Two experienced hoteliers are beefing up the team of Novotel Manila Araneta City.
The appointments of Maria Manlulu-Garcia as the very first female General Manager for international brand Accor in the country and Darwin Labayandoy as Resident Manager come as the tourism sector readies for full reopening once the mass vaccination begins and triggers an easing of quarantine restrictions across the country.
Manlulu-Garcia began her career in the hotel industry in 1992 as a Front Office Agent. She eventually rose from the ranks and subsequently became Rooms Director of the Ramada hotel in Portland, Oregon, USA in 1995. She was part of the pre-opening team of three hotels in downtown Portland, namely Hotel Lucia and Paramount Hotel both under West Coast Hotels and Intercontinental Hotel prior to returning to the Philippines.
Garcia bagged the Manager of the Year by the Philippine Association of HR Managers in the Hospitality Industry through the Mabuhay Awards in 2008 during her assignment with Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila as Executive Assistant Manager of Rooms. She became the General Manager of Pico De Loro Country Club and Pico Sands Hotel in Batangas before re-joining Accor at Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua, Indonesia.
Labayandoy has 25 years of professional experience in the hospitality industry under his belt. Prior to joining Novotel Manila Araneta City, he held key positions at Dusit Hotel Nikko and Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila. Rooms Division Operations being his expertise, Labayandoy has undergone the Accor’s National Talent Program and successfully finished the program in 2019.