MANILA – For the Philippines' hotel sector, 2020 has been the most challenging year it faced, with the coronavirus pandemic grounding everything to a halt.
But despite the hit, the industry chose to "go with the flow" and find ways to remain resilient in the face of this global health crisis.
For the Hotel Sales and Marketing Association (HSMA), the crisis has even brought the "best" in them and compelled the sector to double its efforts to remain "productive" and "proactive".
"This is a banner year for HSMA. In spite of the troubles that we went through, we were together for example looking for business for each other," HSMA president Christine Ann Ibarreta told reporters on Friday.
"In terms of bookings, nagpapasahan kami (we share when there's excess)," she added.
Most hotels this year relied on an entirely different market-- the repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and returning Filipinos who must undergo quarantine in a designated facility such as hotels.
HSMA spokesperson Pearl Maclang said strong collaboration among the HSMA, the Tourism Promotions Board, the Department of Tourism and other stakeholders helped alleviate the crisis' negative impact and allowed the sector to "stimulate the market" and prepare for what will come in 2021.
"All the initiative that the HSMA did for this year are mainly to jumpstart the recovery plans for 2021 because this year, there's nothing much we can do, it's beyond our control," she said.
Amid the hurdles that 2020 brought, the HSMA continued with its Virtus Awards, the Philippines’ most prestigious annual awards event for hotel sales and marketing professionals, highlighted by a new resiliency category.
The Champions of Resilience Awards were won by Ma. Elena Cecille Daugdaug, sales manager of Quest Hotel and Conference Center Cebu (individual); Luxent Hotel under the leadership of general manager Melanie Pagkalinawan (team); and Chroma Hospitality led by Carmela Bocanegra, vice president for sales and marketing (marketing communications).
Margarita Munsayac, HSMA chair, said Daugdug was chosen out of seven other nominees because of her remarkable dedication, perseverance, business agility, and incredible resilience during the pandemic.
“Not only did our winner protect the business, but our winner also grew the business that contributed to the retention of a sizable percentage of hotel staff,” she said.
As for Luxent Hotel, their win was the result of everyone’s holistic approach toward mitigating the effects of the pandemic.
“By ensuring the safety and well-being of its employees and their families, which included mental health awareness and providing alternative platforms to earn money as partner-providers of the hotel, the employees were fully engaged in proactively increasing revenue streams of the hotel while reducing its expenses during this time of adversity,” Munsayac said.
As for Chroma Hospitality, its marketing campaign titled “Safely Apart, Closer at Heart,” was chosen for being the most comprehensive and well-planned campaign.
Virtus Awards chair Rose Libongco said it was "highly important" for the HSMA to continue.
"Anyone can imagine that it was easy to give in to despair and frustration when travel had stopped, governments imposed quarantines, new standards of hygiene and customer care were imposed, and no cure was in sight," she said.
"But thankfully, sales and marketing people are endowed with an indomitable spirit. When down and out, Sales & Marketing get up and roll in, when pushed against a wall, they break the wall; when down in the dumps, they dig for the gold. Sales and Marketing continue to be the lifeblood for the company -always working, thinking, creating, never giving up,” she added.
The other Virtus Awardees are:
- Erika Denice Patajo, events executive of Okada Manila (As in previous Virtus Awards, honors were given to the Outstanding Sales and Marketing Associate)
- Pio Sanchez, senior sales manager of El Nido Resorts (Outstanding Sales and Marketing Manager)
- Eun Joo Bae, director of sales - FIT at Conrad Manila (Outstanding Sales and Marketing Leaders)
- Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila, represented by Dave Pimentel, director of marketing and communications (Outstanding Marketing Campaign). (PNA)
