Diamond hotel GM receives hotel management tourism award
Diamond Hotel Philippines’ general manager Vanessa Ledesma-Suatengco is the recipient of the Hotel Management Tourism Award, given by the Rotary Club of Manila in celebration of its 14th Tourism Awards. She received the award for her remarkable contribution to the development and promotion of the Tourism industry along with other personalities from government and different sectors of the society who were also recognized in other categories.
Being entrusted with numerous responsibilities, from leading a 5-star hotel to managing roles in the Tourism Promotions Board and other organizations, Suatengco keeps a strong desire and motivation in making gamechanging innovations in the property.
Her journey in the industry was challenging but exciting. She started her career in Human Resources Management where she became exposed to people of different levels in the orga- nization. She then climbed her way up to becoming the group HR director for the Philippine properties of an international hotel chain where she managed the training of expat general managers until she was given the opportunity to shift to operations and became a resident manager. Suatengco became the first Filipina general manager of a 5-star hotel when she assumed the stewardship of Diamond Hotel Philippines. She is focused in making Diamond Hotel competitive with international luxury hotel chains by strengthening its brand recall and spearheading major renovation projects.
The complete transformation, enhancement of services and persistent marketing efforts brought the hotel back into the limelight – making it one of the top hotels in the bay area and accommodation of choice by embassies, corporate clients, convention organizers and entertainment producers. With that, the hotel has evolved to become one of the major players in the industry.
“There are still challenges that need to be overcome, the industry has been growing at a fast rate and the competition is getting tougher. But this has energized us even more, and we are always seeking ways to improve not only on our service, but also on ourselves,” said Suatengco. Passion, obsession, consistency, attention to details and dedication are some of the values she encourages her people to nurture and practice so they can realize their goals.