MANILA, Philippines - The first Filipino to be appointed general manager of The Peninsula Manila, Vlad Reyes began his tenure last Aug. 23, succeeding David Batchelor, who has moved to the Pen’s head office in Hong Kong as general manager for operations, planning and support and merchandising.

“I’m so honored and very happy the Peninsula saw enough traits in me that they’re banking on my international experience to make a positive contribution to the hotel.”

Working his way up the ranks, Reyes has had a long career with Hilton hotels in the US and Asia, including general manager postings to the Maldives, Malaysia and, for the past six years, Beijing.

(Before the start of the Beijing Olympics, Reyes applied to be one of the eight Olympic torch bearers through Beijing’s streets―a 400-meter stretch. He says he may not be considered “a very good athlete, but I work out in the gym regularly and play squash three to four times a week.” Unfortunately, he didn’t make it to the list.)

“When I told my boss about my resignation (from Beijing Hilton), he was shocked to hear somebody who has spent 28 years with the company leaving. But he understood the reason I left is I’ve been looking for the next step in my career. I’ve opened several hotels, done business and resort hotels,” Reyes says.

Reyes was not particularly looking for a job in Manila but he jumped at the chance to be back in the country. “My wife and I have been away for 28 and 30 years, respectively. The fact that the Peninsula offer is in Manila is a great bonus.”

The Philippines, Reyes says, is one option where he and his wife Teresa plan to spend their twilight years. “But before that, I still want to go to different locations and experience different challenges. And if there’s a different challenge in Manila, you never say no,” says the 52-year-old Reyes.

Citizen of the world

Born and brought up in the Philippines before moving to the US, where he lived and worked for 15 years, the Filipino-Chinese Reyes is a graduate of Michigan State University where he earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration in Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management, and of the University of the Philippines with a Bachelor degree in Hotel and Restaurant Administration.

Reyes had his practicum at Hilton, then worked as front desk receptionist and chief room clerk at the Mandarin Oriental Manila. “But my dad always believed that education is gold. It’s the one gift parents can give their children and which nobody can steal away from you,” Reyes recalls. “So I and my younger sister enrolled abroad for further studies.”

A citizen of the world, Reyes has lived in the US, Singapore, Indonesia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and China and speaks Mandarin, Bahasa Indonesia, Hokien and Spanish. One who understands both the Western and Asian mentality, he will bring to The Pen his strong awareness of the Filipino culture and his vast experience across Asia.

But which one of the countries he has been to is the closest to his heart? “The blood that goes through my veins is Filipino-Chinese. So the Philippines has a special place in my heart. But the beauty in the kind of work we do is you get to learn so many cultures and relate to different personalities. As a hotelier, the place where you became general manager for the first time holds a special place in one’s heart. And that for me is the Maldives.”

Changes at the Pen

To lead the Pen to new, creative developments within the global hotel market, Reyes will start the renovation of Ayala and Makati towers and coffee shop next year. “This is to rejuvenate the Pen in a timeless Filipino scheme, bringing back its glamour, drama and spice,” says Reyes.

On hiring staff, Reyes loathes people who always say “Yes,” which he thinks are “useless.” “I like those who can contribute, give a different perspective, challenge and their own points of view. But once a decision is made, I expect the whole team to support it.”

Personality is another quality Reyes looks for in his team members. “You can train people how to pour water or serve wine. But if the personality and attitude are not there, you’re starting on the negative,” he says.

But the most important strategy Reyes never fails to tell his staff is to “think out of the box.” “What I hate to hear is ‘This is the way we’ve been doing things for the past five years.’”

Dream as a child

Like any other kid, Reyes dreamt of becoming a firefighter and a policeman. He took up chemical engineering instead at UP because a high-school counselor advised him that since he’s good in math and his parents and three uncles were engineers, it was an advantage to enroll in the course.

But when he heard then Tourism Minister José Aspiras make a pitch on the tourism developments in the ’70s, he was inspired to shift to Hotel and Restaurant Administration.

His friends became disappointed in him because UP accepted only a handful of chemical engineering enrollees every year. “‘Naloloko ka na ba?’ is what a friend told me. But what’s important is following what you want.”

This is the same advice Reyes gave his son Arthur about college. He even asked his son if he’d like to pursue hotel management. “He said, ‘Dad, maybe as a last resort.’” Arthur, now 25, finished instead Economics and Finance at New York University.

Workaholic

Describing himself as a workaholic, Reyes often loses track of the time. A hotelier works long hours even on holidays.

“The vibrant nature and versatility of having to deal with many different issues at the same time makes time go by too fast. In marketing, as in other areas of the hotel industry, efficiency is key,” Reyes explains. “Some of the best advice I received was to take it one step at a time but to keep the breaks in between as short as possible. To be and remain successful, we must never stop. If we do, we will lose out, so we must at all times move forward and explore the unexplored, try the new and be different.”