Conrad Manila GM bids PH adieu

Laurent Boisdron

When Laurent Boisdron got the surprise opportunity to uproot himself from the United States and move thousands of miles away across the ocean to the Philippines, he did not hesitate for a second to grab it.

Boisdron admits he did not know much about the Philippines at that time, but a little voice inside him told him to just go, and it was a move he does not regret making.

Far from it.

Boisdron first came to the Philippines in November 2014, to manage the 400-roon Radisson Blu in Cebu, owned by SM Hotels and Conventions Corp.

“I fell in love with the place,” Boisdron told the Inquirer, “For me, it is important to be near where the water is—be it lake, river or ocean, which is one reason I accepted the offer to manage the property in Cebu.” Two years later, the Frenchman was asked to manage Conrad Manila, the flagship luxury hotel of the SM Hotels group, with its 347 rooms and suites, food and beverage outlets, 2,500-square-meter space for ballrooms and function areas.

Fortunately, it was again near the water, this time the world-renowned Manila Bay with its famed sunset seen through Conrad Manila’s picture windows.

But more than the Philippines’ natural wonders and the thrill of managing top caliber hotels, what made the greatest impression on Boisdron here are the people he worked for and with.

“The best part of working in the Philippines is experiencing a very warm sense of hospitality of the Filipinos, and working within the culture of resilience and passion,” Boisdron said.

Thus it is with a heavy heart that Boisdron is packing his bags again to go back to the United States, where he will take on a new role in the head office.

But his pain is tempered by the knowledge that he did a good job during his six-year tour of duty in the Philippines, even excellent judging by the list of accomplishments in 2019, which was Conrad Manila’s best year yet.

Conrad Manila, for example, hosted key international events last year such as the International Coach Federation Coaching Summit, International Sustainability Summit and Philippine International Dive Expo.

Boisdron says he will miss the Filipino people.

“Conrad Manila’s extraordinary performance in 2019 exceeded expectations and put the Philippines in a most respectable position within the hospitality industry,” Boisdron said.“The year was very demanding with international corporate and social events that expected exemplary service to our clients and guests. Some industry and natural calamity challenges brought out the best in every Conrad Manila team member, with each one contributing to the 52 industry awards, recognition and citations achieved in the past 24 months.”

“Among the most recent achievements of Conrad Manila include being one of the top five Department of Tourism (DOT) Asean MICE-Hotel and DOT Asean Green Hotel awardees. Earlier, Conrad Manila was recognized in the Conde Nast Traveler Reader’s Choice Awards as being No. 1 Best Hotel in the Philippines, No. 3 Best Hotel in Asia, and No. 45 Best Hotel in the World,” he added.

Team member engagement was also significant last year with 100 percent involvement in Hilton’s corporate social responsibility program, Travel with Purpose, Boisdron reported.

As of December 2019, Conrad Manila monitored 7,564 volunteer hours equivalent to P10.2 million in local economic impact for environment protection, youth education, health and nutrition, women empowerment, diversity and inclusion.

Some 3,048 packed meals were prepared for malnourished children in the conflict area of Marawi, Mindanao.

With 3,048 bars of soap upcycled with a nongovernmental organization partner, 300 marginalized women in Taguig City were trained through the “Soap for Hope” program, which resulted in independent revenue for the women and their families.

Conrad Manila also successfully copiloted a Food Banking initiative in Taguig that currently supports some 3,000 public preschool children’s nutritious snacks from the hotel’s bread, cereals, fruits and vegetables collected daily by a community partner.

For 2020, Boisdron shared that “Conrad Manila is focused on delivering outstanding shareholder value, maintaining high standards for inspired guests stay, providing team members with great professional opportunities, and deepening its commitment to be at the heart of the community.”

Boisdron, who will move back to Minneapolis, said that as he takes on his latest challenge, he will always “carry the badge of honor of having worked with the Filipinos in the hospitality industry during the last four years of intense competition in the market.”

“I will treasure the realization that the secret of success is to always remain humble by listening, having a deep understanding of people relations and by touching lives more often, driving the business in a way that everyone feels supported,” he said.

“I am humbled to have built great relationship with ownership by being credible and trusted, ensuring that both Brand and ownership are equally important. Most essentially, I value my contribution of leading by example: Engaging guest and team member relations by providing top priority in quality despite numerous challenges,” Boisdron added.