We had a chat with Anna, the Social Media Manager at MEININGER Hotels. Originally from Ukraine, Anna moved to Berlin with her family when the war began. In our conversation, she shares how she adjusted to life in Germany, how her team works together to create such good content, and the parts of her job she enjoys most. She also reveals how she manages to stay on top of trends in a world that moves faster than ever.
Hey Anna, when and why did you move to Germany from Ukraine? Did your family come with you?
Hi, thanks for having me. The reason for my move was unfortunately not a happy one. Even though I always had the idea of living in Berlin for a few years, I wasn’t ready for it at all. We moved here because of the war that Russia started against my country. At that time, my father was very sick—he had already been in the hospital for half a year, unable to eat or walk. It was terrible. When the war started, the hospital no longer had enough medication. It was hard to even maintain his condition, let alone provide proper treatment.
Someone I knew in Berlin suggested that we come here so he could receive medical support. I didn’t really believe it was possible, but somehow I managed to organize an ambulance from Berlin that picked him up at the Polish border. And that’s how we moved here. Thankfully, our father is feeling much better now. Next March will mark four years in Berlin. Crazy!
How have you been accommodating to life in Germany, especially without knowing the language?
I know the basics because I learned German at school. To be honest, everything has been fine, for me it wasn’t as complicated as it could have been. I like Berlin and I feel comfortable here. Of course, I miss my hometown every day, but unfortunately the war is not getting any better.
What typical German habits or traits surprised you at first and which ones have you adopted yourself over time?
I think Abendbrot is a funny one, we don’t have that in Ukraine. 😊 But I actually enjoy it sometimes; it’s nice to have some carbs after sports. And in Ukraine, we also don’t have this thing where all the shops are closed on Sundays. It was annoying in the beginning, but now I really like it. It’s cool to have this Ruhe-Tag.
How did you find your job as Social Media Manager at MEININGER Hotels? Have you always been working in this field?
I was looking for jobs on LinkedIn, and that’s how I found it. And yes, I’ve worked as a social media manager since I was 18. I started when “social media manager” wasn’t even really a term yet. 😊 I spent a whole summer clubbing at a pretty popular club in Kyiv, and slowly I began moderating their social media—answering questions, posting news, etc. Eventually they offered to pay me to do it, create the Instagram account, promote events… that’s how it all started.
What does your job look like on a day-to-day basis and where do your content ideas come from?
I wake up with my phone and go to sleep with it, ahaha. I use my laptop and phone constantly. I need to stay aware of trends and of everything happening around me, because social media is, above all, social. You always have to stay in context.
This year marks your third anniversary with MEININGER. Congrats! What is your favorite part about working here?
I really like the team. I appreciate that we have a healthy work–life balance here, and I’m happy to see that our work genuinely impacts the business in a positive way. This job is also a blast because I get to learn so much about different cities, countries, and cultures. It’s a privilege.
Our Instagram account has grown a lot in the past years. How many followers did we have when you joined compared to now?
When I joined, our account had around 15K followers. Now we’ve grown to over 53K, that’s an increase of about 253%! Amazing, right?
What do you think helped our channel grow so much in such a short time?
This growth is definitely the result of great teamwork. We have regular brainstorming sessions with Emma from the art team to come up with creative ideas, and our shootings are always so much fun. It also helps that we now have Andrea, our ads specialist, as well as great PR support and exciting collaborations. I’d say our success formula is: creativity + strong ads + cool collabs. We’re also doing really well on TikTok! Since we started running ads and posting more actively, we’ve had several videos reach over 1 million views, and our TikTok account now has 17K followers and growing.
As a social media manager, I believe teamwork is everything, but it’s also important to stay constantly online, follow trends, and react quickly. Things move so much faster now than when I first started! I also travel a lot for social media projects, creating content myself. It helps me understand our cities and hotels better, and that translates into more authentic storytelling. I’m proud that we’ve built a little in-house production team that loves to challenge itself and keep improving!
You share content from so many different cities. Do you have to travel a lot? How do you work with colleagues on-site to make that possible?
Of course, I can’t travel everywhere by myself. I have tons of work at the office. That’s why our Social Media Ambassadors are such a huge help! They’re our amazing colleagues from different MEININGER hotels who are passionate about social media and want to contribute. They create great local content that truly captures the spirit of their cities and hotels, with authentic tips, stories, and a local touch. We share content ideas and tasks with them, but they also have the freedom to bring their own creative ideas to the table. Their contributions add real diversity and authenticity to our channels.
What were our most successful posts in the past year, and what made them resonate with people?
We’ve had so many fun posts, but according to Instagram statistics, a few stand out! One of my favorites is our 25th anniversary video. I love this project because it was such a creative idea. Even though it was made less than a year ago, AI video production wasn’t really common yet. So the video was a pure 3D design project. It took a lot of work and we created it together with the amazing ctrlartd agency from Ukraine, so big shoutout to them!
Another top performer was our recent family campaign, which not only delivered great engagement but also strong revenue results. I especially loved that we worked with LGBTQ+ families, showing MEININGER’s commitment to inclusion and diversity—one of the reasons I’m proud to work here.
You always seem to be on top of the latest social media trends. What’s your secret?
No secret here… I’m just on my phone 24/7. 😄
What tips would you give to anyone who might be thinking about becoming a social media manager?
Be ready to scroll, a lot! 😄 This job isn’t easy, especially now with everything changing so fast (AI, tech, trends, news…). But it’s fun and exciting if you truly love it!
You need to:
✨ Stay curious and creative
⚡ Catch trends quickly
🎨 Process a ton of content and turn it into something unique for your brand
🧠 Be both creative and strategic
🚀 Stay open-minded! Test new ideas, take risks, and don’t be afraid to fail on your way to success
It’s definitely an interesting journey!
Thanks for sharing your insights, Anna!
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