Synergy Global Housing takes great pride in our ability to connect with our customers on a personal level. That’s because every stay with Synergy has its own unique circumstances and every guest has their own unique needs.

Synergy Business Development Manager, Los Angeles, Sophia Benamar

Getting to know our guests and their individual preferences is imperative for ensuring the best possible corporate housing experience. For Synergy’s newest Business Development Manager, Sophia Benamar, there is no easier group to connect with than expatriates relocating to the United States. After all, she’s been in their shoes before.

In 1999, Benamar moved from her hometown of Nice, France to Los Angeles hoping to start a career in the hospitality industry. She was still learning English and didn’t know a lot of people in Southern California, but the opportunity to begin her career in the United States was too much to pass up. It was a similar situation to what a lot of our international transferees’ experience.

“A lot of time they come to the United States feeling very vulnerable,” Sophia says. “But once they see those same vulnerabilities in myself it breaks the ice very easily. It helps everyone feel more comfortable with our new relationship. There’s so much to speak about once we talk cultures and the challenges of assimilating to the United States.”

One of the first things she focused on after arriving in Los Angeles was losing her thick French accent, but she quickly learned that her language skills were actually a benefit in the world of customer service as she began a career in the hospitality industry as a front desk receptionist at a hotel.

“I had a supervisor tell me that whenever she received a compliment about me the guests would always call me, ‘The French Lady,’” Benamar said. “As in, ‘We love the French Lady!’ or “We had a great time because of the French Lady.’ I never knew it would make such a positive impact. You might not remember my name, but if you remember the impact it’s even more important.”

Sophia’s background in hospitality, customer service and housing is a tremendous addition to the Synergy family. After working several years in the hotel industry, she served as a leasing specialist at a property management company in the early 2000s. It was in this role she first learned about corporate housing. The idea of helping business travelers find a sense of “home” on the road appealed to her, and she eventually joined a corporate housing provider in 2011 in charge of Leasing and Guest Services.

“Again, it’s all about how you cater to people,” Benamar said. “It’s all about building a personal relationship with everyone you touch. It’s finding a way to troubleshoot all of the customer’s issues and identifying opportunities for mutual success. I love doing that. I love solving problems. I love helping.”

Sophia joins Synergy’s dynamic Business Developmen team at our Los Angeles Global Solutions Centre. To learn more about Synergy’s offerings in LA, contact our office at (213) 225-8870.