Colombian GM makes himself at home in PH
COLOMBIA-BORN hotelier David Pardo de Ayala understands the Filipino culture, having lived here for nearly two decades.
He met Giannella Rodriguez, his wife, while they were studying at the Culinary Institute of America. “In 1997, I decided to give it a try in the Philippines. I came here with nothing but my cookbooks, my knives and the recklessness of youth,” he recalls.
Pardo de Ayala later became a founding partner of a restaurant management company, Caspian Concepts, which developed such restaurants as Soleil and Aqua at the turn of the millennium.
He joined the Discovery Hotel Group as corporate chef and put three of its restaurants on the Miele Guide to Best Restaurants in Asia. His last post was resident manager of Discovery Suites in Ortigas.
Today, he is general manager of Makati luxury hotel Discovery Primea.
The hotelier likens his job to a conductor whofollows a score and beats to the tempo correctly even if the musicians already know their music. “There are specialists who assist me. Although departments are new to me like engineering, they help me and ensure that everything goes according to plan.”
One of his challenges is to make the hotel become a byword in comfort and leisure.
“In the Philippines, the Discovery brand is well known. People know what to expect. Discovery Primea is the only Filipino, home-grown luxury product in Makati. Getting it on the radar of foreign accounts has been a challenge,” he says.
The hotel collaborated with Preferred Hotels and Resorts, an international company that adheres to high standards. Discovery Primea underwent a strict Quality Assurance Program, an assessment by an independent third party.
“The advantage of being part of the Preferred Hotels and Resorts is that it creates awareness in the international market, analyzes Asia Pacific market and pushes our brands in other continents,” he says.
As a result of marketing, the hotel’s year-todate occupancy is a healthy 70 percent.
The weary traveller
According to surveys, given a choice between free WiFi and breakfast, business travelers would rather have the former.
Pardo de Ayala claims Discovery Primea provides the fastest browsing speed among the hotels in the metropolis.
Business travelers always complain about slow Internet. The hotel addresses this situa-
tion by providing each room with free Internet speed of up to 50 megabits per second (Mbps).
Among the luxury business hotels in Makati, Discovery Primea’s modest size of 141 rooms (about half the number of other hotels) is a plus. This means that with a lower number of guests per floor, it’s much faster to get a signal and stay connected longer.
“We turn our smaller size to an advantage by using it as an opportunity to personalize the guest experience. For a hotel with hundreds of room, it’s not always possible,” he says.
Positioned as an upscale businessman and lifestyle hotel, Discovery Primea aims to provide the discriminating clientele with a seamless experience. For business travelers, Discovery Primea provides what they expect from the get-go—location, connectivity, convenience, comfort and security.
Aside from being at the heart of the Makati CBD, Discovery Primea takes pride in its heritage as being the former site of Gilarmi Apartments, the first building along Ayala Avenue.
The 68-story Discovery Primea has become the landmark as the tallest building in the neighborhood.
Small is beautiful
Then there’s the generous room size.
“In Makati, the entry level of [rooms for] deluxe hotels is [about] 30 square meters. Our smallest room is 40 sqm, so it’s more comfortable,” Pardo de Ayala adds.
The fixtures, appliances, furniture and aesthetics are designed to make things easy for the road warrior. There are sufficient electrical outlets for all of their gadgets, and they can easily sync their personal devices to the TV.
Expats relocating to the Philippines or long-staying travelers will enjoy the 90-sqm suite, which is furnished with premium appliances such as washing machine, dryer, induction stove, French pans, fancy knives and porcelain dinnerware.
The business center is strategically located on the same floor as the function rooms so that secretarial or support services are easily accessible for guests or those attending meetings. The conference rooms are also equipped with a TV screen and stateof-art media hub for presentations.
Pardo de Ayala says Discovery Primea favors smaller function rooms over a grand ballroom for a more intimate setting. The rooms were designed with break-out spaces for seminars and workshops.
“Small is beautiful. It was by design. We didn’t want a busy driveway of cars dropping off guests and ferrying thousands to conventions. We separated the scenic elevator that leads to the function rooms on the second floor. Banquet clients will not cause inconvenience to hotel guests,” he says.
After office hours, millennials get to unwind at the Gilarmi bar while executives go to 1824, the scotch and cigar lounge. The latter caters to connoisseurs, whose cigars are lit with customized cedar sticks instead of blow torches. It has also become an alternative venue for power meetings.
Food is also vital to the guest experience.
With Pardo deAyala’s culinary background, the hotel’s cuisine has been a major attraction. The menu of the Tapenade restaurant was created with local palate in mind.
“I made a study. If you put together the Spanish, Italian, Greek and French restaurants, it would have as many [dishes] as the Chinese restaurants. [But] the Filipino palate is attuned to Mediterranean flavors. There was no point putting all the cuisines in one restaurant,” he says.
Headds, “Filipinos love the Mediter- ranean cuisine because [it jibes] with seasonal ingredients and fresh olive oil. We highlighted the Salad Room by bringing the freshest greens. Our pizzas are topped with smoked chicken and artichoke or leeks and goat cheese—not the usual flavors,” says the hotelier.
Comfort zone
The hotel’s main job is also to offer comfort by creating a relaxing and refreshing atmosphere.
The gym is equipped with Italianmade machines and opens to the Ayala view. The hotel also boasts of a 20-meter, chlorine-free heated infinity pool that overlooks the tree-lined Urdaneta Subdivision.
“From this view, I feel as if I were in Singapore,” says Pardo de Ayala.
One can get a beauty fix or grooming at Toni&Guy or get recharged via an authentic Turkish bath experience. Health concerns can be addressed at the medical facility on the third floor while an ambulance is on standby.
But the ultimate sense of comfort is created by the staff-guest relations, Pardo de Ayala says.
“The Discovery brand is built on the strength of its people and the service culture. The guy next door can put out the expensive silverware and fancier TVs, but guests will remember more the human interaction. Our service is all heart. You experience Filipino hospitality,” says Pardo de Ayala.