CEO Insights Magazine

The hospitality industry is an ever-evolving and high-demand industry due to several factors. Especially, when it’s the Philippines, Filipinos are known for their hospitality finding its origin in the Malayan traditions. In this fast and ever-evolving world of business and economy, when the current trends in the hotel industry in the Philippines assume strong growth in the tourism and hospitality sectors, with hotel demand outpacing supply, leadership has a challenging role in drawing organizations toward aspired goals and objectives. Josef Victor Chiongbian, General Manager, SAVOY HOTEL MACTAN NEWTOWN is one of the hospitality industry doyens who seems to stand tall to relish this opportunity pragmatically. Passionate about this industry having a tendency towards this industry since his teenage years experiencing great hospitality, he has been effectively taking the lead to position this industry at the helm, overpowering the competition across economies.

Let’s get to know him through an exclusive interview excerpt presented by the CEO Insights Asia magazine.

Could you give a brief account of your professional journey and what motivates your daily routine?

Honestly, I’m a nursing graduate and what brought me to this industry is I just gave it a try inspired by a good friend of mine who was working as a front office agent in one of the hotels here in Cebu. She invited me in, while I was just waiting for the results of the nursing literature exam, and I just grabbed the opportunity. Since then, I fell in love with the industry and never turned up for nursing. Also, one more reason, I enjoy this industry, is because of an enthralling memory from my young days, experiencing a welcomed gesture from the staff, visiting a hotel here in Cebu with my father.

In terms of prior industry experience, I've been in the same industry the whole time, transitioning from one role to the other starting as a front desk associate, and then getting promoted to a front office supervisor’s position in even less than a year. I even had several chances to try on different international brands here in Cebu. Thus, from the front office, I got exposed to banquet and catering, F&B, and sales & marketing. Before holding the GM’s position for the company, I was the Sales & Marketing Head of an International Service Residence brand.

The best thing about working in the hospitality industry is that you don't get to do the same thing every day. Well, you might have a routine, with your people, but meeting and attending different people each day pushes you to learn people's behavior. Since I joined this company and took on the job of general manager, there's just been a lot of learning every day based on what the customers need, and especially when they are getting younger and younger, the learning has become interesting. Hence, it’s the non-stop learning and the experience that we have in this industry keeps me motivated.

Define Savoy Hotel Mactan Newtown as an organization and its position in the market.

Savoy Hotel Mactan Newtown is just one of the many brands under Megaworld Hotels and Resorts, and what makes it unique is that we have the best of both worlds. When I say the best of both worlds, we are positioned as an airport hotel (here in Mactan, Cebu) and at the same time as a resort. So, what more could you ask for? It's like a city within a city. You get to enjoy the best of both worlds, so if you're here for business or leisure, everything is just within walking distance. The hotel is doing great.

As the GM, how do you guide your team to understand customer’s needs and deliver a seamless hospitality experience?

First of all, here in this industry, we believe in flexible tourism. When I say flexible tourism, it applies to all our offerings, as we base it on the needs of our customers. In regards to my role, it is quite a challenge to delegate important roles, as it is very important to do it properly. Especially, for a GM, there is an impression that we get to do everything on our own, which is not the case. Being a general manager, one of the strengths I apply is I delegate certain tasks to people allowing them to perform tasks, make their own mistakes, and learn from them at the same time.

We always have to understand where the guests are coming from. Thus, to deliver a seamless operation, we first start with understanding their problem and then deal with the problem factors. This approach always leads to a happy ending.

Tell us about your leadership approach. What are the guidelines or methodologies you follow as a leader?

Well, number one is effective communication; it is something I prioritize through daily briefing and delegating to the team the task for the day. It’s an effective people management method. If certain things aren’t going well as maybe certain tasks are getting delayed, I always come to consider the factors that are causing that. Most of the time, it doesn't involve work, it has something to do with their personal lives. So, as a general manager, I tend to be very open to my leaders, I reach out to them and ask for their trust & confidence if there's any way I could help. That's how I manage my people.

However, of course, one thing I emphasize is also to be able to improve the environment and hospitality, and that's the best way I would be able to promote adaptability becoming bulletproof for our employees in terms of changes.

What is your anticipation about the hospitality industry, going forward? Delineate what is the future destination you are headed towards?

Well, so far for this year we continue to be very hopeful as we hold a really good share of the market in the Philippines. Though the hotel’s location itself is a plus, our new inclusion, pet-friendly policy makes it more demanding. For now, pets are allowed in the common areas except for restaurants. While for future we're working on a separate pet dining area. Further, our new convention center is lined for launch in the next two years which will serve as a great space for banquets, international conferences, and huge concerts (accommodating 2500).

For the growth plans, as I mentioned earlier, the Megaworld Corporation is growing huge, I'm taking it slow, one step at a time. The hotel has my entire focus for now, however I am open to and will be happy to grab any opportunities within the company.

Josef Victor Chiongbian, General Manager, Savoy Hotel Mactan Newtown

A passionate hospitality professional with over 17 years of experience in hospitality management and driving global business growth, fostering tailored hospitality services.

Favorite Cuisine: Chinese

Favorite Book: Reality-Based Leadership By CY Wakeman

Favorite Travel Destination: Japan