“IN Ayala companies, there’s the concept of ‘follow from the front,’” shares Seda Atria hotel manager Joseph del Rosario. “You are in front guiding and leading your employees, but you let them be themselves. Train them to be confident about what they want to say, what they want to do, what they want to contribute.”
With 26 years of experience and expertise under his belt, del Rosario was entrusted to open the Seda brand’s very first hotel venture in the Visayas, Seda Atria, almost three years ago. Now, Seda Atria stands as a 4-star business hotel that offers global standards of product and service, and is now one of the highest rated hotels in Iloilo City on TripAdvisor – the world’s largest travel site.
Recently, del Rosario made history as the first hotelier in Iloilo City to receive the Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) certification from the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI), the most prestigious certification available to general managers and top executives in the hospitality industry world-wide.
Del Rosario and six other Seda Hotels executives – led by senior group general manager Andrea Mastellone – were recognized for their exemplary leadership and managerial abilities. The team took and passed the CHA culminating exam with high marks, receiving some of the highest scores in Asia.
Coming from humble beginnings, del Rosario shares that he really hopes to impart to his employees at Seda Atria – predominantly Ilonggo locals – Ayala’s core value of LIVEM, which stands for “Leadership. Integrity. Vision. Excellence. Malasakit” as well as “finding integrity” in what they do, may they be housekeeping attendants and wait staff or managers.
A University of the Philippines Diliman graduate, del Rosario found himself gravitating toward the hospitality industry despite earning a degree in Geography. Pursuing what he was passionate about, del Rosario began as a room attendant at an international luxury hotel, before working his way up by sheer grit and determination to become one of the leaders and innovators of the Seda brand now.
“It helped me a lot running a hotel, knowing everything under the sun –from how to make a bed, how to clean a room, how to process a reservation, how to organize an event, and how to handle the people. I was in Human Resources for some time,” del Rosario relates. “It was a pleasant surprise to find out that every role and responsibility I had taken on before – however small they may have been – have prepared me for my job now.”
MALASAKIT
All of Seda Atria’s employees – from the Hotel Manager to the frontliners and security officers – have undergone training to be a Certified Guest Service Professional (CGSP). Recognized worldwide, the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute’s CGSP recognition is the most prestigious for international standards of guest service in the hospitality industry.
“With the CGSP training, Seda Atria’s employees are taught customer service that will delight guests each and every time,” shares the del Rosario. “We also urge our staff to always look for opportunities to delight our guests and go the extra mile. For example inuubo ang guest, maybe you can offer them some soothing tea on the house. Alam mong nagmamadali ang guest to catch his or her flight, pero hinahanap pa niya ang passport niya. Go out of your way to help them.”
“But coupled with training is the staff’s genuine concern for the guest. It’s the human touch, the Seda touch that people remember and treasure,” he adds. “Most of the time guests won’t remember how beautiful the hotel is or the expensive artworks and furnishings, they will remember the happy experiences they had at Seda. We’re all about creating memories when you stay at Seda, happy memories that you’ll treasure,” del Rosario explains.
He relates an incident when one of his staff unknowingly saved the life of a guest as a prime example of “malasakit.” During a room check, attendant Christian Uvas found the guest weak, pale and nauseous on her bed, lying on her own vomit. Uvas was quick to report the incident to April Rose Allas, assistant executive housekeeper, who relayed the information to Seda Atria’s front office manager Carlos Lavares.
They immediately attended to the guest who at first refused to be taken to the hospital. But after gaining her trust, she allowed them to take her to the nearby Qualimed Hospital to seek medical assistance. The guest was later diagnosed with severe dehydration, the doctors noting that if the patient was brought in any later, she might not have made it at all.
“Malasakit is indeed not a responsibility yet it is something that you willingly do beyond the scope of your duties,” beamed Del Rosario. “Christian and Darlene are a living testimony of the value of ‘malasakit,’ performing acts of kindness not for the applause or the praise but because of genuine concern for another’s well-being. They knew what needed to be done and they did it without hesitation.”
Del Rosario shares that the “malasakit” of Seda Atria’s employees may not always be of the heroic kind like that of Uvas and Allas – most of the time it may be just small gestures and warm smiles – but it has become something that is second nature to the hotel’s staff. Although it be as small as helping retrieve a guest’s lost possessions or offering fresh mangoes to guests who have a craving for Guimaras’ sweet harvests, it’s the thought and sincerity that counts, he explains.
SEAMLESS SERVICE
Boasting of a seamless hotel experience and adhering to the tight touchstones of the Seda brand of hospitality, Seda Atria offers guests unparalleled convenience, comfort and service at par with global standards.
Seda Atria is the fifth property of the Seda hotel chain and the first Seda hotel in the Visayas Region. It caters primarily to local and international travellers and business and corporate groups especially now that Iloilo City is a developing destination for Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing and Exhibitions (MICE).
The hotel has been the home of high-profile international organizations such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) delegation in 2015 and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members in 2017. Seda Atria has even hosted now President Rodrigo Duterte during his campaign trail in the 2016 elections.
Seda Atria sits on prime real estate, located beside Shops at Atria, as well as strategically near other malls, dining and retail outlets, office spaces, hospitals, and schools. The hotel is also just about a 45-minute drive away from the airport, and about 10 to 15 minutes commute from transport terminals around the city and gateways to the different historical, cultural and leisure attractions of Iloilo.
Seda Atria has also become the place to be for leisurely afternoons accompanied by a cup or two of coffee, and chill evening hangouts with friends and some wine at Straight Up bar.
The hotel’s Straight Up rooftop bar, the first of its kind in Iloilo City, is the perfect place for cocktails and events. For those seeking to savor a uniquely Seda Atria dining experience, the hotel offers “Apericena” everyday, (a pre-dinner treat based on the Italian tradition) featuring a complimentary buffet of pica-pica for any order of alcoholic drinks.
Meanwhile, Misto, the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant, has both delectable sweet and savory dishes that will surely meet the Ilonggo’s refined tastes. Seda Atria’s newest signature dish the mouthwatering “Ilonggochon,” a local twist on the Philippines’ national dish that is a sure-fire hit for those seeking a hearty meal, but Misto also has “Coffee Indulgence” every afternoon, unlimited coffee with complimentary pastries at just P250 per person.
“Seamless service is from check-in to check-out we’ll be offering our best to the guests, without a hitch and without a problem, to ensure they will really feel the Seda touch,” said del Rosario.
“We treat our guests the way we would treat our visitors at home,” the hotelier adds. “I would always use our fiesta culture here in the Philippines especially here in Iloilo with its many vibrant town fiestas. During fiestas, we welcome many guests, new friends and even strangers into our home, and we give them the best we can offer. We bring out our new plates, our best utensils, and our best food and dishes. We give our all. Seda Atria does that, we really give our best and our all, so that our guests always feel totally at home.”/PN
