At the helm of Waterfront hotels’ operations are four seasoned hoteliers whose vast knowledge of the hotel industry have made the chain the foremost Filipino hotel and hospitality brand. Their combined expertise, experience and dedication to excellence provide the foundation that guide the day-to-day operations and inspire the hotels’ exceptional level of quality in all the 4 properties. They are Jean Francois Asimus of Waterfront Manila Pavilion Hotel, Anders Hallden Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino, Rex Benhur Caballes of Waterfront Airport Hotel & Casino Mactan, and Bryan Yves Lasala of Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao.
(From left to right) Anders Hallden, general manager, Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino; Jean Francois Asimus, general manager, Waterfront Manila Pavilion Hotel; Bryan Yves Lasala, hotel manager, Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao; and Rex Benhur Caballes, hotel manager, Waterfront Airport Hotel & Casino Mactan.
French hotelier Jean Francois Asimus, who now heads the Waterfront Manila Pavilion Hotel as its general manager, is the latest to join Waterfront’s roster of hotel executives. His career in the hotel industry spans 22 years and has seen him directing and managing full-scale luxury hotels in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the Maldives. He has also worked for prestigious hospitality brands in Paris and the UK.
Asimus comes to Waterfront Manila Pavilion Hotel as a result-oriented executive with solid expertise in management. His skills in strategic planning and management, sales and marketing knowledge, and his proficiency on the implementation of standards and corporate strategies for hotels and residential properties will help facilitate more creative innovations at the Waterfront Manila Pavilion Hotel.
Already, Asimus is in the thick of overseeing the innovations and improvements that Waterfront Manila Pavilion Hotel is undergoing. Currently, the hotel is in the last stage of Internet reconstruction that features the latest communication technology from Australia – the first of its kind in the country. This puts Waterfront Manila Pavilion Hotel in the vanguard of advanced Internet and wireless communication in any hotel. “This will give our guests, especially those who are in the corporate sector or those who stay for leisure and a relaxing staycation, better access in the Internet wherever they go inside the hotel,” Asimus weighs in on the benefits of the project.
Under his supervision, major renovations in the hotel’s facilities have likewise started to give clients more efficient service and comfort that’s out of the ordinary. By 2018, Asimus notes, Waterfront Manila Pavilion Hotel will offer a “brand-new hospitality experience” to delight guests no end and open new market opportunities for the hotel. With the coming of a new Executive Chef from Singapore, Asimus also sees a major revamp in the food menu. He says, “We are looking forward to the wide variation of the food selection in our dining outlets by mid-next year.”
Anders Hallden, the general manager of Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino, has a quick smile and easy-going manner that makes running a humongous hotel seem like the easiest job in the world. In truth, he is a perfectionist whose keen attention to detail helps in running the hotel as smoothly as a well-oiled machinery. Hallden takes particular pride in the hotel’s portfolio of dining options that offer excellent food and memorable dining experience, such as Ting Gow, UNO, La Gondola, Mizu, and the Treff Bar, a chic watering hole perfect for cocktails and after-dinner drinks.
“We also have outlets and services that operate 24 hours, like the Casino Restaurant, the gym, and room service. We’re a hotel that never sleeps,” he points out. “Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino remains unequalled because we train everyone to expect the unexpected and to anticipate the needs of guests. When you train your staff well and do your research, you will always be a step ahead of the competition.”