Microtel makes it big

MANILA, Philippines - From an obscure hotel brand often confused with a popular American computer technology company, Microtel by Wyndham in the Philippines has come a long, long way.

Fifteen years after its first hotel was established in Luisita, Tarlac in 2001, Microtel now has 13 hotels nationwide. Among its staff, 14 have recently been recognized as certified hotel administrators (CHA) by the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI).

“We now have Microtel hotels all the way from Baguio down to Davao and General Santos City. We also have two resorts – one in Boracay and another in Puerto Princesa,” said Jose Mari del Rosario, president and CEO of Microtel by Wyndham in the Philippines.

Microtel in the Philippines is the first hotel chain in the country to certify all of its general managers and corporate officers as CHA.

“It’s a certification program administered by the AHLEI which is the educational arm of the American Hotel and Lodging Association – the biggest industry advocacy group in the US, prestigious since 1953,” Del Rosario said.

“They have various certification levels – from entry level all the way to supervisory, managerial and executive positions. The level that we have attained for our managers is the highest level and it is called certified hotel administrator or CHA.”

Del Rosario stressed that of 16,000 hospitality professionals who have achieved this level of competence, only two Filipinos have had this certification, until this batch of hotel executives from Microtel in the Philippines.

Marketing director Mary Grace Angeles, who was among those recognized as CHA, said the award is a good measurement of the kind of service they are rendering.

AHLEI vice president for international sales Ed Kastli said the CHA bestowed on 14 executives of Microtel by Wyndham in the Philippines “is a testament to the high priority that Microtel places on professional development and on advancing the status of the hospitality industry in the country.”

Hotel for mid-market

Asked why he thought of establishing a hotel chain on the heels of the Asian currency crisis, Del Rosario said it was because he saw that at that time, all the existing hotels were in the deluxe category.

“I felt that it was not serving the general need for the Philippines to push the tourism sector – decent hotel for the mid-market, domestic travelers, whether on business or leisure.

“At that time, most of the provincial hotels tabo ang gamit (were using a water dipper), no hot water. So we came in with Microtel using international standards for safety, security and comfort. Even to this today, we ensure that all three are always present in our service so our guests feel the value of their money,” Del Rosario said.

He chose their first location to be in Tarlac because the Ninoy Aquino museum was newly established then and there was also the Luisita Industrial Park.

“All of the workers had to commute to Manila just to be of service to their factories. So we thought it was a good midpoint for travelers to stop, enjoy visiting the museum or do business,” Del Rosario said.

Spanning 15 years, chain-wise they are now close to 66 percent in terms of occupancy, with Microtel Mall of Asia among their best performers “at almost 90 percent year-to-date or for the first eight months of the year, despite numerous hotels opening up.”

Those in UP, Baguio and Boracay also show very encouraging signs in terms of their niche market.

The new TRYP by Wyndham, a sister brand of Microtel, will be opening soon.

“The structure is up. TRYP is going to be located at the Mall of Asia complex, a kilometer from our present Microtel,” said Del Rosario. This will be the first TRYP in the Asian region.

“However, TRYP is geared toward the big city market or the highly urbanized market such as Metro Manila, Cebu and maybe Iloilo. It’s also applicable for mature resort destinations like Boracay.”

Building the brand

Of course they had not been immune to challenges, Del Rosario said.

In their early days, people would think they were associated with a computer technology company because their brand names sounded alike.

“We’ve surpassed that. We’ve attained a level of brand recognition. We have a good amount of loyal guests. You can look at TripAdvisor and see what the guests are saying about us,” Del Rosario said.

Six Microtel hotels have, in fact, received certificates of excellence this year from TripAdvisor.

“TripAdvisor is the most respected, credible feedback mechanism of how hospitality concepts are doing, whether they be bed and breakfast, deluxe category or business hotels. People who stay in these inns review these online,” Del Rosario said. “It beats any other review because this is the voice of the guests themselves. Only 10 percent of all the hotels in the world in each category are given a certificate of excellence.”

“We strove very hard to get this level of recognition by our guests. It’s something that we aspire for,” he added.

The formula of their success is quite simple, said Del Rosario.

“If you have happy employees, they deliver. And when they do, the guests are happy, management is happy and shareholders are happy with their investments.”

“Indeed, it’s the people who deliver the promise. Given that Microtel has a limited service concept, we are able to provide a five-star level of service,” Del Rosario, citing “the importance of repeat guests, which is much more cost-effective than acquired guests.”

For Del Rosario, who started out as a front desk receptionist at the Hotel Lausanne Palace in Switzerland and went on to become the first Filipino general manager of The Manila Hotel before his present position, Pinoys are very much attuned to the hospitality industry.

“The Philippines is an exporter of talents – in hotels, cruise ships and restaurants all over the world. It’s something that we are comfortable with, so I think it’s a good industry for us,” he said.