Men behind the Holiday Inn-Clark success /1

LARK FIELD, Pampanga

- I only had a day to

explore the Mimosa

Leisure Estate here and

make a couple of

interviews and ocular

inspections. But, unlike

my other trips where I had

to raise against time, my

brief stay here was

seemingly a leisure as I

worked. Maybe, it was the surroundings, the ambience and

the ability of the Manileqas like us to escape from the

pressures of work and daily living in the busy metropolis.

After touring the estate with Emily Serrano, Montevistas public

relations manager and my friends, we decided to return to the big,

spacious and elegantlydesigned Montevista villa where were

billeted and rest. After eating, sleeping, playing tong-its, watching

tv, singing along with the videoke and strolling down the sidewalk

under the towering Acacia, Balite and century-old Mimosa rain

trees, I managed to break away from them and head for an early

evening interview with Holiday Inn Clark general manager Michael

Weiss.

Mr. Weiss, the man at the

helm of the only

multi-awarded resort hotel in

Pampanga is a tall,

soft-spoken gentleman.

The hotel he manages is a

favorite destination of both

local and foreign travelers

that won the Kasama sa

Lakbay, Kaunlaran ng Bayan

(KALAKBAY) for Resort of the Year awards twice in 1997 and

1999. It was also this years Best of the Best Environment

awardee; 1998 and 1999 Quality Excellence awardee and recipient

of the 1996 Newcomer of the Year award. After seeing for myself

the place and meeting Mr. Weiss, it was easy to understand why

the Holiday Inn Clark has been so successful in its operations

since its establishment. And one reason is the humble nature of

the man behind it.

I dont think it was my success. The credit should go to everyone

here in the resort, said Weiss who was recently accorded the

Best General Manager award in the Leading in Adversity

conference of hotel general managers in Singapore this year.

Weiss brings with him 20 fruitful years of hospitality business

experience having worked in a number of countries like Germany,

England, France, Hong Kong and Malaysia.

Weiss was all praises for Mimosa Leisure Estate owner, developer

former Tourism Secretary Jose Antonio Gonzalez, now concurrent

president and chief executive officer of Mondragon Leisure Resorts

and Corp. (MLRC), who established the hotel in 1996.

Mr. Gonzalez vision for this place is to make it a pioneer

destination in the northern Philippines. We want to become the

Penang (Malaysia), Bali (Indonesia) and Phuket (Thailand) of the

Philippines, said Weiss.

Weiss noted that MLRC is so far the

most developed and advanced

tourism estate in the country. He has

high hopes that as the destination

grows Clark Field will become the

tourism center of the Phils. and

transform into a Las Vegas of the

Asia-Pacific.

Aside from being the social center of

Pampanga, where community

functions and involvements of its

residence are held, the resort gets 95

percent of its business from Manila

tourists who come either here for

leisure or conferences.

Now, Weiss said, they want to

venture into the international market.

We want to grow as an international destination. That is why we

go out and expose the hotel farther in countries such as Hong

Kong, China, Taiwan and Bangkok.

After talking about his and Gonzalez high hopes for the hotel, he

went back to his favorite topic: the hotel business where his

expertise, knowledge and experience are shared by him with his

380 employes.

to be continued...