MEET THE TEAM: PAULA HASLER

Meet Paula: Biathlete, hospitality management student and the sweetest person you’ll ever meet.

Tell us a bit about where you’re from

I grew up in a little town called Glashütte in Germany which is very famous for watchmaking. There are five large companies located there which you’ll find in shops across the world.

However, I didn’t go to school in Glashütte. At seven years old I started to compete in biathlon – for those who don’t know, it’s a combination of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. I found it easier to go to a boarding school close to my hometown so I could compete and train. I ended up competing at a very competitive level for 12 years right up until I came to Scotland.

How did you end up in Scotland?

I visited in June 2017 and did a tour through Scotland and fell in love with Edinburgh and I went home wanting to study here. A year later I moved to Edinburgh and applied for Edinburgh University during the 2018 clearing in July and ended up getting accepted into the hospitality management programme. I started work at BABA a short while later!

Why do you love working in BABA?

The team – 100%! We have come a long way in the last year. Everyone gets along very well, we can trust one another, and are very relaxed. This translates to the guests’ experience – BABA has a great atmosphere and I think that’s definitely a reason why. The food is also amazing! I’m proud to serve the food, and can honesty recommend the dishes.

I also love the fact that BABA is a part of a fun and quirky Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel – it has endless opportunities.  I recently did some job shadowing at front desk and it really opened my eyes to the rest of the hotel. I know where all of the rooms are now and can explain more to people when I’m working in BABA. It also helps me in my studies because one day I hope to be a General Manager of a hotel or somewhere similar.

What’s your favourite dish on BABA’s menu right now?

That’s such a hard question – there’s so much good stuff! The broccoli is an all-time favourite of mine and the sweetcorn I could probably eat every day and never get tired of.

How do you spend your time outside of BABA?

Now that I have stopped competing, I love spending time with friends and having more freedom. I loved to compete, but I trained six days a week and it took up a lot of time! I’m still active though and am getting into cycling, going to the gym and I occasionally run.

What’s next?

I’m only in my second year of university, so lots of studying to do still. Next year I’ll be taking part in a five-month internship which will be really interesting.