Fairways renaissance

BORACAY, Aklan – The lilting and majestic Fairways and Bluewater is enjoying a more bountiful second life, a new culture and vision have been infused into the only golf course on this island. Slowly, the sporting and tourist industries are taking notice of the impressive new changes taking place.

“The golf course is a destination driver,” says returning general manager Gregg Pearson, who installed the first management team here in the 1990’s. “That is our main advantage over our competitors. And it’s also what allows us to become partners with them. What we’re doing now is slowly changing the culture.”

Before the Asian financial crisis first kicked in about a decade ago, Fairways and Bluewater was enjoying great revenue, and a foreseeably prosperous future. However, when the region’s economy went sour, cutting down costs and maintaining revenue became a priority, and some of the members’ villas remained unfinished for years, as a certain sense of stagnation set in.

“I left in 1999 because it was no longer cost-effective for the company, and besides, I had trained all the staff anyway,” recalls Pearson. “Besides (Fairways president) Toti Cariño and I are friends, so we’d always keep in touch.”

Returning the Bat Area, Pearson became part of a multinational hotel chain that controlled name hotels like the Sheraton and others. He soon rose to area manager, then vice-president for operations, a position that allowed him to put up his own hotel management company, Newport Creek Hospitality. He had worked with Newport Beach and lived in Walnut Creek, so the amalgamation of names sounded like home.

“One time, Toti was visiting, and I told him about my new company,” Pearson recalls. “We both had an “Aha!” moment, and agreed for my company to take Fairways on.”

One of the things Cariño wanted to study was the construction of condo hotels throughout the 45 hectares of Fairways that was not occupied by the golf course. In a nutshell, anyone could buy a condo, and put in in the rental pool for 15 years. The revenue generated would cover the operating expenses, and eventually, the money put up by the buyer.

“In this manner, you get your condo plus the benefits,” Pearson explains. “You can use it for 30 days a year, it’s maintained, and some buyers even get a golf club membership with their units.

Truly, the condos, entrenched in buildings bearing elegant female Spanish names like Maria, Margarita and Isabel, all provide a spectacular unobstructed view of either the golf course or the ocean. In fact, on the ground level, you can actually walk out on the golf course. For the most part, the members loved the idea.

“We have found a way to revitalize Fairways and Bluewater,” Carino declares. “Members love the idea that there is life in our resort, and their investment is increasing in value.”

The change in culture also included an upgrade in the training of staff, since many of the original managers and service staff performed so well, they were pirated by other hotels and resorts on the island.

This turned out to be a blessing, since it made it easier to blend in the old with the new.

“There are so many things we want to do with Fairways, which is our flagship,” admits Pearson, whose company had vigorously expanded in the Philippines, renovating and reviving once-popular destinations all over the country, and starting new developments in other areas. “We will finish construction of the new members’ villas and other condo hotels in the next three to five years, and a new clubhouse on the hill, overlooking everything. It’s exciting.”

The new spirit has already attracted new members, buyers and groups. A bigger and more stocked pro shop now makes it possible to play even if you’ve forgotten your set of clubs. Although it will be difficult to saturate the golf course since most members don’t live in Boracay, Newport Creek and Fairways are preparing for that eventuality. The exclusivity will belong to a broader base of members, investors and guests. And the expansion and infusion of new ideas will keep the renaissance going for years and years.