Homegrown hotelier

Jeffrey T. Ng, 55, is the brains behind one of the country’s homegrown hotel chains, Astoria Hotels & Resorts (AHR). Starting with Astoria Plaza in the Ortigas Central Business District in 2001, he led the quick expansion of AHR into the Makati Central Business District and in some of the country’s most popular tourist destinations: Boracay, Palawan and Bohol.

His hotel chain has been representing the Philippine flag quite prominently in the world stage as Astoria Boracay, Astoria Current and Astoria Palawan received top rankings from the 2019 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards. In addition, Astoria Current also got a high 9.2/10 mark from the hotels.com global hospitality site.

As an astute businessman, Ng is surely not one to rest on his hotel chain’s laurels. He is always thinking of something new.

Auspicious beginnings

In 2001, Ng decided to enter the hospitality industry by using what he described as an innovative business model. “I wanted to build a 35-story building in Ortigas into the first mixed-use hotel in the area.” Hence, the first property of The Astoria Group, Astoria Plaza, opened its doors to the public.

Even though the Ng family had no previous experience in the hospitality industry, Ng’s team “worked hard and concentrated on providing the best service experience to our guests.” Eventually, there came a time when frequent guests began asking about Astoria’s expansion plans. Encouraged, Ng embarked on setting up the next stage of growth.

On a bullish mode, he chose the popular island of Boracay as their first foray outside of the metro, with Astoria Boracay opening in Station 1 in 2010.

Over the next few years, The Astoria Group has steadily expanded, under the guiding hand of the firm’s COO and his better half, Vivian Ng. His Astoria Hotels & Resorts (AHR) chain now also includes Astoria Bohol, Astoria Palawan, Astoria Current in Boracay Station 3, and Astoria Greenbelt in Makati.

“I am extremely pleased to see that my vision of turning The Astoria Group into a formidable homegrown hotel chain has started to become a reality. Each of the Astoria properties highlights the best of what that locale has to offer. Most importantly, we are able to provide employment to the local residents.

“I have done my best to hold the entire Astoria team to global hospitality standards and I expect them to provide only the warmest welcome that Filipinos are known for worldwide. Thus, as the Astoria properties continue to attract guests from all over the globe, they share mementoes of the beautiful Philippine islands to their foreign compatriots,” he continued.

Bountiful awards

Ng and the entire Astoria team’s efforts have started to bear fruit – and on the international stage at that. Astoria Current was voted as No. 1 in the Philippines at the TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards this year. Astoria Palawan, meanwhile, won

Ng

No. 9 in the TripAdvisor Best Hotels for Families in the World category – the only hotel from the country to gain a world ranking.

“This type of recognition really inspires all of us to work harder and be even more excellent at providing world-class hospitality service,” Ng said.

Unique properties

From day one, Ng strived to set the Astoria chain apart from local and international competition. “Each of our hotels and resorts is unique in construction and design. No two of our properties are alike and we truly strived hard to make sure that our guests are immersed in a different Astoria experience with each Astoria hotel or resort that they visit,” he proudly said.

For instance, Astoria Plaza introduced the serviced residence and hotel concept using a modern corporate design. The hotel features spacious service apartment-type suites so that guests will be immersed in a premium home away from home in the Ortigas area.

Over at the heart of Makati, Astoria Greenbelt is targeted for business travelers who want a convenient place to stay during their work trips. Astoria Greenbelt offers quick access to the best shops, restaurants and office buildings in the city.

Meanwhile, Astoria Boracay along the famed White Beach boasts of a relaxed and clean design. The resort offers guests a sense of world-class luxury and relaxation, while still being close enough to Boracay’s entertainment hub if they want to enjoy the night away.

Whereas, Astoria Current’s vibrant and ultra modern design elements continues to draw the millennial crowd. “The resort gives off an energetic vibe that really magnifies the total Boracay Island experience,” Ng shared.

Astoria Palawan, their largest resort so far at five hectares, features large villas and a convention center. The property highlights ecotourism, sustainability and biodiversity. It also features a waterpark, making it perfect for families and big groups of friends – and thus helping this resort become #1 in the entire country for families, according to TripAdvisor.

Their boutique resort of Astoria Bohol is perhaps the most unique and exclusive among all Astoria properties. “Out of respect for its rich history, we made sure that the resort’s design demonstrated a strong connection to traditional Filipino heritage,” Ng said.

Paying it forward

Success begets more success, but the businessman in Ng wants to be able to do more and achieve more.

He does not only want to develop the countryside by establishing more Astoria resorts in popular destinations. He wants to contribute to developing the potential of our fellowmen and women in the countryside.

He recounted, “With the development of the Astoria hospitality standard, I began to study the possibility of educating a new generation of hoteliers as a way to give back to the community and to foster multiple generations of long-term employees.”

Thus, he established the Astoria Culinary and Hospitality Institute (ACHI), which trains local students how to provide the best service in every aspect of the industry. To aid underprivileged students, The Astoria Group set aside a fund to grant multiple scholarships per year to deserving ACHI students.

And the business leader rallied his troops: Existing managers who run the AHR properties contribute immensely to the ACHI initiative by imparting the right service, culture, and high quality training to the students.

Ng’s efforts have started to change lives for the better. A good number of ACHI graduates, who used to have low-paying or quite temporary jobs, have joined The Astoria Group’s workforce as bartenders and housekeeping staff, for example, and now have the opportunity to provide a better future for their families.

In addition, the Astoria organization has managed to be a positive catalyst for many corporate social responsibility efforts (CSR), such as providing earthquake relief in Bohol, donating goods every Christmas to the indigent Batak Tribe in Palawan and donating school buildings in Boracay and Bohol.