Excerpt from Balikbayan Magazine December-January 2012 issue
| INDUSTRY |
Written by Danielle Clara P. Dandan
They say that one’s passion can be traced back to one’s childhood. This is very much the case for Jose Mari del Rosario, President and Chief Executive Officer of Microtel Inns & Suites (Pilipinas) Inc. and Microtel Development Corp.
His father, Ramon del Rosario Sr., was the first Filipino CEO of an American multinational firm in the 1940s and subsequently, Philippine ambassador to Canada, Japan, and Germany. Since Mari was youngest in a brood of seven kids, his father took him along on these diplomatic postings, an adventure that allowed him to see and experience many hotels around the globe. Apart from being a well-traveled lad, it could be said that Mari literally grew up in the hotel industry.
This rich exposure prompted the young Mari to dedicate his career to the hospitality industry. He graduated from one of Switzerland’s renowned hotel schools and later went to Cambridge, Massachusetts to get his master’s degree. Despite his academic achievements from international institutions, Mari told himself that experience would be the best teacher; off he went for a year-long management training program at the Peninsula Hotel Manila and another year at the iconic Imperial Hotel in Tokyo.
One may wonder what could make a hotelier—especially someone who has built his career in a five-star hotel business—venture into a limited service hotel chain.
“The typical hotelier schooled in the five-star category would always want to stay there,” Mari said. “I guess after I did my MBA, I shifted my brain to the most practical realistic business side for the Philippines.”
Mari admitted that he looked at many hotel brands but he decided that Microtel was the one suitable for the Philippines. He believed that this no-frills hotel concept was the perfect model to upgrade the quality of accommodations in key destinations all over the country. At the same time, this would address the needs of the underserved mid-market.
For full stories, get a copy of Balikbayan Magazine December-January 2012 issue
in bookstores nationwide.
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Balikbayan Magazine is published bi-monthly by Asian Journal Publications, Inc. Send subscription inquiries to subscription@asianjournalinc.com and advertising queries at advertising@asianjournalinc.com
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