The Manila Hotel Board of Directors has appointed Leon Keestra General Manager effective October 01, 2009.

Leon finished his hotel and catering studies in the Amsterdam College for Hotel and Catering Management in 1994. After working and teaching in several hotels and schools in The Netherlands for more than 10 years, Leon was invited by the giant cruise line operator Magasaysay Lines to help establish and open the Magsaysay Institute of Culinary and Hospitality Arts (MICHA) in 2006.

A year later he joined the Makati Shangri-la Hotel as Food & Beverage Training Manager and was eventually promoted to Training Manager in 2008. Leonʼs attention to detail and his passionate approach to service excellence transformed the service standards of Makati Shangri-la Hotel to even greater heights.

His latest appointment as General Manager of the Manila Hotel is a testament of Leon's very high hospitality standards which he hopes to transport to this property - full of rich and wonderful memories since 1912.