town and Hilton Garden Inn Bucharest Airport.  She loves arts and travelling. 

 AWARDS

 Best General Manager at the Horeca Women Awards Gala 2023