A Very Special Weekend | How This Brazilian Went From Raucous São Paulo To Chill Key West | By Paul Gallant | Publisher Pinktickettravel

Arícia Oliviera moved to the United States under difficult circumstances. She grew up in São Paulo, Brazil, and as an adult worked in travel and tourism with her dad.

After her dad died in 2020, she moved to Florida to help her wife’s sister run her restaurant, but then COVID-19 put a damper on things.

Eventually she started working in sales in hotels, being promoted up the ranks at Remington Hospitality, which manages more than 100 properties for an array of brands across the United States and Caribbean.

Earlier this year she landed in Key West to take the position of sales manager for two properties beloved for their relaxed Key West vibe. When Oliviera spoke to Pink Ticket Travel about her career and Key West, she was waiting for her wife, who is also from Brazil, to meet her in Key West for the first time.

Your dad was a tour guide and ran a travel agency. Do you feel you were born into the industry?

It was hard when I was too young to understand why my dad was travelling all the time, but when I was in college, studying hospitality and tourism, I started working with my dad and realized how important being part of this industry was to him. Then I started travelling with him and with some clients, and that’s when I realized that I love what I do. I finally understood why my dad had such a passion for it. It was a very special moment.

You’re originally from Brazil. Which part?

I am from São Paulo. Big city, all the craziness. I love that, but I was always more of a quiet person who likes nature. So every weekend I would go to a small countryside town outside of São Paulo, to spend time with my friends and the other half of my family. São Paulo was really important for me in growing in my career, but I also like to decompress.

You started out as a travel agent, but now you’re a sales manager for two properties. What was that transition like?

I can see the other side of the story now. When I was a travel agent, we were always demanding things like concessions, pricing. Most of the time, you don’t understand the hotel side until you start working on it.

It’s not only about having a guest room ready for someone. It’s about making sure that the whole team is smiling when they see a guest come through the door. It’s making sure that if you’re walking around a hotel and see something on the floor, you pick it up. That’s what hospitality means. It’s not only being welcoming but making sure that every single area of the hotel you work with is proper for your clients.

What brought you to Florida?

That’s a really funny and crazy story. I was always interested in the United States. I remember when I was a kid, I couldn’t even speak English, but I was always creating some sort of language in my mind to communicate. My mom was always asking me, “What are you talking about?” I was like, “It’s English.” She’d say, “That’s not English.”

I moved to the United States in 2020, right after my dad passed away. I was a little bit depressed and couldn’t keep working in the same place that I had worked with my dad since I was 18. I just couldn’t take it.

I was already in a relationship with Raquel, my wife. Her sister was living here in Sarasota. Florida, and was pregnant. She asked, “Would you be able to come here and help me with my restaurant?” I landed here in February 2020, and then in March, we went into lockdown for COVID-19. I didn’t know what to do.

Nobody could actually engage in hospitality or tourism at the time, so I couldn’t do anything.

Then I started at the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront, which at the time was part of Remington Hospitality, the company I now work for. I was given the opportunity to relocate to Key West and to these two beautiful properties, La Concha and Pier House, after being named one of the top 10 sales managers for Remington Hospitality. It was my first time here.

For most people, Key West is a place for fun and relaxation. What’s it like to work there?

I’ve been here for two months. In that time, I have been amazed to see how we are able to combine the professional side with the vacation side, and how everyone is happy, relaxed and excited to go out.

That changed my mindset. Being in a place where everyone—literally everyone—is welcome made a huge difference for me. Not that I wasn’t feeling welcome in St. Pete, where I used to work; I loved that place from the bottom of my heart. But Key West is special. I had a friend from Brazil who was just here this weekend. She just got married to her beautiful wife, and they were so happy being in Key West, she didn’t have words to express it.

It definitely has LGBTQ+ roots, but I’ve also heard it’s also a little bohemian, populated with people with colourful personalities.

It is, it is. But also you see families coming here to enjoy the sunset celebration. Honestly, the opportunities here can open your mind in so many different ways. Let’s talk about drag shows. Around the globe, sometimes people think drag shows are mostly just about singing, entertaining. It’s not just about that. It’s about culture.

