Seda Hotels, a wholly owned and operated brand of Ayala Land Hotels and Resorts, recently announced the appointment of Brett Patrick Hickey as group general manager for the newly opened Seda Vertis North and the upcoming Seda Lio Resort in El Nido, Palawan.
With 21 years of experience in the hospitality industry in Canada, China, Vietnam and the Philippines, Hickey was tapped to open the 438-room Seda Vertis North, which is the largest hotel in Quezon City and the first large-format property of the homegrown chain.
The sixth property in the Seda chain offers premier amenities and accommodations. Thus, Hickey has set for himself the goal of “evolving the brand from primarily being a solid businessman’s hotel to a full-service hotel. It’s a great opportunity for me to make use of my experience working with luxury international brands and to apply this to the Philippine environment”.
Hickey’s last major post in the Philippines was as a hotel general manager at City of Dreams, where he was involved in the construction, preopening up to the actual operations of the Crown Towers. Prior to that, he was resident manager of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts in Qingdao, Shandong, China.
The hotelier’s formative years were spent with the Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, known for its distinctive luxury properties favored by royalty, the wealthy and well-known statesmen. He began with the group’s property in Toronto, and moved his way up in operations in the brand’s hotels in the US and China.
Hickey, a Canadian national who also speaks French and Chinese, observed that being hospitable to visitors comes naturally to most Filipinos. “Since 2012, Seda has always been about allowing hotel colleagues do what is naturally innate to them—to warmly welcome strangers and turn them into friends.”
His role is to further sharpen his colleagues’ eye for details and make them fully aware of the expectations of the international traveler seeking premier accommodations.
Later in the year, Hickey will open Seda Lio, the brand’s 150-room hotel in the Lio Tourism Estate in El Nido, Palawan. Seda Lio will be the first major facility in the vast community, which has been planned to showcase the biodiversity and attractions of its Bacuit Bay location.
Seda has been known for the great values it offers guests in terms of location in a strategic Ayala Land community close to shops, restaurants and other establishments and in terms of its highly rated service. Hickey says that both Seda Vertis North and Seda Lio will continue the brand’s tradition of offering these same benefits to guests.
In the meantime, he is fully occupied putting into place the systems and many details that define a deluxe hotel. The hotel’s massive lobby is already a talking point owing to its stylish design and size that is unique to Quezon City. For all-day dining, it has a 250-seat full-scale restaurant called Misto, featuring a show kitchen and buffet that will change with the seasons and guests’ tastes.
Moreover, Seda Vertis North’s ballroom that can seat up to 500 guests, will make the hotel a favored wedding reception venue of couples from the northern part of the Metro, or a cocktail venue for social and corporate events with up to 700 attendees.
Hickey observes that both Seda guests and employees take great pride in the hotel chain’s being a Filipino homegrown brand. He intends to further enhance their sense of pride in the brand as it embraces new formats in new locations.