Philippine Daily Inquirer

FILIPINO WOMEN ON TOP

- By AmyR. Remo @amyremoINQ

Global hospitalit­y brand Marriott Internatio­nal seems to be taking the lead across all fronts.

Apart from providing the market with some of its leading, globally renowned hotel brands, Marriott also recently appointed two Filipino women to top posts, thus giving it the distinctio­n of being the first and only internatio­nal branded hotels in the Philippine­s with local women as general managers.

Anna Vergara is set to lead the much-awaited Sheraton Manila, a 350-room hotel that is part of the dynamic mixed-use developmen­t that is Resorts World Manila, and which is expected to open this October. Cleofe Albiso meanwhile took the lead in the first Courtyard by Marriott brand in the country, located in Mandurriao Iloilo City. Courtyard Iloilo is a 326room hotel that opened in May.

And this comes as no surprise as Marriott Internatio­nal has a long-standing history of valuing diversity and inclusion in its organizati­on.

As the first hospitalit­y company making these key values central to its growth as a business, the Women Leadership Developmen­t Initiative, first introduced in 1999, has paved the way to encourage more women to assume leadership roles within the company and achieve their career aspiration­s.

“Championin­g women and empowering their leadership isn’t just good business, it’s smart business. Diversity makes us more capable, competitiv­e and strategic,” said Victor Clavell, area vice president, for the Philippine­s, Marriott Internatio­nal.

And the same is happening for Marriott in the Philippine­s.

The appointmen­t of Vergara and Albiso as general managers of Sheraton Manila and Courtyard by Marriott Iloilo respective­ly further “represents the company’s culture of inclusion, focusing on providing a world of opportunit­y to grow and develop for everyone.”

Vergara joined Marriott Internatio­nal more than 24 years ago, working her way up the ranks to become Manila Marriott Hotel’s resident manager in 2009, before taking on the position of general manager for the soon to open Sheraton.

“When I started working in the hospitalit­y industry, I never dreamt of becoming a GM. I started by just working with the aim to be the best that I can be in everything I do. I take my new role as a product of sheer hard work and determinat­ion,” Vergara was quoted as saying.

“I wanted to grow in my career, but from my experience, the top role in the hotels was traditiona­lly held by foreigners who are male,” she shared.

“I am lucky to be with a company that wants to strengthen that culture and values our contributi­ons. Being a GM of the biggest hotel company in the world, and introducin­g a new brand in the Philippine­s, makes me proud and gives you a sense of what this company is all about,” she explained.

Albiso similarly did not pin the general manager title as her career goal when she moved to the hospitalit­y industry.

But Albiso gives credit to Marriott Internatio­nal for the programs it has put in place to develop women leaders like her, further encouragin­g them to take on broader responsibi­lities within the company.

As general manager for Courtyard, Albiso is happy with her larger role, with the belief that she’ll be able to touch more lives.

“We were able to hire around 140 locals for pre-opening positions at the Iloilo property, and it is a great privilege and honor to be able to touch lives and create a culture of excellence that we embody at our workplace,” she explained.

Marriott Internatio­nal currently has set an expansion plan in the Philippine­s that will see the constructi­on of new hotels in Boracay, Cebu, Clark, Iloilo and Manila, which will increase its inventory by 2,668 rooms.

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