Bayview Hotel GM Eugene T. Yap: Leading with compassion

Bayview Hotel GM Eugene T. Yap: Leading with compassion

A good leader possesses not one but a combination of many good qualities. For Bayview Park Hotel Manila’s General Manager Eugene T. Yap, his best assets stem from his innate compassion for people and the desire to always provide service that only gets better over time.

Mr. Yap took his seat as the hotel’s General Manager in 2002, but he has been with Bayview Hotel Development Corp., the company that owns and operates the hotel since it acquired the property in the late 1980s. At that time, he was serving from the company’s head office in Makati as part of the legal team that handled the property acquisition. Later, he was tasked to look over the structure’s renovations and repairs.

It may seem like a stretch for a corporate lawyer to work in the operations and management side of a hotel. After getting a business degree at the University of Santo Tomas in 1985, Atty. Yap pursued a legal career and went straight to law school at Manuel L. Quezon University, before passing the bar exams in 1990.

But as he recalls, “You know how children usually dream what they always see? When we were younger, whenever we go to restaurants or hotels and service is given to us superbly and we feel happy about it, you tend to feel like you want to work in those types of service. At that time there wasn’t really much of a ‘hospitality industry’ to be spoken of so I wouldn’t call this my childhood dream. But when our company acquired Bayview, I simply began to love the property.”

The passion to serve people became Yap’s main drivers at work. “In the hospitality industry, we serve our guests and we take care of our employees. In legal practice, we also take care of our clients and our staff. So, in this aspect, they are really not much different,” he says.

He believes that good service can only be provided to hotel guests when the people working behind the scenes are also being valued by their leader, so he strives to give them a good working environment and has even adopted a program called the Managers’ Initiative. Through this program, employees are encouraged to pitch in their suggestions on how they can improve the hotel’s services, amenities, and even marketing efforts, and gives them the platform to explore their ideas.

He also puts value in having a work-life balance among his employees and even with himself. “I always set a time limit for work because when you are enjoying the work, you tend to lose track of time and you should never lose time for your family. It is also important for me and my staff to recharge once in a while so we can provide better service to our guests when we return to work.”

When asked to describe his leadership style, “You can say relaxed but still professional. I believe in accountability where each one is responsible for their own actions, but I also believe in learning from others. I am forever a student of the hospitality industry so I try my best to learn from all people.” He constantly keeps a listening ear open for comments and suggestions from every person who walks into the hotel because he believes that

“Guests are your best teachers,” he says, “How do I know when I’m doing a good job? When I see guests smiling. When they are satisfied with your service, that guest will keep coming back and keep asking for you. When the guest starts needing you, that means you’re doing something right.”

Not only at Bayview Park Hotel does Mr. Yap apply his mantras of good leadership. He also takes pride in being the president of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines (HRAP). As a leader to the organization, he aims to leave a mark in the industry through his “leadership by accommodation,” which is founded on understanding, being approachable, and being reasonable. “Just keep on giving the best available service to your guests and don’t forget to give your employees the pat on the back that they deserve. When you start receiving compliments from your guests and loyalty from staff, that’s where success comes in.”

How to get an extra bottle of Novuhair for free

How to get an extra bottle of Novuhair for free

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SM Group organizes relief and recovery efforts for Taal victims

SM Group organizes relief and recovery efforts for Taal victims

After the recent eruption of the Taal Volcano in Batangas which affected thousands of Filipinos in Southern Luzon, the SM Group immediately mobilized Oplan Tulong Express, a relief operations program that gave assistance to the victims.

Steven Tan“SM has always been a partner of the community, especially in times of need and disasters. After the devastating calamity, we immediately reached out to those displaced by the eruption,” said Steven Tan, chief operating officer of SM Supermalls.

Spearheaded by the SM Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of the SM Group including SM Prime Holdings, Oplan Tulong Express served as one of the first responders and gave assistance to communities in forms of Kalinga relief packs, medical missions and medicines, and other basic needs.

Upon the mobilization of Oplan Tulong Express, SM Foundation, SM Supermalls, SM Cares, and Philippine National Red Cross all worked closely together to help the victims as soon as possible. They sent a truckload of over 2,500 6-liter bottled water to the evacuation centers in Batangas City and Lipa. They also prepared and delivered over 6,500 Kalinga relief packs to the evacuation centers and sorting sites. These packs contained bottled mineral water, rice, ready-to-eat meals, and instant noodles. Oplan Tulong Express Booths were also activated right away to accept in-kind and cash donations in our 12 SM malls in South Luzon.

In partnership with SM Malls and SM Retail, there is also an ongoing Oplan Tulong Express Medical Mission in Lipa, Batangas, Bauan, and Inosluban-Maraouy which can help with different medical cases that were caused by the eruption. SM has deployed two mobile clinics with basic medication, health services and facilities such as x-ray, ECG, nebulizers, and oxygen for the medical mission. Volunteer doctors and medical personnel can also serve up to 1,200 medical cases a day.

Aside from relief operations, SM also ensured the safety and well-being of its employees. It reached out to its employees who live in the affected areas and made sure that their families are safe and given the utmost relief support and assistance. Moreover, SM Lemery in Batangas has been closed since Monday but its employees were absorbed by nearby SM malls in Batangas City and Lipa City. A total of 80 displaced employees were also given an emergency fund and SM Go Bags with first aid needs and kalinga relief packs.

To help secure the livelihood of tenants and their employees, micro, small and medium establishments located in affected malls were given the opportunity to open and do business in other South Luzon malls so that their livelihood and that of their employees is secure.

SM’s disaster recovery center in Clark also has copies of important business records and documents for tenants who have enrolled in the program, especially Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, to retrieve and use for insurance claims, among others.

SM Prime Holdings group, SM Cares, SM Foundation, and their partners from the Philippine National Red Cross, extend their gratitude to those who donated cash and in kind. To those who want to donate, you may drop off your donations at the designated Oplan Tulong Express booths in 12 SM malls in South Luzon, namely Bacoor, Dasmariñas, Molino, Rosario, Trece Martires, Imus, Sta. Rosa, San Pablo, Calamba, Batangas, Lipa, and Lucena.

Southeast Asia’s best real estate companies and professionals

Southeast Asia’s best real estate companies and professionals

Dot Property, Southeast Asia’s leading real estate portal, recently honored the best and the brightest real estate developers, companies and professionals in the region during the recent Dot Property Southeast Asia Awards 2019.

With delegates coming from the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, the prestigious awards program honored more than 45 companies and individuals. Dot Property CEO Matthew Campbell, commercial director James Claassen, and director for events and international markets Adam Sutcliffe led the awarding ceremonies.

Winners from the Philippines were Grand Land for Best Mid-Range Condominium Development Award for Amani Grand Citygate Davao; Santos Knight Frank for Southeast Asia’s Best Real Estate Agency for 2019 and SM Development Corporation (SMDC) for Best Township Development for Gold Residences.  The photo shows Dot Property 2019 awardees during the event held at the Park Hyatt Bangkok.

TPB achieves ISO 9001:2015 re-accreditation

TPB achieves ISO 9001:2015 re-accreditation

The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines once again proves its commitment towards the continuous improvement of its management systems by successfully maintaining its ISO 9001:2015 certification.

The audit performed by the Certification International Philippines, Inc. showed that the quality management systems in place at TPB have seen remarkable improvements and discovered no non-conformities in the organization’s existing processes on design, development, and provision of Philippine tourism marketing and promotions versus the ISO standards. An attached agency of the Department of Tourism, TPB exists to market and promote the Philippines domestically and internationally as a world-class tourism and MICE destination.

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