Preschool teacher grows up to become Marriott property GM

Cleofe Albiso —NELSON MATAWARAN

A preschool teacher from Cebu may seem like an unlikely choice to become the first female general manager of a Marriott property in the Philippines.

However, Cleofe Albiso is out to prove that she can deliver the bottom line while making her associates feel like family.

On May 1, Albiso will welcome guests as Courtyard by Marriott Iloilo, the first international hotel in Western Visayas, opens its doors to the public. The 326-room hotel is beside the Iloilo Convention Center. They are part of Megaworld’s Iloilo Business Park, the former airport strip in Mandurriao district.

Courtyard by Marriott is a midrange brand that offers the creature comforts expected of its target market—the business and leisure travelers.

For so long, Iloilo’s hospitality industry was dominated by mom-and-pop operations until local chains such as Megaworld’s Richmonde Hotel and the Ayala-owned Seda established their properties.

“Richmonde and Seda are a prelude to a higher-rated property. This (Courtyard by Marriott) will be a higher-tiered service,” says Albiso. It will have the region’s biggest ballroom that can accommodate 250 guests.

The launching rate starts at P3,888. After the promotional period, the room rate averages $100 a night, slightly higher than norm. Still, Albiso explains that amenities are unprecedented in Iloilo such as the lap pool, the extensive all-day dining service and well-equipped fitness center.

Word has gotten around about the Courtyard by Marriott’s opening.

The profile of the opening bookings consists of the domestic market, mostly corporate accounts. It is also targeting families for weekend stays.

Albiso adds that the entry of an international chain validates Iloilo as an alternative destination for the MICE (meetings, incentive, conventions and exhibitions) market aside from Manila and Cebu.

“Our presence will ensure that the international market will try us,” she says.

While most hoteliers worked their way up after a couple of decades, Albiso has only been in the hospitality industry for five years.

After graduating from Andres Soriano Memorial School De La Salle with a degree in elementary education, majoring in math, Albiso started out as a preschool teacher.

With her can-do attitude and sales savvy, she headed the marketing division of Globe Telecom in the Visayas.

Her success in the Ayala-owned telco led her to another Ayala property, the now-defunct Cebu City Marriott in 2013.

As director of sales and marketing, Albiso set record sales revenues in the hotel’s history.

She recalls that when she first joined Cebu City Marriott, most of her colleagues had been working for the hotel for over a decade.

Eventually, her nontraditional background turned out to be an advantage.

“I had the passion and the hard work. As a single mom, I was driven to provide more for my family,” she says.

To prove herself as worthy of the position, Albiso tweaked the marketing strategy. Back then, Cebu City Marriott had shown signs of aging and faced greater competition with new hotels. She identified the hotel’s strength to lure the market: Foremost, it was in a prime location in the city and was at the Ayala Center. The food and beverage service was of high quality.

The hospitality was warm and efficient. The hotel installed the fastest internet service in the province, and the level of security was unprecedented.

Although the Korean market slumped, the hotel tapped new markets in China and Japan. Despite it being a business hotel, foreign guests could explore the city and spend two days in Mactan and Bohol.

Her team reached out to many clients, among them the Australian insurance firm, QBE Group, which opened a facility in Cebu.

Then again, her job exposed her to food and beverage.

“In sales and marketing, you are a think box. You have to know all aspects of the property,” she maintains.

Immersion

Albiso’s bosses were impressed by her leadership that after three years, they asked her to apply for general manager position for the upcoming Courtyard by Marriott. She inspired people to give their best.

“I can motivate them, and make them believe that they can do more and make it the standard,” she says.

To train for her GM post, Albiso immersed herself at the Courtyard hotels in Bali Seminyak and Bangkok.

“Marriott has a structured training plan. It invests in the training of its people,” she says.

Undergoing the hands-on work, she was exposed to various facets in a hotel including engineering.

“While other people tend to skip the spend, Marriott will require you to look into details to ensure comfort security and safety. Marriott is detailed that you have to comply with the minutest one. You cannot open if something doesn’t follow the standards. In the process, it made me proud to belong to the brand,” she says.

During the pre-opening, Albiso worked closely with the team, most of whom were local hires. One of her tasks was to enable the associates to imbibe Marriott’s high level of hospitality.

“When you open the doors, each guest has to feel a different experience from the rest of the brands. Translating that was a challenge. I’m glad that we captured a passionate group from Iloilo and provided opportunities for work in an international brand,” she says.

Single parent

Albiso also attended Marriott’s women and leadership program which encourages women to take on top executive positions in the chain and sharpen their business acumen.

“Women have stepped back from the GM job for fear of having no time for the family,” she says. As a single parent, the 42-year-old hotelier has raised four children—two of whom are college graduates in Cebu. Although her previous job entailed trips around the Visayas, the children have adjusted to her absences. Albiso made each child understand that her work was dedicated to offering them security and a bright future.

She notes that the advantage of women as leaders is their nurturing nature.

“Women are natural carers. They have the desire to serve,” she says.

When Marriott held a conference for general managers in the Asia Pacific, she and Anna Liza Vergara, the general manager of the upcoming Sheraton Manila, a Marriott subsidiary in Resorts World, were the ladies among some 350 delegates.

“We deserved a spot there,” she declares.

Albiso says her GM position comes with a privilege and responsibility.

“You create career paths, and inspire people to do their best. There is nothing that fails if you commit yourself to work and are passionate about it,” she says. —CONTRIBUTED