Discovery Shores: Bringing Filipino hospitality to shore

MANILA, Philippines - The business of hospitality requires plenty of give and take, where excellent value for service begets premium returns. But much more than its economic advantages, good handling of reciprocity in the hotel and resort industries may promise a return that is more valuable than record sales: customer loyalty.

Discovery Shores Boracay, the hotel and resort chain’s premium address at one of the world’s most celebrated beaches, recently marked success by pulling out all the stops in organizing its annual Discovery Shores’ Top Producers Awards, inviting 10 of its most influential travel agency partners who made 2013 a milestone year for the resort.

“2013 was a very good year for Discovery Shores despite all the calamities that hit the country, and for this, we have our producers and partners to thank,” said Discovery Shores’ sales and marketing director Joy Denoga-Bautista. “Partnerships are key to success. We all need synergy. So we need to recognize and show our appreciation to all those who have helped us on our road to success.”

In the face of the twin terrors of the killer quake and typhoon Yolanda, Discovery Shores was voted the Top Hotel Spa in Asia by Travel + Leisure magazine on its third consecutive year since 2011, the Top Family Hotel in Asia by the same travel authority on its second year since 2012. For the first time, Discovery bagged the most coveted slot as Top Island Hotel in Asia among Travel + Leisure’s 500 List of Best Hotels in the World for 2013. Certainly a silver lining on our tourism industry’s slowly lifting gray cloud, yet, of course, it certainly helped that it’s at the center of what many consider to be the world’s best island.  

“The location is perfect!” enthused Blue Horizons Travel and Tours, Inc. contracting manager Mary Ann Ong. “It’s located along the four-kilometer beach where the sand is the whitest and the purest. It is the best spot in the island, and most of our guests come here for the sun, sand, and the sea. But they also want some privacy; they want to have a quiet environment that is different from the other resorts here in Boracay.”

Her booking guests, mostly from Germany, Switzerland, China, India, and the Middle East, are not strangers to the resort, after reading plenty of excellent reviews from the online travel sage Trip Advisor.

With 88 well-appointed guestrooms, distinguished by junior, one-, and two-bedroom suites, each room inspires quite the soothing staycation even if the rest of the party island is waiting right outside. Designed in stark modernity, finished with floor-to-ceiling windows, strategic terraces that look out and over a poolside decked with lush shrubbery, and a clean, sleek, minimalist interior that surely never gets old, Discovery Shores serves up the kind of low-key luxury that guests find easy to cozy up to. 

“The expectations of our bookers are met and even exceeded whenever they stay at Discovery Shores,” says Annset Holidays, Inc. account officer Charlene Manaloto. “The complimentary services, especially the foot massage at every arrival, is such a big thing for our groups and our guests.”

Manaloto’s main patrons from Eastern Europe all long for a taste of the tropics, and are pleased with Discovery Shores’ consistently excellent service. “It’s more practical than other luxury hotels in the area, but the quality of service is at par —sometimes even better. Our long-staying guests, like our Russian customers, always compliment us about their stay here, and so far, no complaints,” she added.

Food-wise Discovery Shores also offers some of the finest gourmet selections on the island — surely no small feat. Its benchmark restaurant Indigo, which has been short-listed twice in the Miele Guide, features the finest in coastal cuisine, with the freshest catch from land and sea. Its dedicated corner for daily dining, Sands, serves family-style specialties that are fuss-free so as not to take away from the stunning seaside view. When lounging by the pool or beach, a palatable canapé from Platito or happy-hour cocktail from the Sandbar completes the experience.  

“Discovery Shores is a very beautiful resort,” says Hana Tour’s general manager Jeon Seung Wook, whose agency opened the island to a steady stream of visitors from South Korea.  “They concern themselves with all the details to please the customers, as well as the quality of service to satisfy their guests. Many of our guests, when they stay at the resort, feel the whole hospitality, so it’s a very strong selling point.”

For NJK Travel and Tours, an agency famous among the K-Pop peninsula’s younger wanderers, it is the fine details that matter. “The staff is really good, they’re all kind,” says agent Su Jin Park. “The waiters, the housekeeping, they’re all attentive and friendly. Inside the rooms, everything is all prepared. They’re tiny things but really thoughtful. When one enters, everything is there, like a beach bag, sunblock lotions, mosquito repellents — everything you might need. We didn’t even expect that. Those tiny things are really moving. That’s why we’re very satisfied.”

As popular as it is among foreign tourists, Discovery Shores is still a prime spot for local habitués, which make up 80 percent of its guest arrivals. Its local market is mostly comprised of families who want leisurely bonding; a younger, accomplished crowd who want a cool start-off point to a party-hearty Bora weekend; or couples in search of the perfect white-sand setting to mark their matrimonial memories.   

“From the point of view of a wedding coordinator, Discovery Shores is located along the famous White Beach of Boracay, so you actually have the best spot in terms of setting up or holding your weddings,” says Zane Borra, senior coordinator for Boracay Weddings and Events. “It’s at the center, so it’s pretty much accessible from wherever your guests are staying. And one thing that sets Discovery Shores apart from all the other resorts in the area is that they’re very flexible with what they offer for all their wedding clients. They definitely go the extra mile, and they’re very accommodating with the different demands of their wedding clients.”

Discovery Shores’ chief operating officer Jose C. Parreño Jr. ushered us to a well-designed spread that rivaled the Mardi Gras for flair and flourish. Titled “Life in Color,” the event featured a banquet of specialties from each of Discovery Leisure Company’s landmark restaurants. After each partner and promoter was awarded with specially-designed trophies inspired by Boracay’s hallmark symbols, the poi dancer and the paraw, the whole Discovery Shores team, from resort manager Seng Teodoro to its army of waiters, housekeeping staff, bellhops, and security guards, entertained guests with a well-choreographed, distinctly Filipino dance routine.

“The unique brand of Discovery Shores, and all Discovery destinations, for that matter, first of all, is the staff,” Teodoro said. “That’s the most important thing. We hire our people based on their attitude, and from there, we build up everything. Our staff is doing their service that is all heart. That’s our foundation, and we live and breathe that. So, if you complement that with our product, with the rooms, the restaurants, the ambiance, and the amenities, then everything falls into place.”

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Experience Discovery Shores for as low as P25,000 this lean season until Oct. 15. To know more, visit their website at www.discoveryhotels-resorts.com, call 719-8888 or email inquiry@discovery.com.ph.