A FEW years back, Cubao, Quezon City was touted as the next big metropolitan destination, a vision anchored on its seemingly nonstop lifestyle innovation and infrastructure development, captured roughly in the statement: Everything revolves around the “center.”
The term, of course, referred to the Araneta Center, now the hub of round-the-clock activities fueled by shopping, entertainment and leisure. Amid the constant movement of people and upward development of the locale lies Novotel Manila, which is currently making a mark as a hospitality destination of choice on its side of the metropolis.
Quite unexpected for a hotel to rise among the iconic establishments, such as the Smart-Araneta Coliseum, the revived New Frontier Theater or the timeless Ali Mall (one of the country’s first modern shopping centers, named after the “greatest” pro boxer of all time), to name a few. Judging by positive industry reviews, Novotel Manila is primed to add on to the allure of the Araneta Center.
Above and beyond its admirable amenities and well-appointed facilities, Novotel Manila prides itself in making a positive imprint to its guests by way of its professional yet personalized approach to its services. General Manager Mike Brown assures of such for each visitor of the hotel.
The ripple effect of Brown’s management style trickles down to Novotel Manila’s staff members who make their guests feel like VIPs: front and center, in every way possible.
According to the Australian hotel executive, this emanates from the management’s manner of treatment on the hotel’s manpower.
“The culture here is to engage the staff and to look after the team. We have a term here called ‘heartist’: Every decision, everything we do here, has the guest at the center, at the heart. It is very much akin to a family orientation, where people feel very safe to be themselves,” Brown voiced out.
Aussie in Manila
BROWN disclosed that coming over to work in the Philippines was a personal choice and decision.
“The level of English [here] is an absolute godsend for me, and the natural hospitality of Filipinos makes it very easy to do what I do. You don’t necessarily find that kind coming from the heart anywhere around the world. In the Philippines, you do it better than most.”
Having interacted with a number of nationalities in his line of work, he ranks the Filipino people to be among the kindest and most patient people in the world. It is what he loves about being an expat in this country.
The Sydney native proudly shared that he could walk past his staff and hear them singing in a beautiful voice. That personable spirit of Filipinos happens to be something he strongly identifies with. He feels there is no fear or barrier in communicating with his men and women here. This is diametrically opposed to some of the companies he had worked for in the past, where massive hierarchy existed.
He claims he has adjusted quite well to living in Manila. Both he and his wife would otherwise choose to chill out at the executive lounge of Novotel Manila, or binge on Netflix, than spend hours stuck in traffic, especially on a weekend.
This GM also has a penchant for checking out the latest bars and restaurants in town to keep himself abreast of the developments in a highly evolving industry in this country.
Outside work, Brown recharges his batteries by capturing the beauty of the Manila sunset on canvas along the seaside of Novotel Manila’s sister establishment in the other side of town, Sofitel.
In the ‘right circle’
WITH decades of experience in the hospitality industry, the veteran hotelier has developed a management acumen that makes him well-liked. He does not come across as a know-it-all leader, but someone who continues to learn and improve everyday alongside his team in Novotel Manila.
In fact, Brown makes it a point to elicit comments and suggestions from those surrounding him. As a result of this collaborative approach, his staff feels empowered for their contributions.
This method has triggered a wellspring of wonderful ideas, especially during brainstorming sessions. The GM himself can be candid enough to admit that their ideas are even better than his.
Moreover, he goes the extra mile to ensure everyone, even those on irregular work shifts, gets heard loud and clear. In fact, he schedules regular breakfast meetings with his night crew every so often just to touch base with them.
For the general manager, those meaningful encounters with the manpower serve as elements to build on for the hotel’s short- and long-term goals.
“Where are we going to be in three months, in six months, in one year, in two years? What do we have to change? What do we need to add? What do I have to do to be successful in these time periods?” were his rhetorical queries.
Further, the hotelier-executive extols the virtue of passion as an important factor to fuel one’s success in the industry. His was a story of such.
“I suppose I am a little bit different. I don’t have a university degree. I went to a technical college. I’m not looking for the most academically brilliant person in the world, but [rather,] the most passionate and caring person. If you have the guest in your heart, most decisions are easy to make,” he waxed philosophical.
With Brown steering Novotel Manila in the right direction, one can say that its employees are in the “right circle” as its parent company, Accor Hotels, runs a proprietary International Hospitality Management Program geared toward developing its people for key positions for the hotel group.
“We like to grow our own. We like somebody who starts at Accor to come all the way through with us. When I am looking for a staff member, I will first and almost always seek within our own,” the general manager revealed.
The technical in him suddenly surfaced. “The thing that sets us apart more than anything else, and I am telling you the truth, is the staff that we have. They are the ‘software.’ Here, the software far outweighs the ‘hardware’ in this hotel.”
Looking ahead, he declared: “There is a lot of good coming out of this hotel at the moment. We are building and growing confident staff members. My dream is that they won’t need me anymore in the Philippines. Following [my footsteps will be] a Filipino ‘GM.’”
Indeed, it’s nothing quite like placing people at the center of an establishment’s operations. For Brown, it seems he has captured well and good the hearts of Filipinos that, as if coming to full circle, share their color with that of his name.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano