Hotelex 2003: Who, wear & ware

What happens when hoteliers, restaurateurs, food caterers, hotel/restaurant suppliers, and other tourist-oriented people get together? Expect a smorgasbord of absorbing events as what Hotelex 2003 recently cooked up. Why, even a fashion show was thrown in to spice up this professional trade exhibit (on equipment, supplies, services, and food and beverage products for the hotel, restaurant, catering, and baking industry), now in its 11th year!

"We did it!," rhapsodizes Lynn Z. Romero, president of Worldexco World Exhibitions and Conventions, Inc. "Despite the Iraq war when we were just planning the exhibit last year and despite the SARS war that caused some Australian and American companies to cancel their participation. Like what Tourism Secretary Dick Gordon said, we should not be defeated, let’s maintain a positive attitude. It’s all about attitude. Never say die. We’re really luckier than some of our Asian neighbors like Hong Kong, which had to cancel its biggest hotel industry fair or Singapore, which canceled all its big fairs this year. In addition, Hong Kong hotels only have a pitiful 10 percent occupancy while our hotels are enjoying a 40 to 60 percent occupancy."

Year in and year out, participants sign up with Hotelex, according to Lynn, to update themselves on what’s available in the hotel and restaurant industry on the local and international market. "And since these people are into tourism, they have to constantly upgrade and maintain their facilities. So at Hotelex, they’ll find state-of-the-art food service equipment, among other things."

Seen swapping business cards (and exchanging trade secrets and recipes perhaps?) were hotel and restaurant industry professionals at the three-day affair to remember held at the World Trade Center on Roxas Blvd.

"With its quality visitors and exciting special events, Hotelex still remains a great place to meet industry professionals," notes Larry Cruz, chairman and president of the Hotel & Restaurant Association of the Philippines.

The second day had fair visitors queuing up for the chefs’ gourmet lunch, which consisted of mesclun salad with shrimp barbecue, consomme sherry, roast pork tenderloin in minted mango royale, and braised beef lemon grass burgundy.

On the third and last day, after Francorp dished out some tips on how to franchise your business, executive chef Francisco Javier Lecumberri of La Tienda Restaurant gave a live demo on the art of paella which got everybody hankering for more (of the delicious paella)! And the guests got more cooking demonstrations from no less than the masters from the Hotel and Restaurant Chefs Association of the Philippines.

Aside from HRAP, adding to the piquant concoction that was Hotelex 2003 were the Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines headed by Nicholas De Lange of Designs Ligna, Food Caterers Association of the Philippines under Salvador Abesamis of VS & F Catering, Hotel & Restaurant Chefs Association of the Philippines led by chef Roberto Francisco, Hotel & Restaurant Purchasing Managers Association of the Philppines headed by Lolit Enriquez of The Heritage Hotel Manila, International Wines & Spirits Association led by Ralph Joseph of the Philippine Wine Merchants, the Philippine Franchise Association headed by Bing Limjoco of Francorp, and the Uniform Manufacturers Association of the Philippines (UMAP) under Digna Rosales of Digna Rosales Enterprises.

Actually, UMAP took a bow as an association at Hotelex 2003. It was the first time for UMAP to unveil its hotel uniforms. Composed of some of the most creative minds in Philippine utility fashion, UMAP is into the manufacture of corporate and industrial wear. It also conducts empowering personality development seminar-workshops and presents audio-visual productions.

A fashion show of hotel uniforms by UMAP perked up the opening day of Hotelex. Hotel fashion was never this colorful! Gone are those staid, dull uniforms that greet you when you check in at a local hotel.

"The chambermaid is so pretty I don’t mind having her clean my room the whole day," we overhear a DOM in the audience gasp.

"And did you see the lifeguard in his muscle shirt with matching shorts and ripples of muscles? I wouldn’t mind drowning if there was somebody like him to come to my rescue," coos a matron with goo-goo eyes.

"The uniforms were a new addition this year," says Lynn. "Hotelex was conceived 11 years ago not just to offer F&B products but also products and services for the entire industry, like furniture, IT, high-tech conferencing, food service. When we tied up with the Food Caterers Association, they also used Hotelex as their launching pad."

There at the fair was the Continuum Technology Corp. to show its top product offerings: IBM SureOne/4694 for retail stores and supermarkets, IBM SurePOS 500 Touchscreen for the hospitality and restaurant markets, and 3M Touch Panels and Touch Screen monitors (call 736-3168 to 70 for inquiries).

Sitting pretty in the booth of Diretso Design Furniture, Inc. were unique sofas, club chairs, dining chairs, and bedroom furniture designed not only for the hospitality industry but also for residential houses and vacation villas (call Ton Van Hierden at 936-2150).

More than a Chair, Inc. proved it had more than just chairs with its sofas, lounges, benches, love-seats, barstools, and ottomans.

The Export Team, Inc., which exports to different parts of the world, showed what Filipino ingenuity is all about via its furniture made of indigenous local materials

Beefing up this year’s Hotelex was the Europa Delicatessen and Butcher Shop, which started in Cebu City and later brought to Manila its famous European sausages, cold cuts, hams and bacon, smoked porkloin, and smoked tanigue, etc. (call Carmen Noche at 890-6733 for more beefy stories).

A rather hot (as in chili-hot) attraction was the Tabasco-laden corner of Getz Brothers Philippines, Incorporated offering its Tabasco family of flavors. Adding flavor, too, was McCormick Philippines, Incorporated with its herbs and spices.

Helping make the fair really egg-citing was the Rizal Poultry and Livestock Association, Inc. whose booth had a crystal ball full of eggs whose number the visitors were asked to guess.

The fruit juices of Marsman Drysdale Foods Corp. and the pretty girls manning its booth were quite a juicy attraction.

Showing lots of glass with class as well as cookware and assorted kitchen utensils were Gurnamal Sons, Silver Secrets, Inc., Metrokitchenware, Inc., and Rustan Marketing with its nifty Teflon line.

R. Urra Philippines, Inc. brought in its heavy-duty meat-processing machines, coffee machines, commercial freezers, and display chillers.

Cool! See you at Hotelex 2004!