Getting to know the New Hilton Cebu GM

The name is reminiscent of the braided, flaxen haired Valkyrie and Thor, the god of thunder and war, with the fearsome magic hammer.  Yes, he is also tall, blond and blue-eyed. But then, the similarities with his Norse sounding name end there, for this Harald definitely does not sport the Viking lust for conquest. He comes on as a boyish (he is almost 40 but looks like in his late 20's), smiling, clean-cut Caucasian tourist, instead of the new General Manager of one of Cebu's upscale beach resorts: the Hilton Cebu Resort & Spa.

Let's get to know Harald Feurstein (pronounced: foyer.sh.tyne) who hails from Linz, the capital of Upper Austria, situated between the fabulous city of Vienna, the Austrian capital, and the historic city of Salzburg, birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.  At an early age, Harald was drawn to the hospitality & service industry due to its magnetic lure of distant shores.  "The opportunity to travel," Harald explained, "had its appeal to me. I want to explore different countries and learn from other cultures."

By the time he was barely 20 years old, he went to Switzerland to start his career as a hotelier, in 1988 - 90. Then, he had an opportunity to work in South Africa until 1994 when he started his Asian sojourn through an assignment in China where he stayed until 1996.  A very short stint in Japan led to an assignment in Malaysia.  It was there that he hired a lanky Italian with a creative flair, as Food & Beverage coordinator, by the name of Stefano Ruzza.  It was also in his Malaysia stint that he met his Malaysian wife Elizabeth, who looks like a typical Filipina.

He moved to Vietnam in 1998 but soon after, he established his Hilton connection when he went back to Malaysia to be part of Hilton Kuching, then to Hilton Petaling Jaya. He moved from the Food & Beverage department into the equally challenging area of Business Development. 

He was assigned, holding the same position, to the Grand Hilton Seoul in Korea, before his impressive stint in Hilton Beijing where he was deeply involved in the planning and execution of the successful renovation and extension of the entire hotel. He obviously created a stir since he consequently bagged the coveted "Best Professional Executive of the Year" award during the China Hotel Executive Magazine Awards for 2008.

Stefano Ruzza, who meanwhile has moved on to have become the Director of Operations of Hilton Cebu, is now looking forward to once again unite with an old friend and colleague to work in unison once again at the resort. 

When asked about his views and comments of his new position in this island called Mactan, Harald readily said: "I look forward to learn more about the people, the Cebuano culture and the island lifestyles. Of course, I aim to improve on the hotel's performance and, once settled, I hope to be more involved in community affairs, both in Lapulapu and Cebu, including media events, social and environmental awareness programs, as well as government-initiated projects."

Indeed, we will be hearing and seeing more of Harald in the months to come. Hilton Cebu Resort & Spa is in good hands. Welcome to your new home, a paradise island in the Pacific.