Lena didn’t plan to immerse herself in surfing. For years she worked at a non-descript airport hotel in Halbergmoos. Each day she passed a plot of dirt and scrub that slowly transformed into a wave pool. Something clicked and Lena figured: why not try to work here? Boom. Success. Now she runs the Surf Center at o2 Surftown MUC, and while the dream of working where people come to play everyday sounds like it should be all shakas and high-fives, it’s not. There’s coordinating rental logistics, briefing schedules, and the constant replies to guests asking where the toilets are. So does Lena (last name witheld) find working at a surf park more fun than handing room cards to weary travellers? Yes. Find out why.
Lena, you’re in charge of the Surf Center at o2 Surftown MUC, Munich. Can you tell us a bit about your background? Are you from Munich?
I lived in Halbergmoos my whole life, so it’s more like a homecoming for me to be here. Before I worked at o2 Surftown MUC, I worked at a Halbergmoos airport hotel. It wasn’t far from here. As they began the construction site of o2 Surftown MUC, I saw it from the hotel and felt like, okay, if this is ready, I’m just gonna work here. It was a new company, so it felt like freedom. I surf. I do surf trips, I’m not a professional surfer—more like a beginner—but I used to go on holidays to surf in France and South Africa. So I thought, why not try something new? This felt fresh, like a startup, and I was like, okay, let’s try this. So I applied at o2 Surftown MUC.
How long after applying did you get the job? Was it hard to wait while they were still building and opening?
I did the application in December and started in March 2024. It was only three months. It wasn’t that long. But of course, as you said, I applied and then there were like two or three weeks of nothing because it was between Christmas and New Year’s Eve—lots of holidays. Then they called me like, “Would you like to come over for an interview?” I said, “Okay, let’s do this.” After the interview, one and a half to two weeks later, I got the answer that I could work at o2 Surftown MUC. That was amazing. It only took two months to start here.
You run the Surf Center now. Was that your first position?
I started as the Guest Relation Manager—it was just check-in at the beginning, the front desk. We had a team of five. That was my first responsibility here. I created different kinds of processes for the check-in, to help streamline it. So this wasn’t my complete position from the beginning.
Tell me about the the Surf Center at o2 Surftown MUC. What is it exactly?
All the team members have the title Surf Center Agent, and I think it’s kind of unique. I’m responsible for different departments: the check-in or front desk, the rental, and the shop. All three departments are connected. The shop and check-in are right next to each other, so if you check in, you’re in the shop too. That’s why it makes sense to manage them together.
Over the last year, we had a lot of changes in processes and team members. We thought, why not be more flexible? We now train all team members in all departments because we use the same system and information. At the front desk, we inform guests about briefing zones and promotions. At the rental, we help with boards and wetsuits, but guests still ask the same questions about o2 Surftown MUC. So it made sense to be flexible and rotate everyone through different roles.
So everybody rotates through the departments now?
It wasn’t the plan at the beginning in 2024. It’s new for 2025. But it makes sense—we all have the same responsibilities and job title now. It’s flexible and helps when someone needs support at the front desk or rental.
You help in the surf shop too, with merchandise?
Yes. If a customer wants to buy something, we can handle it at the check-in. If there’s a special question about boards or Oakley or Rip Curl wetsuits, we have two people who mainly work in the shop with more knowledge. But of course, front desk can handle shop sales too—we do the merch and take payments.
When you cycle through the jobs, what do you enjoy the most?
I think the flexibility is great. The rental is downstairs, and check-in is upstairs. Upstairs, you can see the wave pool, which is kind of cool. We work here because it’s unique—there’s a pool outside in Halbergmoos, and you can see the waves. If you only work in rental, you miss the view. It’s nice that we now rotate and get to experience all areas.
What is the most common question you get asked? Top three maybe?
At the beginning, during construction, the top question was, “Where’s the toilet?” Another was, “Where’s the entrance?”—we changed the entrance quite often at first. Now the most common is, “Where’s my briefing zone and what time?” It’s funny—when guests arrive, they see the wave for the first time during check-in, and they’re so stoked that they don’t hear you. Then after, they ask, “Where’s my briefing?” even though you just explained it.
What advice would you give guests to make their check-in smoother?
All of them are amazing. I used to work at a hotel, and people there were often stressed or depressed—overnight guests before a flight. They weren’t happy. Here, people are happy. They’re excited to surf, see the waves, and the atmosphere is different. It makes the check-in easier. Even if they have to wait five minutes, they’re fine because they’ll be here all day.
My advice is to have your QR code ready. We send it by email the day before, with all information. At check-in, the first thing we ask is, “Do you have your QR code?” Sometimes guests spend one or two minutes searching for it. If you have it ready, check-in is smooth and easy.
