MANILA, Philippines - After its grand launch last year, it is time for One Pacific Place Serviced Residences to celebrate. Just recently, One Pacific Place marked its milestone with an appreciation party for its loyal partners and supporters.
The event though is more than just the cocktails-and-canapes affair. As what its management head, Quantum Hotels & Resorts (QHR) president John Cole, says, “The appreciation party gave us a chance to say ‘Thank you’ to our most important suppliers, those who have supported the hotel from the initial opening and operation up to the present. Also, without such client support, no hotel — much less any other type of service business — can survive or thrive. In our industry, client satisfaction is primary.â€
One Pacific Place general manager Bernie Corpus agrees: “This event was actually for our business partners and online bookers. With this big event, we are able to recognize their loyalty to the company. We were overwhelmed by this level of return client support so early in our history. Without them we could not have pulled it off. We have a relationship with them, something we intend to foster in the years to come.â€
Since its grand opening last year, One Pacific Place’s performance has grown by leaps and bounds. In these challenging times, it is a huge achievement for a new player in the service industry, considering that One Pacific Place was still setting up operations and completing room interiors last year.
“From January 2013, all of the pre-opening work, as well as the interiors, were completed. By then, One Pacific Place became a fully operational hotel available for guests and staff,†Cole says.
The completion generated a significant increase in revenues. “We have surpassed our targeted revenues and operating profits year to date as a result of excellent customer satisfaction responses. These feedbacks become known both through online reputation and also word of mouth, which keep our market expanding and new clients arriving,†Cole adds.
Only reputation determines the success (and failure) of any establishment, and One Pacific Place has mindfully blended its amenities with expert service. Thus, the hotel’s customer services operate with five-star levels of quality at all times. Cole shares that management has always focused on guest service quality, anticipation of guest needs, and fulfilling customer expectations all the time. He even goes so far to say that this is “the secret of the success in the industry and at One Pacific Place.â€
Corpus adds that guest feedback proves to be more than just reactions written on paper. For One Pacific Place, he says, the feedback is an indicator of the consistency of their standards. “It is great guest comments are mostly positive words about our service and food. It does not make us rest on our laurels. It makes us more aware of the standards we have to maintain. By keeping these in mind, guests keep coming back.â€
Naturally, when clients are happy, when their needs and expectations are met and their trust is earned, they will surely come back and even make recommendations to family, friends, and colleagues. Over at One Pacific Place, client trust therefore is the main ingredient.
“Our success to date is totally the result of client trust. It keeps individual customers coming back while corporate clients and large suppliers are given assurance that their staff and guests will be delighted with our offerings. In the short time that we have existed, they have placed their confidence in One Pacific Place, knowing that they will receive the best care and service throughout their stay,†Cole says.
The staff, he promises, will get even better. Citing their experiences in meeting guest anticipation and reacting to guest needs, Cole says the staff is more able to convert these expectations into successful service.
“This is the part of our industry which is most interesting and rewarding: watching employees grow and become more knowledgeable in ways that improve their performance and our guests’ experience over time,†he concludes.
Meanwhile, the celebration continues at One Pacific Place with its value-for-money promotions at its popular food-and-beverage outlet Strand Café. There is the Pinoy Food Festival buffet lunch at P499 net per person from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and Create Your Own Pasta offering unlimited pasta with one round of iced tea for only P333 net per person, daily from 6 to 9 p.m.
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One Pacific Place Serviced Residences is managed by Quantum Hotels & Resorts and is located 161 H.V. de la Costa Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City. For reservations, call (02) 304-7777 local 715. Visit its website at www.onepacificplaceresidences.com. Photos by Fernan Nebres