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Even at a
young age, Arthur G. Gindap, country general
manager of Ascott International in the
Philippines,
had already decided to work in the hospitality industry
when the time comes. The son of a former diplomat, he says
working in foreign affairs was just not his calling.
“Up to
now, I still remember the day I wanted to be an hotelier.
That was when I was 10 years old, and we were traveling as
part of my father’s job. Then we had a stopover in
Singapore.
We were in a hotel, which I recalled was the Mandarin,
which was brand new at that time,” Gindap recalls.
“I was
immediately impressed with the new lobby. A 10-year-old
boy who walks into the lobby of a new hotel would
naturally remark this is really cool. This really looks
like a cool job,” he adds.
To train
to become an hotelier, Gindap went to the Sheridan
College, Brampton, Ontario in Canada for his hotel and
restaurant administration degree.
After
graduation, he served as general manager of major
restaurants such as the Saint Thomas Street Restaurant
complex, Brasserie Bofinger, Bemelmans Restaurant and
Belliar Café and the Keg Restaurants in Toronto from 1980
to 1989. He says he enjoyed his stint in
Toronto,
primarily because he was still fresh out of college and
single.
After his
Canadian stint, Gindap decided to try his luck in Asia. He
had his first Asian assignment as food and beverage
manager with the Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts in Beijing,
China, from 1989 to 1990.
Then he
worked as an executive assistant manager at the Mandarin
Oriental Manila in the
Philippines.
The move
was a pleasant surprise for his parents since he was not
familiar with the country. But he says what made his
parents even happier was when he expressed interest to get
a feel of the Filipino culture.
“Filipino
parents will always be Filipinos. They never lost the love
for their homeland. When I married a Filipina, my mother
was very happy. She wasn’t happy with my Canadian
girlfriends,” admits Gindap.
Initial
struggle
Just like
any new kid in town, Gindap had his own share of problems
when he came in for the first time on Christmas Day in
1990. Before the Philippines, Gindap says he already had
to make adjustments from
Canada
to China. After the Beijing stint, he had to do it again.
Interestingly, he had a lot of Filipino colleagues in
China. This gave him a bit of confidence when he was to
work in
Manila,
sensing he can easily familiarize with the culture in a
shorter time.
However,
it was a different story for Gindap.
“I tell
you why. When I was in China in the early years of the
economic boom, most of the people I worked with were
Filipinos. But I found out later the Filipino outside [the
Philippines] were different. It’s a different work
environment for them,” Gindap explains.
When he
arrived in
Manila, he admits getting a bit of a shock because of two things.
One, he was set on seeing the staff work the way he was
trained. Second, the people he handled treated him as
homegrown Filipino.
“When
you’re a Westerner in this country, it is a general notion
that he doesn’t know the culture. However, it was a
different circumstance for me because the staff treated me
as a Filipino, believing that I should understand them,”
says Gindap.
“That was
a bit of struggle in the beginning because of my Filipino
looks. The first few years were hard. But I was able to
adapt to the new environment,” adds Gindap, whose main
views and opinions are Western-influenced.
Coming
from a Western environment, Gindap says he has to tweak a
bit his Western style of management to develop a greater
synergy with the staff without, of course, sacrificing the
world-class standards of the hotel.
The Ascott
way
Being part
of a large group, Gindap says his team is aware that the
serviced-residence company has some targets, which are
nonnegotiable.
“This is
where part of my culture comes in, the strictness for one.
People will adapt anyway. It’s give and take thing, too.
If we have done well, I share the much-deserved credit to
the team, which worked hard for the success,” says Gindap.
He says
the current success of Ascott is a team effort. “I
contribute to our success in the country. But without the
fantastic team that I have, it wouldn’t be possible,” he
admits.
For the
last two years Gindap says Ascott has given great
incentives and bonuses, which increased the motivation of
the staff.
As a
hands-on manager, Gindap sees to it that details from the
big to the minute ones—such as the dirt on the floor—are
attended to.
Being a
serviced-residence facility, the main difference with the
hotel is that Ascott is designed for long-term guests who
stay for an average of one month up to three months. “We
have also rooms for short-term guests,” he quickly
stresses.
Also,
Gindap says a serviced residence offers exclusivity for
the guests, like having a private kitchen where he or she
can do some cooking.
The guest
ratio is 50-percent long term and 50-percent short term,
and Gindap and his team were able to surpass their target
last year.
In the
long term, Gindap says the Ascott group believes the
Philippines can accommodate more Ascott properties and
build the brand in the long run. “We’re looking in select
areas to add branches for our other brands Citadenes and
Somerset for the single traveler. We’re trying to see if
we can launch this brand in the Philippines. We’re also
planning to put two Somerset [properties] in Metro
Manila,” says Gindap.
For many
years, Ascott, which used to be the Oakwood Residences in
Glorietta 4, chose to remain low key. But now, it has
decided to become active and is aiming for growth.
But he
assures that there will be no “Ascott mutiny” strategy in
pursuing this growth. |
