ZAMBOANGA CITY—Learning from experience in his travel aboard in previous years, Lantaka Hotel by the Sea general manager Crisanto de la Cruz has initiated improvements by expanding the hotel amenities to suit the needs of its clientele both domestic and foreign guests.

Immediately after his appointment as the new general manager, de la Cruz has expanded the hotel’s number of rooms by fully using the upper floors at the left-wing four-story building that has not been used for several years.

“Before, we had 30 rooms. Now we have a total of 84,” de la Cruz said in an interview.

He also opened a new restaurant along the shoreline that could accommodate as many as 50 people and where hotel guests as well as walk-in customers could dine and unwind after retiring from work or anytime of the day or during weekends and holidays.

“When you are at that restaurant it’s like you’re having a beach party with your family and friends since it sits on an elevated area right at the seashore,” de la Cruz said.

Undergoing construction and soon to be completed is another restaurant at the rooftop on the left-wing four-story building of the hotel.

De la Cruz said dining on the rooftop restaurant, one could appreciate the beauty of the nearby places since “you’re in a place that is overlooking the city.”

“You could appreciate Sta. Cruz Island, the bay-walk project of the city government, the sea-shore and all the boats passing by the sea,” he said.

“That [restaurant] in itself will help our people as well as the visitors rediscover that Zamboanga City as well as our neighboring islands is beautiful,” he added.

“You learn this from experience when you travel abroad. You appreciate your country because the Philippines is beautiful. It is a matter of developing its potential,” he added.

Aside from the improvements, de la Cruz has ventured into opening a school within the hotel premises known as the Nuevo Zamboanga College that offers Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM)-related courses.

He said there would be more than 100 students who will compose the pioneer batch of Nuevo Zamboanga College.

There will be three courses related to HRM and two modular courses with eight areas of concern. Classes begin on June 16.

The modular courses which include cooking, housekeeping, bar tending and front desk will give the opportunity “for those working from Monday to Friday” to study during weekends, de la Cruz said.

“It [the courses offered] will not only be in theories but they [students] will get to know how it is done,” de la Cruz said, citing “it will be hands-on courses.”

He said that right after graduation, the graduates could be employed at Lantaka Hotel by the Sea or in other hotels within this city that are also expanding their respective amenities.

The rest of them could work abroad citing that Nuevo Zamboanga College is accredited by the national government through the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

“It is within the context of management. You trained at the same time give employment,” de la Cruz said.

Lantaka Hotel by the Sea, owned by the Gilda Walstrom, is the oldest hotel in Zamboanga City.

It was called a hotel by the sea as it is located along the seashore near the port of Zamboanga.

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ZAMBOANGA CITY—Learning from experience in his travel aboard in previous years, Lantaka Hotel by the Sea general manager Crisanto de la Cruz has initiated improvements by expanding the hotel amenities to suit the needs of its clientele both domestic and foreign guests.