Case 2: The Tourism Professional and Balikbayans

There was another flight that I was in the required extra patience on my part because I
was again faced not by one but by group of about 10 senior balikbayans flying from Honolulu
to Manila after many years of being away from the Philippines. About an hour before landing
at the Manila International Airport (now the Ninoy Aquino International Airport), some of
American passengers seated close to this people called my attention to complain about the
noisy balikbayans. The truth is, they were indeed quite noisy if not rowdy. Deep inside, I knew
these 10 Filipino-Americans were just excited to be back home and to experience and re-live
once again their memories of this land them once their home.
At this moment, I was dealing with a set a very different people – once Filipinos in their
past, now Americans by choice after migrating to America. With the exemption of two,
everyone was speaking English with a “twang” never answering me in Filipino, so conversing
with them was a little amusing.
My mission was to ask my kababayans to tone it down a bit because other passengers
were complaining. I initially thought it was going to be as easy as just requesting them to tone
down and they would. Unfortunately, for some strange reason, the leader of the group stood
up and put his face too close to mine and bluntly told me that they were not going to tone
down their voices and no Filipino steward could demand them to do so. I was aghast, to say
the least. Since this leader was behaving more like a spoiled brat that an adult, I decided to
react to his childish demeanor by also acting like a child too but a smart one.
Since I heard them also speak Ilocano interspersed with their English, I decided to use the
very little Ilocano I Know and surprise them with my first question which was, “anyat ti nagan
mo” The leader of the pack, who still had his face close to mine, suddenly retreated and asked
“Ilocano ka?”I laughed and said that was the only Ilocano I know. For some reason, he
relaxed his stance and continued to ask me questions. I spent some time with them because
now all of a sudden it went from “we will not follow any order from anyone, much less a
Filipino steward,” to “can you tell us something more about yourself?” and “would you like to
learn more Ilocano words?”
Now that I was able to break the ice, I continued and told them that if they all toned down
their voices, I will give them each a nice toy souvenir from PAL.
They became louder because they started cheering and thanking me already for the
toys. I reminded all of them, the toys will only come if there will be peace and quiet among
them. They all obliged. I went back to the gallery and prepared 10 PAL airplane giveaways. I
showed them the toys and told them I will personally and happily hand this over to each one of
them before deplaning. Fortunately to everyone, there was peace and quiet until landed in
Manila.
Case 3: Tourism Professionals in the Hotel
Upon arriving at my destination, I usually take the hotel limousine for convenience and
safety. Since I made prior arrangements, an airport representative of the hotel I am booked n
meets me by the airport exit, assists me with my luggage, and leads me to my waiting
limousine. Not all hotels employ airport representatives. In cases like this, you have to deal
directly with the land transport companies in the airport. In this day and age of Uber and Grab,
transportation is made easier anywhere you are in the world. “Airport reps” as they referred to
for short, are on the frontline of the hotel staff I will be encountering. They are, therefore, the
hotel’s first impression, and hotel companies are aware of this and ensure that they are
properly recruited and trained. Another adage states that “first impressions last.” Airport
representatives are, therefore, uniformed properly, if not attractively, and given all the tools to
deliver fast, efficient, and courteous service all the time. Their interaction with hotel guests can
be as quick as one to two minutes only.
The hotel industry, like many other industries, has a special list of what they refer to as
VVIPs or very important persons. Do not get me wrong, everyone in the hospitality industry is
a VIP or a very important person. However, some customers are very fussy and particular to
specific service provisions that require special attention to detail and precise delivery of
service, and they pay a premium for such service. It is the reason why there are hotel
limousines versus sedans, executive floor versus standards floors, and butlers versus waiters.
I am now on my way to the hotel chauffeur will have to continue with the established first
impression I received from the airport rep. Once in the car, this chauffeur once again can
either make it or break it for the hotel he represents. A hotel chauffeur can act as a conduit to
some of your local travel plans, so do engage him in conversation. He also can serve as an
impromptu tour guide whole driving you to the hotel unless you opt for some peace and quiet.
