BORACAY, Philippines — After 25 years of taking the reins, Dr. Henry Chusuey steps down from the management of Henann Group of Resorts and passes the baton to his three children.
Chusuey announced his retirement last September 26 during the 25th anniversary party of the Henann Group held in Henann Regency Resort and Spa in Boracay, the first property he invested in 1998.
"I have decided, I think, this is about time since the pandemic is over, I have decided to retire from the management of Henann," he said during his speech at the dinner anniversary.
"I will lease my new position. If I retire, my new position will be a collector. Because I will lease my property to my children and, of course, to some old employees and to some stockholders who want to join and I will just get a certain percentage so that hindi na ako stressful. So my role is a collector and auditor," he quipped.
His children all take an active part in their business. The eldest, Alfonso Louis, is the group's president and handles the development of resorts. The second son, Karl Hendrik, is the vice president and takes care of marketing, while the youngest and only daughter, Christina Ann, is the head of accounting.
'Man of vision'
Described as a "man of vision" by former Aklan governor Florencio Miraflores during his speech that night, Chusuey built his first property in Boracay, a 43-room hotel at a time when Boracay experienced one crisis after another.
The former governor recalled how Chusuey took the risk to build what was then called Boracay Regency, now Henann Regency Resort and Spa.
He met the Iloilo businessman in 1997, a time when the island was plagued with the coliform crisis. At about the same time, the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997 tumbled most markets in the region, including the Philippines.
Karl recalled that he was eight when his father decided to build their first hotel in the island in 1998.
"I was eight years old at that time. It was 1998 and my father decided to fill the 43-room resort here in Boracay. It was more for vacation home as well as (to) make a little more money at the same time," Karl told Philstar.com in an exclusive interview.
"But little did we know, Boracay, would you know, people can't resist this island. So when it became big, that's when we decided to shift from the business in Iloilo going to the resort industry."
The older Chusuey was into finance, movie theater business and real estate.
More than two decades later, Chusuey's 43-room hotel is now a 302-room property. The group's portfolio has also ballooned to six more hotel resorts found on the island's famous stations. Henann now has 1,600 rooms on the island alone and it has two more properties in Bohol.
Currently, Henann Group of Resorts' Boracay properties include Henann Prime Beach Resort, Henann Park Resort, Henann Lagoon Resort, Henann Crystal Sands Resort, Henann Garden Resort and Henann Palm Beach Resort. Their two Bohol properties are Henann Resort Alona Beach and Henann Tawala Resort.
"It's teamwork. From all the staff to our chairman, Dr. Henry Chusuey, family, shareholders. It's a team effort. So, there is no particular secret. I think what we do well is to work diligently. We always find ways on how to improve. Even in crisis, you always have to keep moving. You push yourself. Always stay on top of the game, always improve what you have. Never settle," Karl said.
He also added that there are plans to expand their group's portfolio, including two more properties in Boracay and plans for their properties in Coron and Malcapuya Island in Palawan. Karl said that they are set to build their first luxury property in Boracay named after his mother Anna Lissa.
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