Will the third time be the charm for Bernd Schneider, the new cluster general manager of Raffles Makati, Fairmont Makati, and the Raffles Residences?
The German hotelier, who grew up in Munich but has lived and worked all over the world, is on his third posting in the Philippines. He first arrived in 2006 to work as general manager of Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila and area general manager of Accor Philippines.
“Our son was born in Manila in 2006, during my first assignment,” he recalls. (His wife, Pipin, is Indonesian. They met during his stint as GM of a Jakarta hotel 25 years ago.)
Then, in 2014, he was the pre-opening general manager of Novotel Manila Araneta Center. “On my second assignment to the country, our two daughters graduated high school in Manila,” recalls Schneider.
Now, fresh from his most recent posting as the GM of Swissotel Nankai Osaka and area general manager of AccorHotels West Japan, Schneider is delighted to be back in the Philippines.
“Manila is like a second home to me and my family,” he says. “They love it here, and are all in full support.”
After AccorHotels purchased Fairmont Raffles Hotels International (FRHI) in 2016, Schneider jumped at the chance to run a prestigious branded property. “Raffles has always been an admirable brand to work for, with its great history and reputation.”
Raffles Makati belongs to the iconic luxury hotel brand that dates back to 1887, when Raffles Singapore introduced the world to private butlers, the Singapore Sling and its keenly attentive brand of service.
An all-suite hotel, Raffles Makati, like its predecessor, also offers Bespoke Butler services, paeans to history like the iconic Writers Bar, and a 1,600-piece art collection focused on our most significant, representative Filipino artists. Raffles Makati even has a special art concierge who offers interactive tours for guests that want to explore the collection in depth.
“We had a Raffles Makati guest who was a bibliophile,” Schneider relates. “His particular passion was to collect copies of The Prophet by poet Kahlil Gibran in different languages. He mentioned this to one of our concierge staff. On his own, our staff member took the initiative and went to a vintage bookstore in Cubao and surprisingly found a Tagalog version of The Prophet. The guest was then presented with the book and was truly impressed and beyond happy.”
Talk about service above and beyond the call of duty! The Fairmont, meanwhile, boasts an equally long and storied heritage, but in North America, as compared to Raffles’ exalted status in Asia.
At around the same time, in 1886, a Canadian company bought the Fairmont San Francisco hotel, the first of notable properties like chateaus in Canada, The Plaza in New York City and The Savoy in London.
“John Lennon and Yoko Ono staged a sleep-in against the war in Fairmont Canada,” says Monique Toda, director of communications of Raffles & Fairmont Makati. “We have a lot of showbiz, like Marilyn Monroe also stayed, so we have a history in Fairmont.”
That history boasts touches of romance: “We arranged a wedding proposal for a Fairmont Makati guest who was a balikbayan,” Schneider relates. “He wanted to propose in the most romantic way to his girlfriend, who was living here. The hotel events team meticulously arranged the proposal setting at the poolside under the stars. Rose petals were laid out on the ground to guide his then-girlfriend to a table for two under a canopy. A special dinner was created by our chefs of her favorite dishes, accompanied by wines and Champagne. A string quartet played romantic tunes to set the mood. He then popped the question and got a resounding yes!”
Again, another example of the kind of service you get at both hotels. Accor has a system in which they note guest preferences like which side of the bed they sleep on (so they can turn down the correct side of the bed), and, if they’re gym regulars, what their clothing size is so they can provide workout wear at fitness centers across the hotel chain. What a thoughtful touch for business and leisure travelers who like to pack light.
A day in the life
Schneider starts each day with a walk through the 30-story property, meeting early risers and team members. Then he holds a morning briefing with department heads, tackling the previous day’s events, issues, and preparations needed for the days to come.
Next come more operational meetings, with different departments keeping him abreast of current projects.
“Usually in the afternoons, I attend and observe our in-house trainings and am involved in the formation of our ‘heartists,’ what they like to call Raffles and Fairmont employees.
“The term has been created out of two words: ‘heart’ and ‘artist’ —‘artist’ because in our business, we have to deliver our services in a creative and sustainable way to our guests, and ‘heart’ because the service should come from the heart, which comes very easily to Filipinos.”
Growing up in Munich, Bernd became interested in the hotel industry because he loved working with people, “so I wanted to center my work on people,” he says. “The beauty in a hotelier’s life is that it is interesting, dynamic and exciting. No day is like another.”
He apprenticed as a chef, and then became a master chef himself before earning a Bachelor of Hotel and Catering Management degree from the Hotelfachschule Bad Wöerishofen, Germany.
“My specialty today is more on healthy food,” says the GM, who loves to eat at Raffles’ French brasserie Mireo, and keeps an eye over other dining outlets like Raffles’ iconic Long Bar, Mistral Rooftop with its wraparound view of Makati, Fairmont’s all-day-dining resto Spectrum, pastry boutique Café Macaron, and wellness mecca Willow Stream Spa. “I get the feedback that our guests are very concerned about food quality, safety and innovation, so it’s an important aspect of our daily life and, in principle, our bread and butter.”
For Schneider, what constitutes a great hotel stay is a convergence of the culinary experience, the quality and location of the accommodations, and its history.
“One of the most memorable hotel stays I had was at the Sofitel Metropole in Hanoi, a lovely hotel,” he says. “It’s very central, but it has a history of almost 100 years, it’s beautifully restored and you really see the living history in the hotel, the art, the decoration. And it has a lovely Vietnamese restaurant.”
But, he’s quick to point out, a hotel doesn’t have to be luxurious to be great: “I stayed in a fantastic boutique hotel in Bali by the pool and it had a fantastic view of the rice terraces in Ubud. It wasn’t even ultra-luxury, but just a fantastic setting nested in the environment.”
He wants the Raffles & Fairmont Makati to be similarly memorable destinations. “I want them to be icons similar to Raffles Singapore or Fairmont San Francisco with its distinctive events, to its outstanding collection of art pieces,” he says. “The property will be a place where people can visit and admire its art, heritage and history.”
Day to day, what he finds most rewarding is working with large teams, particularly of young people. “What I find satisfying is to help people grow their careers and seeing their successful journey,” he says. “That’s one part. The other is when I find a satisfied guest who returns over and over again. It can be turning around a complaining guest into a fan who you win back with your actions.”
At the end of the day he unwinds by playing team sports with fellow German expats. “One day a week I play football in the evening with Club United in Merville,” he says. “And then I play golf and try to go to the driving range in the evening when there’s time. And I swim, either within the hotel or my apartment complex. I enjoy as well an evening with family and interviewing the kids on their daily activities.”
He has three children with Pipin: Laura, Irene, and Benedict, who’s 13. “He was born here during our first stay. (My kids) speak Tagalog better than me,” he laughs.
Schneider, who has received awards such as the People of the Year award from People Asia, Hotel Personality of the Year from Skal Philippines, and the Tourism Award from the Rotary Club of Manila, also likes collecting antique furniture from the different countries he’s visited or lived in. “Our apartment actually is a collection of the journey I’ve done,” he says. “We have some nice pieces of antique furniture and art, like paintings out of India, a hand-painted backdrop and gold paintings.”
His collection includes antique furnishings and artwork from the Philippines incorporating seashells and capiz.
“It is great to be back home.”