Waterfront Airport Hotel: New faces, new ideas, new challenges

The love to discover new flavors, food trips on the side and an immersion in the ample number of hotels and fare hubs in the country aptly prepared Dorian C. Mendoza as Waterfront Airport Hotel's Food & Beverage (F&B) Manager.

Behind his youthful charm is a man of caliber in his line of work. And, yes, experience, coupled with a longlist of exposures, is the best teacher. This holds true to this amusing guy who was convinced by his college friend to work in a Manila hotel. So, he just slid into the hotel industry with no plans of actually making it as his bread and butter. He worked with enthusiasm as a bartender, cooked and eventually enjoyed tasting the different flavors. He has chosen to stay in the F&B world.

Dorian comes from a family owning a multi media production outfit in Cagayan de Oro. His interest in the field of media made him study Mass Communications in Manila. He became a disk jockey (DJ) for a while, which honed his communication skills. Yet, fate led him to the place where he was destined to be.

According to him, he was taught hands-on since he does not have any formal education with regards to food and beverage. The process of learning the nitty-gritty interests him as much as he is engrossed in discovering new flavors. He labels the Japanese and Chinese restaurants as trendy and he also loves the European cuisine. "You can play around with food," Dorian said with enthusiasm. He claims that a chef can do a lot of innovation. Indeed, food preparation is an art. The taste of a dish varies from one restaurant or hotel to another for the reason that each chef has a different expression of his art. "One should be dynamic - setting a difference and being competitive - culinary touch with a twist. And that's what I envision for Waterfront Airport Hotel - a culinary twist," Dorian pointed out. Being in a hotel with an international standard, Dorian aims to give quality service to patrons.

There are only a few people who have stayed in the F&B world. In fact, according to this young manager, they almost all know each other in the industry. "It takes passion and love for your work to be able to stay in the business," added Dorian. It is a great challenge, providing great food and refreshments to a number of customers with discriminating palate day by day. There would be times that he is not in in a business suit but rather in a chef's attire. It takes team effort and close supervision to provide quality service for every gourmet diner and wine enthusiast.

Every month, the hotel has an exciting theme and this November, Waterfront Airport Hotel and Casino will hold food and wine tasting sessions.

Another addition to Waterfront Airport Hotel and Casino's dynamic managerial team is Shelley Arciaga, the newly promoted Sales and Marketing Manager. With 10 years of experience in sales, Shelley is not limiting herself to the usual sales and marketing strategies, rather she envisions highly creative come-ons to patrons. "I will not limit myself. I want to learn the marketing side of this highly diverse industry. So far, I'm getting settled after I was transferred from Waterfront Lahug. I am getting adjusted...this is a new challenge," said Shelley with a smile.

There is a lot happening in Waterfront Airport Hotel and Casino and with these young and dynamic executives, we will be expecting new things in the offering.