In many cities, hotel chauffeurs are required to undergo and become certified tour guides. One
of the important qualifications for this interesting job is that the chauffeur’s top of mind instinct
is safety. He should have excellent driving skills, must be in good physical condition, and must
be a great representation of not only his hotel but his country. He must be able to answer
questions from passengers that can include anything about places to go in the city or the
country, the political system and current government, and sometimes private questions about
himself or his family, among other things.
The transportation service from the airport to the hotel becomes part of any hotel’s
extended service; therefore, many try out-do reach other in impressing their incoming guests
with extra service even while on the way. Among these services are bottled cold water or
sodas, candies, hot or cold towels, magazines and newspaper, or extra car pillows. Whatever
will make the guest happy and comfortable.
Arriving at the hotel is one of the best parts of this travel cycle. There are hotel companies
that give a very specific focus on guest arrivals, ensuring all our five senses are captured at
this magical moment. Accor Hotels, among the biggest hotels chains in the world, manage the
Sofitel Philippine Plaza which is at forefront of this philosophy. If you wish to experience a
grand welcome, try entering this hotel and you will experience this special moment. It is also
important to note that the Sofitel Philippine Plaza is the only 5-star hotel where their lobby
ambassadors greet you in French and Filipino with “Bonjour. Mabuhay” or “Good Morning.
Mabuhay!” The Sofitel is a wonderful presentation where multicultural diversity is very
pleasantly rolled and accepted by both guests and staff. Accor is a French Hotel company that
owns some of the most iconic hotel brands in the world like Raffles, Fairmont, Banyan Tree,
Novotel, and Mercure.
When we were opening the first Shangri-La Hotel in the Philippines the EDSA Shangri-La
Manila, there was a lobby lounge service practice in the other Shangri-La hotels like Indonesia
that we were preparing to transport to the Philippines. The practice was for the lobby lounge
attendants serving guests in their low tables to be in a kneeling position whole laying down
whatever food and beverage was ordered by guests. During the planning stage of our service
procedures for the lobby lounge, this was discussed and debated; but s good soldiers,
everyone was willing to give it a serious try. We did. Until our guests were ones who told us
not to kneel before them. After about a month of his kneeling procedure, we accepted the fact
that it certainly is not Filipino to kneel for service. This is a very good example of a traditional
that might be totally normal and acceptable in other cultures but not in ours.
The lobby ambassadors, or in many cases the doormen or bellmen, are the third line of
staff you will encounter. Despite the very limited time they have to impress their arriving
guests, their most important task is to look the guest in the eye, warmly welcome them as they
straight to the front desk for immediate check-in. This very short time they spend with guests
must be enduring. Just like all other hotel staffers, they are expected to deliver nothing but
excellent service during the entire interaction.
At the front desk, I am met by a front desk receptionist. Some hotels refer to them as front
desk associated or front clerks. Here lies the heart of the hotel. The desk associated are
expected to expeditiously check in guests without any bureaucracy or unnecessary delays. If
my hotel reservation was handled adequately, the check-in process should not take longer
than two minutes.
Most hotels are equipped with the latest property managements system or PMS as they
are referred to that allow for efficient guest management, and the checking-in process is just
one part of the entire system. A good PMS can create higher percentage of guest’ loyalty if
utilized properly by hotel staff. Hotels always endeavor to increase their percentage share of
returning guests because it makes good business sense.
The front desk receptionist is fully aware of all nationalities in the house. The challenge is
that nationalities rarely speak English as a second language. Correctly interpreting what
guests are telling you is of utmost importance. Watch out for the French, Portuguese,
Germans, Chinese, and Japanese among many others.
While in the hotel, I will be interacting with many other tourism professionals. This includes
the room attendant, laundry valet, room service order taker, room service waiter, bartender,
restaurant receptionist, restaurant waiter, maître ‘d hotel, health club staff, and recreational
staff. Depending on the hotel’s other services, I could meet other hotel professionals such as a
lifeguard, a business center associate, an events planner, or a specialty chef like a sushi or a
dim sum chef.
