Keeping the old and adding the new
JUST in time for the runup to its fifth anniversary, Sheraton Manila is keeping some of the old but is also introducing the new — particularly a new executive chef and several new executives.
Earlier this week, Sheraton Manila showed off the Sheraton Club, an exclusive venue for Marriott Bonvoy members (the Sheraton chain was acquired by Marriott International in 2016 after purchasing its parent, Starwood). There, they introduced their new Italian Executive Chef, Andrea Burzio.
Mr. Burzio is installing a “prenza e cena (lunch and dinner)” Italian spread at the hotel’s S Kitchen restaurant. For that, he teased guests with a one-meter-long lasagna, which is set to enter S Kitchen in October.
General Manager Anna Vergara said in a speech that they began operations in January 2019 — its return to the Philippines after three decades — and we know what happened a year later.
“The past five years were not a walk in the park,” she said. She told BusinessWorld that in those five years, the hotel had been used as a quarantine facility, while they bolstered their food and beverage operations so they could offer takeout and delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“During the pandemic, we obviously had to cut down on a lot of things. We wanted to make sure that we survived. Because of that, we discovered a lot of efficiencies,” she told BusinessWorld. “We realized that these efficiencies can be applied in the ‘real’ world.” These include the same stringent hygiene standards enforced during the height of the pandemic, but also making more use of their online capabilities — including within the management board, where they continue holding online meetings.
Aside from Ms. Burzio, Ms. Vergara introduced a new Director of Sales and Marketing for the hotel, Ria Galvez. She introduced us as well to the Director of Food and Beverage, Czats Lopez. Feminism looks strong in this workplace, and Ms. Vergara mentioned that seven out of nine members of the executive board were women. Ms. Vergara, who had been General Manager since the Sheraton’s 2019 opening (it must be noted that Ms. Vergara’s status as a General Manager of an international hotel chain is also a rarity in the city), spoke about the difference of a woman’s touch. “I don’t want to be very biased against our male counterparts. But for us, for women, I think the biggest advantage is the nurturing talent that we have that comes out naturally,” she said. “A majority of our women leaders, we are actually mothers, so they use that as an advantage in taking care of our associates (and guests).”
The countdown to the January anniversary — the celebrations for the fifth anniversary will kick off on Jan. 14, 2024 — kicks off with holiday room packages and even a wedding campaign (10% off food and beverage for a 2024 Sheraton Manila Grand Ballroom wedding). — JLG
