It’s a lot of fun selling the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines – Back in 1976, when Manila was chosen to host the International Monetary Fund-World Bank Conference, there was a sudden surge in hotel building to house the 5,000-strong IMF delegates. After that, the boom turned to gloom as hotel occupancy was on the wane. The sales directors decided to put their heads (and maybe their hearts, too) to sort out common problems and come up with five-star viable solutions.

Three years later, in 1979, the sales and marketing people of top hotels and resorts in Metro Manila — putting aside petty intrigues and jealousies — got together and formed the Hotel Sales & Marketing Association (HSMA).

Thirty-six years later, the 90-member (and counting) HSMA put up its first Virtus Awards “to recognize excellence among the sales and marketing professionals in the hotel and resort industry and spur them on to higher and better performance for a growing tourism economy.”

Virtus comes from the Italian word that means excellent. “People in the sales department never do anything less than excellent,” says Margie Munsayac, HSMA president. “Sales is a revenue driver — it may look glamorous, but it’s very demanding. We’re not rated A for effort but for production.”

Up for grabs were the following awards: Outstanding Sales & Marketing Associate, Outstanding Sales Manager, Outstanding Sales Leader, and Outstanding Marketing Campaign.

“In the past, there were other groups/organizations giving out awads, but we thought of an award that would focus on sales and marketing exclusively,” says Rose H. Libongco, the longest-serving president of HSMA (1982-2010). “Why only sales and marketing? We talked about the piracy that’s happening now. We were thinking we have to make people understand again what sales and marketing are because we were losing out not only to the new properties but also to the BPOs, a lot were getting attracted to the supposedly instant high pay offered by the call centers. We wanted to point out that hotel sales and marketing are different. Being in sales is a career. You can start in sales and marketing and move up to other areas in the hotel, and even be hotel manager.”

Rose rattles off names like Alfred Reyes, Maggie Garcia, Patrick Gregorio, former Tourism Undersecretary Edu Jarque, and Pat Puyat Palanca who started in sales and rose to become managers or carve a name for themselves in the tourism industry.

“Sales is a very dynamic department because of all the opportunities that it offers,” Rose stresses. “I always tell my staff, ‘You know, how you rise in this hotel is going to be limited only by your ambition. It’s up to you.’ Because you can ask for training, you can ask for cross training if you’re in a chain hotel. You can even ask for overseas training. Like chef Jessie Sincioco (she was then pastry chef at Hotel InterContinental) who had overseas training after she won the Great Maya Cookfest. She asked to be trained in Austria, the seat of pastry making. And the rest is (sweet) history.”

Margie talks about the advantages of being an HSMA member: “You get to network with fellow hoteliers, get updated on the latest tourism trends and statistics.  Our main mandate is also to provide education and professionalize our ranks. So, in our general membership meetings, we invite resource speakers who can help us grow professionally. Our speakers don’t necessarily have to come from the hotel industry, we have people from the economic sector, too, who can guide us in our marketing plans. We invite lifestyle resource persons, too, who can help members grow not only professionally but personally, too.”

Rose hastens to point out, “ If I may add, the strongest point of HSMA that has evolved over the years is that it is a respected and recognized voice of the hotel and resort industry in the tourism industry. And hotels and resorts in the Philippines are the biggest supporters of the Department of Tourism’s missions, marketing programs, and even overseas travels.”

That voice has certainly grown stronger. Margie, the ever-smiling, gregarious lady you’ll probably meet at the Bluewater Resorts in Maribago, Mactan Island, Cebu, shares, “We try to expand our network. At the very beginning, it was only the four- and five-star properties that were actually members of HSMA. A few years back, we decided to expand and include the three-star properties and maybe soon, even the two-star.”

And now, let’s meet the awardees.

The Outstanding Sales Associate award goes to JR Intertas, public relations assistant, digital media and graphic design, Diamond Hotel. The 25-year-old JR, marketing and corporate communications graduate of San Beda College, says, flashing a 24-carat smile, “I enjoy doing what I do at Diamond and working with my bosses though the hours are long and I can’t go out with my friends anymore or even have a girl friend.”

Starting as  a reliever for a staffmember who went on maternity leave, JR hopes to be a sales manager someday.

Melissa Villamayor, 34, senior sales manager at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila, is this year’s Outstanding Sales and Marketing Manager awardee. “I was lucky enough to have handled high-profile events in the past, I’ve had several delegations from state visits,” Melissa recounts. “Other than the security requirements, it’s not really hard handling heads of state as their needs are very straightforward and not impossible to give.”

Melissa loves her job as much as her mom, the late Melinda Villamayor, who worked at Sheraton Hotel, did. She fondly recalls what her late mom, who died of lung cancer at age 50, told her, “She said to always love your job and try to excel in whatever you do.”

The Sales Leader of the Year awardee is Cielo Ortega-Reboredo, director of sales and marketing, Midas Hotel & Casino on Roxas Boulevard. The articulate Cielo says she probably won the judges’ votes hands down when she told them that “her hotel Midas is 100-percent owned by Filipinos and run by Filipino hoteliers. From the general manager to the executive chef to the sales associates. And I love the fact that our owners/bosses are very supportive of whatever projects/initiatives I introduce.”

Midas is a boutique-casino hotel that boasts a unique architectural design. “We invested P10 million in furniture alone — Philippe Starck, Poltrona Frau, Ferrari chairs.”

At this hotel with the golden personalized touch, Cielo has hosted VIP guests like former British Prime Minister Tony Blair (who was pleasant and warm), singer/songwriter Cyndi Lauper (who doesn’t want to have her picture taken when she has no makeup on), Justin Timberlake (who was so nice), and Joey Albert who was a regular performer at the Calesa Bar of the Hyatt (where Midas now stands) years ago.

Cielo adds with a hint of pride, “Midas has only been around for five years and now, we’re one of the top five resort hotels in the bay area.”

Finally, the Outstanding Marketing Campaign award goes to Edsa Shangri-La Manila with team leader Ranessa Santos, director of The Spa & Health Club, and members executive chef Tobias Unger, assistant communications manager Inah Manalaysay, communications assistant Mark Cantreras, Health Club supervisor Michelle Narag, Health Club membership associate Ericka Bergado.

“Our campaign is about total wellness,” explains Ranessa. “We launched this program called ‘Move, Refuel, Recover.’ When we launched our new health club in June last year, we didn’t want to open just another gym because there was so much competition in the area. We created a unique proposition for the hotel. Why should guests choose to stay at Edsa Shang when the competitor had newer rooms, etc.? So, what we’ve done is we’ve incorporated our spa under Recover, our health club for Move, and our F&B’s health selections for Refuel. We have infused all this because if you’ll look at the global trends, if you’re talking about luxury hotels, wellness is one of the top trends. For example, Intercon recently opened an entire brand dedicated to wellness and called it Even Hotels.  So, they have a workout space inside uyour room, vitamin-infused showers, healthy F&B selections. We’ve created offers so our guests can’t say no. Under Move, we provide complimentary workout kits for guests — so, if you forgot to pack your workout bag, just call the health club to deliver your workout gear. Even yoga mats will be provided. Under Refuel, we’re encouraging our hotel guests to choose from our healthy selections in our restos. We have our special diet concierge — or if you’re a vegan, our F&B associate can recommend to you the ideal selections.”

For these hardworking and dedicated sales people, selling the Philippines is a breeze.