Among the hotel staff that can be helpful to any guest at any time is the concierge. The
concierge staff are stationed at the front office and encompass many responsibilities from
valet parking, door opening, mail and message delivery, luggage handling, transportation
services, and tour and travel services. The concierge should be able to assist a guest even if it
will require leaving their post to accomplish the guest request. A good concierge is like the
hotel’s compendium of services, a repository of information about anything and everything a
hotel guest might require during his stay.
There is a worldwide concierge association called Les Clefs d’Or which means “the keys
of gold” signifying the golden standards in hotel services. In the Philippines, Les Clefs d’Or
Philippines is one of the better organized and recognized hotel associations. The beauty of
Clefs d’Or is by its very nature, meant to give only superior service and be able to easily
overcome multicultural diversities that permeate among global travelers, be it language, race,
tradition, or religion.
There are many other associations for the different functions in the hotel industry. Among
these are marketing and sales, human resources, housekeeping, and security. Associations
are there to further the development of their members and to provide them an industry social
environment.
When I was a Director for Human Resources of the Hyatt Regency Manila, we
implemented a very interesting program where all hotel executives and managers would be
assigned to do rank and file work for two weeks. The basic idea was to immerse ourselves
with the tasks that the majority of the hotel workforce deliver daily. This meant serving our
guests as bellmen, front desk agents, telephone operators, waiters, bartenders, room
attendants, and butlers. The kitchen was off-limits to us because we would only pose as a
hindrance to operations since cooking is a different skill altogether.
I was assigned to be a butler at The Regency Club, Hyatt’s exclusive executive floor for
premium guests and VVIPs. After two weeks of being a butler, I jokingly asked my general
manager then, Perfecto Quicho, if I could permanently become a butler because it was such
an enjoyable experience. I had the wonderful opportunity to meet and personally serve the
hotel’s VVIPs. It was that two-week experience that made me understand why hotel staff
enjoy what they do. The real reason I asked jokingly to become a butler permanently is
because guests were very generous with their tips. It made me happy knowing that our rank
and file were earning well, a monthly basic ay, a monthly service charge, plus all the tips.
Many other tourism professionals work in establishments other than airlines and hotels.
Among these establishments are cruise liners, entertainments centers, casinos, theater,
theme parks, and transportation companies.
The tourism industry is regulated and monitored by the UNWTO, headquartered in Madrid,
Spain. Its mandate is the promotion of responsible, sustainable, and universally accessible
tourism. It promotes tourism as driver of economic growth, inclusive development, and
environmental sustainability. One of the UNWTO’s priorities is most relevant to developing
countries like the Philippines: “Advancing tourism’s contribution to poverty reduction and the
development.”
In the Philippines, the tourism industry is doing its share to promote tourism for more
Filipinos o find gainful employment. Whether you end up working in the country or overseas,
working in the tourism industry is highly rewarding in many ways- finances, career
progression, exposure to many cultures, and world travel.
It is estimated that 25% of the world’s seafarers, many of them working in cruise liners, are
Filipinos. If there is one working environment where multicultural diversity is experienced
every minute of the day, it is in cruise ships. You passengers come from all over the world.
The ship crew is a big mix of cruise line staff coming from both developed and developing
countries. Your roommates are not necessarily your kababayan. You may very well be sharing
your accommodations with any of the over 50 nationalities usually represented onboard.
 Cruise liners are floating hotels. The staff working on these ships are all hotel experienced.
Staff attrition in Philippine hotels is quite high because of these cruise line opportunities.
Filipino hotel staff also happen to be one of the most requested in these ships. There is,
therefore, a never-ending recruitment of hotel staff in the country. Overall, it is good for
everyone. The hotels have the opportunity to add fresh and new staff to their organization
regularly, the cruise liners are very pleased with well-trained and highly service-oriented hotel
staff in their ships, and our Filipino crew members are all doing our country a great service by
enhancing our country’s image among passengers. Filipinos staff members can experience
the unique opportunity to be able to work while traveling all around the world at a time when
they are still young, capable, and healthy.
Tourism professionals in general are preferred workers for the delivery of excellent service
to customers even outside this industry.