Up Close with Hilton Cebu's New GM

CEBU, Philippines - He arrived in Cebu two days before Christmas to take on a new assignment as General Manager of Hilton Cebu Resort and Spa. Fresh from an assignment in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Markus Kraus and his family (wife Brigitte and daughter Nathalie) were excited to move to Cebu, Philippines for a number of reasons.

“I was very excited. The first thing that came to my mind was I will be able to work with Filipinos. I have worked with Filipinos before, many times in fact, but unfortunately never in the Philippines. The family, especially my wife, was also excited because of the opportunity to go to a place with a nice climate because Mongolia is so cold during winter,” he said.

Mr. Kraus shared that aside from the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of a nice, warm weather, like fresh food, fish and fruits, and the chance for his daughter to engage in different water sports, the family is also excited to meet new people and learn a new culture.

Mr. Kraus, who was born in Thalwil, Switzerland, brings with him 19 years of international 5-star hotel experience because of this assignments in Europe, Africa, Middle East and in the Asia/Pacific. His assignment at Hilton Cebu is his eighth, since joining the Hilton group.

His first introduction to Cebuano culture, aside from getting to know the Island of Mactan, was the Sinulog as he was able to get a glimpse of the festivity, which he found very fascinating. “I have not been around that much yet in my two-month stay here in Cebu because I got busy with settling down and taking care of what I needed to do at the hotel. But I got the chance to see the Sinulog, which was a good start,” he said.

Mr. Kraus shared that he “almost” visited Bohol when he was invited to join President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s party, along with other hoteliers but unfortunately, he said, they were not able to get off the boat that took them to the Tagbilaran Pier. “But it was nice, of course, to meet the President.”

When asked about what kind of a leader he is, Mr. Kraus said he does not follow a generic leadership style. “It actually depends on the people I have to lead. I see myself as a motivator, someone who works with the team and supports the team to get great results,” he said, adding that he sees the 200-plus Hilton Cebu staff as a highly motivated group.

With him at the helm of Hilton Cebu, Mr. Kraus has many plans for the hotel, its staff, and the community where the hotel belongs to. For the Hilton Cebu staff, Mr. Kraus promised to be a supportive boss who will always be there when the staff needs him. Being a mentor and an assessor for high potential employees, he also promised to share his knowledge to the staff. For the Hilton customer, Mr. Kraus said he will make sure that clients will get value for money service at the hotel and even said he will make all efforts to meet some of the customers if he has time. And for the community, Mr. Kraus promises to have more events like concerts, fashion shows and even charity events. He also plans to get the hotel involved in environmental efforts.

“We plan to create a marine sanctuary near the resort as one of our efforts to help the environment. We will also be holding beach clean-ups and other activities,” he said.

Already, Mr. Kraus’ leadership at Hilton Cebu has made an impact on the hotel staff. One of the drivers at the hotel shared that Mr. Kraus, despite being at the hotel for a little over two months yet, is already well-loved by the staff.

“He is very approachable. He makes an effort to talk to us regardless of our position or job at the hotel,” the driver enthused.

A mentor and hands-on leader who is approachable and supportive, that is Markus Kraus. Expect new exciting things with him at Hilton Cebu.