During this year’s 5th annual Hotelier Awards Asia (which is often considered the Oscars of the Hotel Industry), Filipino hospitality took the spotlight when the top 5 of 17 awards were won by five local hoteliers. Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila’s Yasmine Hidalgo, Robert Viana and Larsey Guieb, and Marco Polo Davao’s Francis Ledesma and Jeffrey Adlawan, took top honors for their work in an event recently held at the Sofitel Singapore City Centere. The award giving body recognizes the outstanding work of professional individuals in the hospitality industry. Being considered for the prestigious awards means submitting a glowing application and then undergoing a series of interviews and testimonials to be presented to expert judges in a two-round process. The teams of Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila and Marco Polo Davao bested 578 applicants from 12 countries and 100 properties.
Yasmine Hidalgo, PR Director of Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila was victorious in the race of Marketing & Communications Hotelier of the Year. Coming from a family of hoteliers, the she is best known for her work of luxury branding for the Manila-based hotel. She is the mastermind of numerous out-of-the-box marketing ideas, co-branding activities, strategies, and strong media relations. She has an impressive resume, working in such destinations like Budapest, Copenhagen, Helsinki and Dubai.
Her colleague, Robert Viana is the hotel’s Executive Floor Butler. He garnered the Concierge Hotelier of the Year award. Viana has been an Executive Floor Butler for 16 years and has served world leaders, royals, celebrities, and numerous other VIPS. Last from the Sofitel team, Larsey Guieb, the Learning and Development Manager of the hotel, was awarded the Human Resources Hotelier of the Year. She has been working in that sector for 10 years, where she overlooks the training of over 600 employees.
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The team from Marco Polo Davao also reigned triumphant during the awarding ceremony. Francis R. Ledesma, Owner’s Representative at Marco Polo Davao brought home the Owner Representative of the Year. He has been in this position for over 17 years. Ledesma has been credited in maintaining the hotel’s prestigious reputation for almost two decades. His guidance of the management team, his involvement in strategic planning, and his Corporate Social Responsibility with the Philippine Center has been lauded by hoteliers and the community.
Lastly, Marco Polo Davao Chief Engineer Jeffrey Adlawan was given the Engineering Hotelier of the Year. He has been instrumental in making sure the hotel achieved green and sustainable tourism through his efforts (which led to a Bronze certification from Earth Check). He also worked on making the hotel one of the two hotels in Davao that are Disability-friendly, when he installed light strobes and other mechanisms to help differently-abled people barrier-free and easier accessibility.
Other finalists from the Philippines were Sofitel Philippine Plaza’s Director of Finance Shirley Sinlao and Director of E-Commerce Dave Pimentel, Marco Polo Davao’s General Manager Dottie Wurgler-Cronin, Marco Polo Ortigas Manila’s Chief Concierge Marcelo Ripa III and Chief Engineer Eric Enriquez, Marco Polo Ortigas Manila Owner Representative Lily Te Pedrosa and Conrad Manila Executive Vice President-SMHCC- Peggy Angeles.
Hoteliers from around Asia are kindly welcomed to participate in next year’s exciting Awards. Visit www.hotelierawards.com for information on application openings for 2019
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