Our industry is heavy with citations and awards, such is hospitality where exemplary service is considered prime. There are award-giving bodies, some with good many years that reflect its integrity, some that last a few years, and others that are good for just a couple of years just enough to make money from it. There are globally recognized associations, survey companies, publications, social media, and pop-up entities that “sell” awards.
Winning a “best” category adds to the pride and self-esteem of an individual, no matter what, but does it matter to a property? What about a TripAdvisor commendation, does it carry weight over a Condé Nast award? Here in the Philippines, if a hotel is awarded by the DOT, does it deserve to be brandished in its lobby, or to a lesser degree, will a DOT star rating be accepted by all properties as a realistic standard? Then again, as the competitive landscape intensifies as technology advances, how significant are awards? The answers given are that awards recognize the efforts of staff; awards add publicity to the right market through proper media channels, and bring new business especially if the award is given by a body considered as the “Oscars” of the industry.
Where does it all begin, anyway? I believe that employees play a key role, and all employees went through hotel training, are graduates of a school, and many come from well-knit families. These are all considered when going through judging by the award-giving body. But decisions are swayed to credit what the employee did for the hotel that led to a meaningful customer interaction, some in the short term, some in the long term.
In this issue, we devote five pages to the Mabuhay Awards, organized by the Association of Human Resources Managers (AHRM) in the Hospitality Industry, considered as the premiere award as it is given by, well, the people who would have the records of all their employees. On their 22nd year, the Mabuhay Awards are well coveted and respected by the industry. Win or lose, hotels consistently prepare to submit their nominees for judging, and HNP has covered the event extensively for the past four years.
The Mabuhay Awards is a perfect example of how the quest for excellence, the aim for gold, should be emulated—integrity and continuity, to motivate and empower employees in a mutually beneficial cooperation with the hotels. Hospitality News is proud to be its partner.
