Filipino wins Shangri-La chain employee of the year award

To win Employee of the Year over more than 27,000 contenders in a chain of 49 hotels and resorts worldwide is no mean feat. But for Martin de Castro, food and beverage manager of the Makati Shangri-La, the award is simply a bonus for a job that he enjoys and does well.

"Awards are nice, but I’m not really driven by them," De Castro says. "Doing something you are passionate about makes the whole experience worthwhile. Being recognized for it is like icing on a cake."

Educated at the Ateneo de Manila University, De Castro graduated in 1985 with a degree in business management.

"I remember that when I was looking for a job in 1985, a year before the EDSA revolution, a lot of companies weren’t hiring. Hotels seemed to be the only ones who were employing people."

Thus, says De Castro, "The whole idea of joining the hotel industry was purely coincidental." He worked in the business, and subsequently joined the Shangri-La Group in 1992 as part of the pre-opening team of Shangri-La EDSA. His stint with Makati Shangri-La started in 1999.

"My real passion is teaching," he shares, explaining his sabbatical from the hotel industry from 1996-1999: To work as a teacher, first at the Ateneo, and then at the De La Salle hotel school in Lipa.

"But then, when I was teaching hotel and restaurant management, I would bring my students to the hotels. So, I was never really apart from the industry," he muses. Thus, when the opportunity came to rejoin Shangri-La in 1999, he took it.

"One thing that I enjoy about my job as food and beverage manager is that I am exposed to the new trends in the field. Another thing that makes me happy is that I have the opportunity to train and develop the staff. Being able to train and teach is a fulfillment of my dream of teaching in a classroom," declares De Castro. "I have taught and trained over a thousand people and the experience has helped me grow as a person."

Since most of the staff already have the necessary manual skills, training and development takes on an added facet. By working on behavior and attitudes, and enabling individuals to maximize on their various strengths, the challenge lies in achieving a pleasing balance of confidence and competence that will not be mistaken for arrogance.

In the hotel industry, the employees’ sensitivity to the needs of the guest is paramount. This, coupled with the attributes of discipline and genuine care and concern – for both guests and colleagues – contributes to a positive working environment. Concomitantly, an ideal working environment redounds to the excellent service. This translates to the comfortable, friendly, sincere, and caring atmosphere that Makati Shangri-La is known for.

De Castro shares that he would not have been this successful without the full support of Jarlath Lynch, Makati Shangri-La general manager, and the rest of the executive committee. He dedicates the award to the men and women of Makati Shangri-La who have taken Shangri-La’s goal of "delightful" service to heart.

In his capacity as Makati Shangri-La’s food and beverage manager, he continues to enjoy teaching – albeit, outside the classroom. The intangible rewards of the job, such as "inner refurbishment of the spirit" give him an immense sense of fulfillment.

"When my daughter Mariana grows up, I don’t want her to know me as a man who amassed cars, houses, and money," he says. " I want her to know that I have taught and touched many lives. I hope that whatever field she gets into, she could continue my passion for teaching someday."