Seda hotels names Group GM for Vertis North and Lio
SEDA hotels, the wholly owned brand of Ayala Land Hotels and Resorts, recently announced the appointment of Brett Patrick Hickey as Group general manager (GM) for the newly opened Seda Vertis North and the upcoming Seda Lio resort in Palawan.
With 21 years in the hospitality industry in Canada, China, Vietnam and the Philippines, Mr. Hickey has been tapped to open the 438room Seda Vertis North which is the largest hotel in Quezon City and the first large format property of the homegrown chain.
The sixth property in the Seda chain will offer premier amenities and accommodations. Thus, Hickey has set for himself the goal of “evolving the brand from primarily being a solid businessman’s hotel to being a full-service hotel. It’s a great opportunity for me to make use of my experience working with luxury international brands and to apply this to the Philippine environment which has undoubtedly nurtured among the best hoteliers in the world.”
Mr. Hickey’s last major post in the Philippines was as the hotel general manager at the City of Dreams from 2014 to 2016. He took from construction, to pre-opening up to actual operations the six star Crown Spa, one of the three hotel brands at the City of Dreams. Prior to that, he was resident manager of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts in Qingdao, Shandong, China.
The hotelier’s formative years were spent with the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts known for its distinctive luxury properties favored by royalty, the wealthy and well-known statesmen. He began with the group’s property in Toronto, and moved his way up in operations in the brand’s hotels in the United States and China.
Mr. Hickey, a Canadian national who speaks French and Chinese, observed that being hospitable to visitors comes naturally to most Filipinos. “Since 2012, Seda has always been about allowing hotel colleagues what is naturally innate to them — to warmly welcome strangers and turn them into friends.” His role is to further sharpen his colleagues’ eye for details and to make them fully aware of the expectations of the international traveler seeking luxury accommodations.
Later in the year, Mr. Hickey will open Seda Lio, the brand’s 150-room hotel in the Ayala Land Lio Tourism Estate in El Nido town, Palawan.