An independent woman from a very young age, Zhanna left home at the age of 17
and embarked on her hospitality journey to Switzerland, graduating with BA’s First Class Honours in Hospitality & Design Management at IHTTI School of Hotel Management back in 2017. Zhanna now joins the Visenso team as Creative Director.
Her experience in luxury stretches all the way from Maldives to Madeira, from managing a family-owned chalet in the Swiss Alps to working for the iconic Belmond Reid’s Palace in Portugal, she has had the chance to discover some of the most special corners of the world and learn the best of hospitality in her endeavours.
THE LOVE FOR PORTUGAL & SOCIAL MEDIA
Originally from Russia, she’s had a love affair with Portugal since the moment she stepped foot in it. Currently based in Lisbon Zhanna also runs a Boutique Social Media Marketing company which ties in hand in hand with our vision at Visenso.
Workaholic, passionate Social Media expert, professional model in the free time and a true Gemini, Zhanna is native in Russian, fluent in English and Portuguese, with intermediate German.
Her mixed role as Creative Director and Villa Expert, allows her the flexibility to work on the brand image of Visenso, while still doing what she loves best, pure and genuine hospitality, in a unique way. This is where the Villa Expert comes in handy. She will focus on developing the CIS markets for our Villa clients, and together with both Tom & I assisting her efforts we aim to provide the best service delivery for unique Villa products. According to Zhanna she spends over 4 hours a day on Instagram alone, the type of Social Media Enthusiast we need.
One of her favourite quotes by Jack Kerouac says: “Because at the end you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain”, and that pretty much sums it all up.
IN HER WORDS
When asked why join a new project like Visenso, she confidently says: “The first time I met Sergio in person I knew I wanted to be on his team. From his perspective, Visenso perfectly represents everything that luxury travel is about: igniting all 5 senses of the traveller to create a vivid experience and exceed traveller’s expectations. To me, the true luxury of the XXI Century Traveller is to breathe authenticity by living unique experiences and following sustainable practices. Once I found my soulmates in the world of travel I couldn’t miss the chance to be a part of it.”
WHY ZHANNA?
In Toms Words:
“Why not would be the easier answer, but as she describes in her own words she sees the hospitality world the same as we do: in need of a fresh look at it. With all the different interests she has picked-up over the years at all different parts of the world and industry she is a great addition to the team.
She will bring the female touch together with some Russian flair to the variety of skills and interest at Visenso.”
In Sergio’s Words:
“Sitting at the Almalusa Hotel Baixa / Chiadoin Lisbon, she orders a Negroni and we engage in a deep conversation about Luxury Hospitality, what we do, where Visenso is born, and immediately our interest of working together grew. Zhanna wants more from life, and she enjoys a challenge. It was not hard to see that with her passion for our industry and her network in the CIS countries she would be perfect to help us developing such an exciting product. The branding part of our conversation came as the cherry on top. I think her confidence, and attention to detail are a fantastic match for Visenso.
With the right guidance and freedom to spread her wings I expect big things from her. I am thrilled she jumped at this opportunity.”
Sergio Taveras,
Managing Director Visenso | Luxury Travel Ambassadors