Despite her short tenure, she has raked in several awards at the 2024 Radisson Hotel Group South East Asia Pacific GM’s Conference, which gathered hoteliers and stakeholders from all over the region in a multinational meet.
Ann Olalo, Park Inn by Radisson North EDSA general manager.
THE general manager receives the Hotel of the Year Award for Park Inn by Radisson North EDSA.
JUNIOR King Suite.
POOLSIDE.
THE Dash Cafe.
THE Olalo family.
the hotelier flanked by SMHCC chair and president Elizabeth Sy (seated right) and executive vice president Peggy Angeles.
A true blue Cebuana, Ann Olalo is a self-described optimist with a positive outlook despite challenges, specially due to her close-knit family’s support. The outgoing yet soft-spoken gracious lady has led Park Inn by Radisson North EDSA as its general manager.
Armed with a Communication Arts degree from the University of the Philippines Cebu, she faced a crucial crossroads — join the exciting worlds of media or hospitality. Fortunately, she chose the latter.
Her career journey began as a guest relations officer at Costabella Resort, a pioneer beach property in the island of Mactan. She then became a sales executive of Park Place Hotel in Cebu City.
However, she took a break from the industry and embraced Philips Electronics and Lighting Inc., the Dutch multinational company best known for its light bulbs and specializes in other healthy technology, as its office manager. She soon headed the Philips Cebu Regional Office for a decade.
Olalo reunited with the world of travel and tourism as the director of Sales and Marketing at Cebu City Marriott for five years, and then Radisson Blu Cebu for six years. As part of the Radisson Blu brand, she eventually transferred to Metro Manila to finally take the helm of Park Inn by Radisson North EDSA.
Although no two days are alike, Olalo begins a usual — in the loosest sense of the word — with department heads morning briefs, followed by a multitude of activities: catch up calls, sift through all the emails, engage with guests and team members, more meetings with commercial accounts and operations squad, and review and study reports on her desk.
Despite her short tenure, she has raked in several awards at the 2024 Radisson Hotel Group South East Asia Pacific GM’s Conference, which gathered hoteliers and stakeholders from all over the region in a multinational meet.
During the gala dinner and awards night, Park Inn by Radisson North EDSA, nominated in four of nine categories, won in two! The property was lauded as the Hotel of the Year, while Olalo herself was honored with the GM Talent Developer Award.
The property participated in Move to Zero Campaign, wherein they launched green initiatives. Seven regional winners were announced, including India, Indonesia, Germany, Poland, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. The overall global winner was Park Inn by Radisson North EDSA.
When asked for the secret behind repeat clients, Olalo just had one word: “Service.” This resonates with their brand promise: “Every Moment Matters.” She also revealed the three factors behind a successful hotel are overall experience, service and staff.
The most challenging part of the post involves meeting business targets, or the unforeseen crises which encompasses the safety and security of guests and employees.
During her valuable free time — which I understand is a rare occurrence, especially for a GM — she loves to read. She tends a garden as a hobby, as she recalled the Chinese proverb: “Life begins the day you start a garden.”
Let us hear more about Olalo’s thoughts on leading a property in the hospitality resurgence:
On career highlights
“My career with Radisson Hotel Group and SM Hotels and Conventions Corp. has been a rewarding journey. I achieved a few milestones, to include my first GM post at Park Inn by Radisson Clark in 2018, wherein we opened the new 100-room South Wing in the midst of the pandemic. I then moved to Park Inn by Radisson North EDSA, where we hosted Radisson Hotel Group Global CEO Federico Gonzalez. And of course, since female GMs are a minority, I am privileged and honored to be a part of the select few.”
On management style
“I am results oriented and work closely with different teams to accomplish shared goals. When members know where the business is heading, they feel connected to the vision and encouraged to contribute good performance.
“Our culture is big on people, recognition and ‘Moment Makers.’ One of our beliefs is ‘We have fun in everything that we do’ and often celebrate small and big wins in the workplace.”
On marketing preference
“Social media is effective as it can reach a wider audience at a quicker pace, build brand awareness and helps increase traffic to the website. Everyone is in the social media bandwagon including competition.”
On dream post
“SM Hotels is rapidly expanding in the next three to five years. This would be a great opportunity to open a new Radisson Hotel. It can be anywhere, or even in my home city.”
On GM background prerequisites
“I am biased as I come from a commercial background and it is second nature to drive revenue within the organization. But a GM with a different discipline can make an impact by leveraging own expertise with other facets of hotel operations.”
On advice to aspiring hoteliers
“I created my own 4 Ps to succeed in hospitality. Passion. Find your purpose and love your calling. People person. Be genuine in all your engagements. Perseverance. Keep learning at all phases and strive to be dependable. Finally, positivity. Keep the lesson and move forward.”
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