Dusit hospitality college

You’ve most likely tasted and liked the spicy cuisine at Dusit Thani Manila’s Thai Restaurant Benjarong which was recently named one of CNN’s 14 hot new restaurants around the world. You must have spent a night or two at Dusit Thani hotels in other countries and took note of how the staff are remarkably efficient, the food beyond compare, the rooms sensuously fragrant.

But wait till the Dusit Hospitality Management College turns out its first graduates in hospitality management. That will be four years from now, because the college will open this coming August, and already there is a beeline for acceptance to this institution. The first of its kind in the Asia Pacific region, the college is fully integrated with an upmarket hotel – the dusitD2 The Fort Manila – and gives students the opportunity to develop the skills needed to become extraordinary hoteliers and restaurateurs. It also follows the standards set by the Commission on Higher Education.

The new hotel school is owned and operated by Dusit International, one of Thailand’s foremost hotel and property development companies. Dusit currently operates 27 hotels worldwide and has over 50 properties in the pipeline. The company also owns and operates Dusit Thani College, which offers vocational and postgraduate hospitality degrees at campuses in Bangkok and Pattaya, Thailand.

Dusit Hospitality Management College based in Taguig offers the bachelor of science degree in hospitality management certified by world-renowned Switzerland-based Ecole hoteliere de Lausanne (EHL) and a range of culinary programs certified by France’s renowned Institut Paul Bocuse.

The training of students takes place within the dusitD2 Hotel the Fort, which is currently under construction right beside SM Aura in Taguig. The college will occupy nine floors of the building.

The college and hotel will offer international hospitality education facilities including practical kitchens, a food court serving cuisines from around the world, fine-dining restaurants, function rooms, recreational facilities including a swimming pool and fitness center, 125 guest rooms and 108 serviced residences. A wine science lab connects to an intimate 12-seat dining space.

Lars Eltvik, managing director of DHMC and dusitD2 the Fort Manila, says, “Our partnership with two of the world leaders in hospitality management and culinary education, and the full integration of our college and hotel, give our students what we like to refer to as ‘Beyond Education.’”

During their time at the college, Lars told us, the students will actually put theory into practice by working in the hotel alongside experienced hoteliers and restaurateurs. This hands-on work experience, combined with the certifications the students receive from Ecole hoteliere de Lausanne or Institut Pual Bocuse, will ensure they are fully qualified to embark on international professional careers.

As to the culinary aspect of the hotelcum-college, there is chef Cyrille Soenen to supervise goings on. He has been in the Philippines for 18 years, and is known for his eclectic French cooking; he is on board as the DHMC director for culinary arts.

Another good thing going for this project is the appointment of entrepreneur Evelyn Singson as the Dusit Thani Manila president. Evelyn is enthusiastic about having students getting training in such courses as asset management, entrepreneurship, defining business strategies, strategic thinking in customer experience, opening hotels and restaurants, and value creation in restaurants and strategic costing.

Lars said, “Anchored on its global brand, Dusit International students have the chance to be sent abroad for their practicum and work for a hotel or restaurant of their choice.”

We can be sure that graduates of this unique integrated hotel school will be so trained they will easily find jobs, or be quickly snatched by hotels abroad. I hope some of them will stay behind to show the kind of training they received from DHMC. * * * There’s no stopping Ramon “Montet” Acoymo from captivating audiences everywhere. He is slated to perform and give singing workshops in Bangkok for the 120th anniversary of Philippine Independence from June 10-16 under the auspices of the Philippine embassy. Last year he rendered similar artistic endeavors including a lecture-performance for the Royal University of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Ramon is a first place winner in the United States National Association of Teachers Singing Competition, a UP Chancellor’s awardee for most outstanding classical musician, and an ALIW Foundation Hall of Fame awardee for most outstanding classical singer.

Ramon has a Ph.D. in Education History and Philosophy from the State University. His recital debut at the New York Center for the Performing Arts Alice Tully Hall was hailed a “triumph” by Headline Philippines in New York.

The tenor has held the positions of dean of the UP College of Music (during which time he spearheaded the creation of its Ph.D. in Music program); music technical panel chair of the Commission on Higher Education, and secretary-general of the National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA) of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).

* * * The little boy – or my inaanak –I carried many years ago is now a goodlooking young man who is taking a bride this coming Sunday, June 3, at the Makati Shangri-la. Their wedding will be officiated by Pastor Carlo Ratilla of Every Nation Victory Pioneer Church.

Wilfredo Delloso, or Jun jun, finished AB political science at Silliman University, and serves as operations manager of Huawei Technologies Philippines. His bride, Jessica Anne Silva, holds a BS hotel and restaurant management degree, with honors, from the De La Salle University College of Saint Benilde, and serves as director of business development of Makati Shangri-La.

Jun jun’s parents are Silliman graduates; his father Fred Delloso is a mechanical engineer, and his mother, Roselyn Grino Delloso, is an entrepreneur and a nursing board topnotcher.

Jessica’s dad, Marciano Al. Silva Jr., was a plant manager of Colgate, and her mother, Imelda Silva, is a chemist. The family lived in Malaysia from 1992-1999.

My family’s best wishes to Jun jun and Jessica. With God at the center of your lives, all will be well with your world.