Hyatt COD Manila GM takes a bow

At the Mabuhay Awards with winners and nominees from Hyatt: (From left) HR director Nina Katipunan, Manager nominee Marie Faustine Arce, Supervisor awardee Michelle Lacanlale, general manager Peter Sullivan, Rank & File (Front of House) awardee Melody Abayan, director of Sales & Marketing Francis Arceo David, assistant director of Rooms Kelly Dacanay —NELSON MATAWARAN

At the recent Mabuhay Awards which commends the best in hospitality, Peter Sullivan, the new general manager of Hyatt City of Dreams (COD) Manila, stood out from the crowd.

Aside from being one of the tallest at 6’2, he wore a black suit while the rest had donned the barong Tagalog.

Although he was informed that the barong was an option, he felt self-conscious.

Nonetheless, all that was forgotten when Hyatt garnered two of the four awards given by the organizer, the Association of Human Resources Managers of the Philippines.

Melody Abayan, guest services officer at the Club Lounge, won in the “Rank & File, Front of the House” category, while Michelle Lacanlale, team leader at the Café, won in the “Supervisor” category.

Fellow hoteliers gave Sullivan warm congratulations.  He has since vowed it was time to get measured for a barong Tagalog, foreseeing more events to attend.

Staring young

For most of his 28 years with the Hyatt chain, the Australian hotelier has been behind the scenes, doing mostly administrative work and managing finances.

His interview with Inquirer was his first.

“I’ve been an accountant all this time,” said Sullivan in jest.

While the stereotype of a general manager is an outgoing personality, Sullivan believes there has to be a balance.

“Along with being an extrovert, you need to have a good business acumen in order to run a hotel,” he said.

“I would describe my working life as a steady paddle upstream. Having steep goals in mind, I challenged myself to go against the current. The General Manager role was a 20-year goal in the making. With patience and hard work, I am happy to have reached this point and now ready to cast new goals,” he said.  “I hope that this becomes a pathway for other finance executives to move into operations.”

By convention, general managers have extensive experience in rooms or food and beverage, the core of hotel business.  There were a lucky few who made the transition from finance, which looks at figures and taxes.

Aside from keeping an eye on the bottom line, the GM oversees facilities, the hotel staff and meeting guests’ satisfaction.

Sullivan had that natural instinct for serving people. In his  teen years, he helped in the upkeep of a family-owned inn in Melbourne. Although he enjoyed the work, his studies suffered.

“I realized that you need to have a tertiary qualification to be taken seriously in business,” he said.

To gain more professional experience, Sullivan, then only 18,  became a management trainee in a three-star hotel. It wasn’t until he was 24 that he went to college to major in finance and management.

“When my wife’s friend advised me that I needed a university degree, she assisted me in getting a placement in Deakin University.  It took time to complete my studies because of my work and family commitments,” he said.

Sullivan worked his way up the ladder in three different hotels while going to school.

After completing his traineeship, he was exposed to all faces of Front Office and became Front Office Manager at the young age of 23.

“I was very driven to succeed. I used to work hard and did all the right things, and find all the right people. When you do that, people take you unto their wing and guide you in their careers. To broaden my skills sets, I decided to venture into the finance department to better understand how to run a successful hotel business,” he said.

He was an accounting clerk at the Regent of Melbourne (now Sofitel) and worked his way up as Finance Director.

On his promotion, Sullivan explained, “It was to my advantage that I was studying and working at the same time. It really helped because I learned on the job could be applied to my studies and the other way around. So it went hand in hand,” he said.

Catalyst for change

Sullivan began his career with the Hyatt at the Hyatt Regency Coolum in Queensland, Brisbane, as  assistant director of Finance. He was then posted in Canberra, Australia’s capital, where he stayed for 12 years as director of Finance then executive assistant manager for Rooms and Administration where he saw the hotel operations.

“The Hyatt Hotel Canberra was a beautiful property that I fell in love with,” he said. The historic Art Deco hotel was built with 50 rooms in 1927 and  was expanded to a total of 252 rooms in 1989.

It’s been known for its unique heritage-inspired styling and garden views combined with state-of-the-art technology.

His family returned to his hometown, Melbourne, where he served as director of Finance at Grand Hyatt Melbourne.  While his three children were finishing secondary school, the opportunity came to be relocated—still in the same position— to Grand Hyatt Macau, which was part of the City of Dreams Macau.

The decision was tough. He was 52 when he moved to Asia in 2012.   Yet, he saw opportunities for growth in region which had more Hyatt hotels than in Australia. “Moving to Asia, I had to change the way I communicated and presented myself,” he said. “Of course, I miss all the things that I liked—my friends, daily activities, football and cricket. You have to make certain sacrifices to follow your dreams. I had to leave my family for the thrill of going overseas and getting an opportunity to succeed with Hyatt. Moving to Asia was a catalyst for change.”

In May 2014, Sullivan was requested by the head office to assist in the pre-opening of Hyatt City of Dreams. In two and a half years, he has held three positions as director of Finance, executive assistant manager, and now general manager.

Caring for guests

He credits his predecessor Stephen Radcliffe for laying the foundations for the hotel’s success. When Radcliffe was transferred to Thailand to oversee Hyatt Regency Phuket Resort, Sullivan easily stepped into in the GM shoes.

Sullivan was described as a gentle, mild-mannered hotelier who easily adapts to situations. He  appreciates Filipino cuisine which he partakes in social gatherings.

Since 362-room Hyatt COD Manila opened in December 2014, it has been busy.  The hotel occupancy has been experiencing double-digit growth. As in many hotels, the market is diverse.

Sullivan added that he never heard of the term “staycation” until he came to Manila.

“Now I know it’s a very important part of the business,” he said.  Most of its weekend guests comprise families who want a home a way from home.

He added, “Though City of Dreams’ primary business is casinos, its hotels were built without neglecting the children, having Family Entertainment facilities such as DreamPlay in Manila, House of Dancing Water in City of Dreams Macau, and House of Magic in Studio City. There is indeed something for each member of the family.”

The hotelier pointed out that technology plays a vital role in opening new avenues for marketing and how it influences it.

“It provides us tools to listen I more ways act faster and take care of our guests better. The full potential depends on how we use these tools; how we provide feedback and how we initiate improvements so we continually improve the guest experience,” he said.

During the interview, his smartphone would send out notifications of guest ratings.

Sullivan explained, “We also have automated guest surveys which allow us to act on points for improvement and follow-through with the appropriate service recovery.”

Asked how Hyatt coexists with Nobu Hotels and Crown Towers, Sullivan answered, “Being in a complex other hotel brands helps our brand refine its personality.  As a premium brand, we provide the experience of luxury which is aspirational yet unpretentious. We provide the comforts of home with extra touches of genuine service.”

Entertainment City, the gaming and entertainment complex, by the bay is envisioned to be Metro Manila’s most exciting new destination.  Sullivan is proud that Hyatt is part of it.

Despite competition with new developments in the complex, Sullivan is confident that hotel business will flourish in 2017. The sales and marketing team has been bullish about increasing business in the corporate and leisure markets.

Ultimately, it’s Hyatt’s people who will draw in the guests.

“Filipinos are naturally fun-loving. We’ve seen that this lays the groundwork for an environment that allows the other values to flourish: Creativity, integrity, empathy, respect and humility.  Each one is linked,” he said. —CONTRIBUTED