The hospitality industry in the Philippines is filled with some of the best, highly productive, and passionate stars at all levels. This industry continues to grow at a steady rate of 5% annually, contributing to the over-all economic performance of the country, which grew by 7% in 2012, second only to China in this region.
The abundance of wonderful hospitality people prompted me to accept an authoring challenge to write my first trade book, which I have aptly titled Hospitality Superstars. The book will be published and ready for a launch in the last quarter of 2013. Choosing my 10 superstars was not an easy task. Suffice it to say that these 10 surely deserve the honor and recognition. I would like to introduce to you the 10 Hospitality Superstars who will be featured in this book:
Alfred Reyes
Chief Operating Office, Quantuvis Resources Corporation
Alfred is considered the youngest Filipino to become a General Manager of an international hotel in the country at the age of 36. Alfred started his career as a Sales Executive of the Hyatt Regency Manila in the mid-’80s rising, to his current position as Chief Operating Officer of the owning company of the Oakwood Premier Joy-Nostalg Center Manila at the Ortigas Center.
Vanessa Suatengco
General Manager, Diamond Hotel Philippines
Vanessa is the first Filipina general manager of a fivestar hotel in the Philippines. Her meteoric rise to the top hotel post did not come easy, having to learn the ropes of hotel operations very much on her own. Vanessa was a human resources practitioner, before venturing into the operations side of hotel management in 1995. Vanessa was named Hotelier of the Year in 2008.
Leticia Delarmente
Dean, School of Hotel & Restaurant Institution Management, De La Salle - College of Saint Benilde
Dean Lettie Delarmente is in charge of one of the top (if not the top) hospitality institutions in the Philippines. The De La Salle - College of Saint Benilde was wise to appoint a dean of her caliber, having been a long time industry practitioner in the fields of human resources, administration as well as operations with hotel chains like Nikko and Days Inn.
Gueul Auste
Director of Human Resources, New World Makati City Manila Hotel
Gee Auste considers himself lucky to be alive today. He survived an assassin’s bullet that ripped through his face, arising from a hotel labor dispute in the mid-’80s. Gee is the longest staying HR Director of a five-star hotel in the country, having held his current position since the hotel opened in 1993.
Peggy Angeles
Senior Vice-President, Sales & Marketing Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts
Peggy started her career in Shangri-La as Director of Sales of its very first property in the Philippines, the EDSA Shangri-La Manila. She is the highestranking Filipina in this internationally renowned hotel chain, which continues to be one of the world’s most admired hotel companies. Peggy was named Hotelier of the Year in 2009.
Bobby Horrigan
General Manager, Acacia Hotel Manila • Managing Director, Enderun Hospitality
Bobby is a hotelier inside and out, asleep and awake. He is the kind of General Manager everybody would love working with. A great mentor, an inspiring leader. After graduating from Les Roches in 1992, he joined the pre-opening team of the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong as a management trainee at the age of 21, the youngest in Hyatt then. Bobby was recently honored as Hotelier of the Year for 2012.
Arthur Gindap
Area General Manager, The Ascott Limited
Arthur holds a unique distinction of being a country head for the largest international serviced residence company based in Singapore. Arthur worked with other distinctive hotel chains like the Mandarin, Shangri-La and Swiss-Belhotel. He was named Hotelier of the Year in 2007.
Ed Vitug
General Manager, The Bayleaf Intramuros
Ed Vitug is one of the best Filipino general managers in the country. His expertise in food and beverage was honed while working in Edsa and Makati Shangri-La, Sofitel Philippine Plaza and the Intercontinental Manila. His first break as General Manager was to open a boutique hotel in Intramuros, The Bayleaf which he has successfully steered to be one of the best hotels in the metropolis.
Merril Yu
Chief Executive Officer, Y&S Hospitality Consultants • Managing Director, GHM Hotels Philippines Inc.
Merril worked with some of the world’s best hotel companies like the Four Seasons, The Peninsula Group and the MGM Mirage. He developed, opened, and managed the Xianglu Grand Xiamen, China’s biggest hotel with 1,525 rooms, just before returning to the Philippines in 2007 to become Executive Vice President of SM Hotels & Entertainment.
Martin De Castro
Program Manager for Food & Beverage, Shangri-La Academy