ALL roads led to the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga mid-September as the only five-star hotel in the area, Clark Marriott, was formally inaugurated with much flair and fanfare.
Leading the opening rites for the newest oasis in Central Luzon were bigwigs of Widus and the Marriott chain of hotels from around the world, including its resident General Manager (GM) Goeran Soelter.
The German hotelier and other stakeholders and executives from Widus Philippines, which owns the ultra-posh property, describe Clark Marriott as the “perfect destination for business meetings, life’s celebrations, or for one’s simplest pleasures or ‘staycation’ needs.”
Soelter will be leading the charge for the newest jewel in the heart of Clark—one that boasts of “contemporary design and local touches, [creating] a distinct and vibrant aesthetic.” His guests can anticipate heightened hotel experiences through amenity-filled rooms, progressive dining, cutting-edge technology, as well as flexible and exemplary meeting facilities.
Likewise, the GM’s visitors will find innovative spaces seamlessly blending work and play activities. The overall environment speaks of modernity and sophistication in its approach, “providing experiences that keep the mind balanced, sharp and inspired.” For travelers, the hotel is the ideal starting point to conduct business, or discover the bustling city of Clark, Pampanga.
Envoys&Expats was privileged to witness the grand launch of Clark Marriott and sit down with Soelter for the exchange below:
ENVOYS&EXPATS: The Marriott brand has been successful in this country. Tell us why it is so.
Soelter: The Philippines has been a market in our radar for a long time. I feel that there are a lot of opportunities here. This is the country for development, and now we’re really starting to see that. It’s a destination of growth.
In 12 months we have opened three hotels. Hopefully by year-end, we’ll launch four more, possibly five. We have a pipeline of another 11. That’s a total of 2,800 rooms by 2021. It’s an exciting time to be in the Philippines. We see a great opportunity, both as a metropolitan destination and a corporate-style hotel.
We simply want to be where one travels, and where our guests want to be. And, for the Philippines, the infrastructure has grown incredibly. Airports are being developed and reworked. More carriers are coming in. These work in our stead.
So we see two opportunities: One is, being where the Filipino traveler wants to be: home in the Philippines, where they experience our brands here; or travel abroad to Sydney, Singapore or Bangkok. They will stay with brands they know.
We also want to bring the world to the Philippines, as we open up new developments. There are Capampangans excited that the Marriott brand has landed here in Clark.
Clark Marriott will be competing with established hotels in the area. What would be its differentiating advantage?
There haven’t been any four- or five-star hotels inside Clark in recent years. So being the newest, founded in international standards, is our strength.
Our restaurants, they are something we feel very confident (about) that the market is looking for. I’ve been living here in Clark for the last six months, and I think there is a definite need for more places to go to, and be entertained at. We want to be a fully embellished destination. Having two major restaurants inside the hotel gives us opportunities to cater to different lifestyles of locals and customers to visit us.
Imagine the interiors of a traditional room: the table, directory, big chair and furniture. That’s not how people want to see during their travels, and those aren’t in our homes anymore.
We’ve done a lot of studies in Marriott’s United States headquarters about the “wants” of today’s travelers. Our rooms reflect the results, which actually are some of the biggest in the market, with new designs. They are big, bright and airy, with large bathrooms.
Going inside one of ours, you will notice that the traditional work desk is gone. You will basically find a big home-sized coffee table. You could get room service up to the table and dine there, put your laptop on the side, and it becomes your desk for the next couple of days. There’s a great work light, and the Wi-Fi (connection) is good.
We’ve tried to make the hotel room the way people want to live today. You will see a great, big bench that sits beside the floor-to-ceiling window. Sit there and do the stuff you need to do. That’s the way people work now: legs stretched out, with their laptop on top of them.
This hotel is not just for far-off visitors coming to stay. We hope to be a part of the community where we are. We would like for the people of Clark to come in and celebrate Christmas, or weddings, anniversaries, christenings and the like. We want to be the venue of choice where they come for such. It’s important that we develop “food and beverage”-based activities, (as well as) special events and programs.
Travelers now also want to interact with local people. They don’t want to check-in into a hotel for foreigners; but rather, one designed for locals.
What do you find remarkable in your current designation?
I’m very excited to put the team together. Close to 70 percent of the staff members are actually from the local and surrounding areas. It was easy to hire new people.
There are Filipino members who went abroad and worked in hospitality to gain experience. Some even had the chance to work in different Marriott brands in the Middle East. They now have a good opportunity to come back and teach their younger colleagues here about a more “global” way of doing things. It’s great that they can come home and get a connection back to their roots.
Filipinos are genuinely good, hospitable people. They always have a smile on their faces and a ready greeting. There’s an innate willingness to engage in conversations. They love to interact with customers and share experiences. So, that makes things very easy. They’re in the hospitality game for us, because they make people feel welcome, and make a connection.
A very good example is that during the past weeks, in the process getting ready to open the hotel, we had trainers who came from various Marriott brands in Asia Pacific, and they are helping us with the different departments: from Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia. Everything adds up. It’s rewarding to see as well.
What I personally found super exciting is having people from different brands within the Marriott family coming, and it all just worked out so smoothly. In the future, we will be the one to send trainers to other properties. These are actually very exciting times for us.
You have your hands full as a hotel executive. Describe how it is like for you during days off.
If I’m in the hotel, I enjoy having Chinese tea by myself, or with my family in the tearoom.
I love to explore the world. For me, once I get a couple of days off, I like to go to a different part of the world and explore. It’s good to be somewhere to call home for a week or two. There’s nothing like exploring a local community and getting to know its people.
Needless to say, I’m a traveler because of my job, and I happen to have the best one. Beatrix Malesido
Image credits: Jimbo Albano