A drag show is actually art. This is important. My family is coming from Brazil to Key West for the first time this week. I was telling them about drag shows, and this is something completely new for them. So I’m really excited for them to have this experience. Aqua Bar and Nightclub (711 Duval St., Key West) is definitely my favourite place. I love how it’s not only about the performance but about how funny the Aquanettes are. They do amazing celebrity impersonations.

Florida as a state has some laws and policies that are unfriendly to LGBTQ2S+ people. But it also has communities, like Key West, that are some of the most welcoming in the U.S. As an out lesbian and a woman who is married to a woman, how do you negotiate that aspect of Florida in your everyday life?

I try to understand the boundaries for every place I go, but I wouldn’t change myself just because someone in a certain place does not appreciate who I am. I am not here to fight. If you don’t believe in love, or that two people from the same gender can love each other, I understand that is your opinion. But I love my wife, and I know that she loves me back. I already fought so hard to accept myself as a teenager, coming out to my family and being accepted by them.

I’ve been through such hard moments in my life to get where I am right now that I try not to let myself be affected by mean people’s comments.

Honestly, everywhere I’ve worked here, and from the moment I started working with Remington Hospitality, I’ve felt so welcome. I’ve been able to talk openly about who I am, how my weekend was with my wife, our plans to have babies. It has made such a huge difference being in a place where I can feel that I am welcome, that I don’t have to be afraid of who I am, and where people would talk openly with me about my life.

As part of the LGBTQ2S+ community, what kind of magic do you bring to the job?

I believe in always being yourself. When you try to fake something or try to pretend to be someone you’re not, there’s a 99 percent chance that you’re going to fail. Being authentic and being respectful of other people is what makes you stand out. I was always this type of person—always trying to be sweet—but if I have to be strong in certain areas of my life, I will be. It’s about not changing who you are. Be proud of who you are and proud of where you’re coming from. I’m proud to be Brazilian, I’m proud to be married to a woman and I’m proud of what I do. I think that’s what people will respect.

How would you compare your two properties, La Concha Key West, Autograph Collection and Pier House Resort & Spa?

Pier House (1 Duval St., Key West) is a place you go to when you want to relax, enjoy the beach and have some drinks by the bar to decompress. Now, when you want to enjoy the lifestyle—especially because of the location of each property—La Concha (430 Duval St., Key West) brings a different atmosphere.

It’s the place with the Tropicado Mojito Bar, where you can socialize and make friends. It also has a unique design and architecture that transports you to a different place. Honestly, every time I go to La Concha, I don’t feel like I’m in the United States. I feel like I’m in Cuba, or even back in Brazil because of how colourful and different it is.

What are some of your favourite places to go or things to do in Key West?

Well, I mentioned I love the drag shows at Aqua. I also love The Docks Restaurant + Raw Bar (6840 Front St., Key West) and the live music there.

I couldn’t talk about Key West without mentioning the Tropicado Mojito Bar at my property, because it’s amazing and the salsa nights there are wonderful. One Duval restaurant at Pier House has some of the best meals that I’ve had here. When my family comes, we’ll definitely get a boat to go out and watch the sunset. There’s also some adventure stuff, like parasailing, that I really want to do with my wife, since it will be her first time here. My nephew and nieces are kids, so we want to take them on lots of adventures.

When you and your wife travel, what’s the dynamic? Who’s the lead planner?

We actually try to do it together, honestly. We do a lot of research, watch a lot of videos. I learned something from my dad. He always said that travelling is important, but while most people think only about the theme parks when they think of Orlando, for example, there are so many nice small restaurants and different areas you can visit to help the community and help tourism grow. I’m not only going to the places that everyone else likes to go. I like to explore further.

What’s your favourite thing about your job?

Learning about new cultures. Sometimes you’re not going to be able to travel as much as you want to, and working in hospitality is the best way of meeting someone from China, Japan, Germany or anywhere else, and learning about their culture without going there.

How do you deal with life’s challenges?

The biggest challenge is not changing who I am to please someone, and also being able to overcome rejection. You’re going to face rejections in life, you’re going to hear “no.” There’s a Brazilian expression, “Mar calmo nunca fez bom marinheiro,” which means, “A calm sea will never make a good sailor.” I think we should take this not only professionally but for life. You’re going to have challenges in your life, but the important part is making sure that you don’t let them defeat you.

It might affect you for a day, but the next day, just look forward and try to do your best to get the “yes” that you’re looking for.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.