Meet JOHNNY RIOS: City Garden Hotel’s GM

Seasoned hotelier Johhny Guerrero Rios must have so put everything he culled from 15 dynamic years in the hotel industry here and abroad into excellent practice that he clinched his present executive position as general manager of the City Garden Hotel in Makati City.

His guiding philosophy is practice what you preach. “Leadership by example is very basic for me. What I do, I also expect my staff to do,” Rios said.

Learning the ropes of the hotel business from being, among other stints, a front desk receptionist and supervisor, then duty manager in various properties – Mandarin Oriental Manila, Shangri-La EDSA Plaza Hotel, Traders Hotel Singapore, Shangri-La Mactan Island Resort Hotel and The Pan Pacific Hotel Manila — Rios was able to harness the tough stuff he’s made off especially when he moved on to head the housekeeping department which involves almost all operations.

Shuffling departments and squeezing in seminars tackling leadership training, revenue management, training staff, marketing planning, service and interaction management, rooms division workshop, negotiation skills, customer care, guest-employe relations training, and more, definitely gave Rios the edge.

Though not his usual turf, the housekeeping shift was sort of a defining moment in his career. The job later on worked in his favor as it prepared him to be more well-rounded for his new post.

In wise career moves, he joined a top chain island resort hotel after working with another leading city resort hotel, until he became Director of Rooms of a five-star property in Manila. And that served as his springboard to landing on his current trade.

As Rios’ new home, the City Garden Hotel is an imposing four-star property on Makati Avenue corner Kalayaan, Makati City. With 80 percent corporate and 20 percent leisure markets, the hotel faces stiff competition from among its league, a challenge that the new general manager is ready to face squarely from Day One.

As the guy who at first wanted to get a crack on Einstein’s Physics, Rios suddenly found himself in a tight spot after two and a half years of analyzing whether matter counts more than energy and vice-versa. Short of ending up a nerd, he jumped ship and went to pursue a BS Hotel and Restaurant Administration from UP. The ninety-degree turnaround proved a major move — he’s now a top industry asset.

Next, Rios upped his expertise by tucking in his portfolio a Post Graduate certificate in Business Administration from Washington State University. Marketing and management are his forte.

Since stepping into the hotel’s hard line, Rios had to take note of his top four strategies: hitting revenue targets; maintenance and upkeep of property and evaluation of current standards and procedures or what he calls “how to do things the better way;” people and staff evaluation, provide training for their development; and project implementation such as soft renovation or gradual refurbishment.

On top of Rios’ agenda is manpower check. “As a warm up, we started a routine since we all need to adjust because definitely, there will be changes. We’ll try to improve on what’s being done. Our very goal is to raise the standard of our operation to five-star level.”

Admittedly, one of the most critical parts of his job is rooms operation. “We always try to sell rooms, they are like a perishable item. If you won’t be able to sell them now, there’s no revenue. And if you’re good at selling rooms, it benefits both you and the property as you make a name of your own in the industry and that translates to lucrative business,” Rios said.

The City Garden rooms are easy to put on the market, though. Businessmen have wised-up these days and they prefer mid-budget hotels that do not compromise in terms of product excellence and superb service. Top it with good food and beverage, move up towards fineness and, according to Rios, you already have the best package.

Having dealt with both corporate and leisure markets creatively has made Rios a seasoned hotelier of his time. He deems both markets as unique and equally significant. And he really pays due attention to both.

“Leisure is more complicated because guests always look forward to that much sought-after vacation. And most of them would really save up on that one, that’s why if you bungle up things, you’ll end up in a row (aawayin ka nila talaga). Whereas corporate accounts tend to be less fussy as they are usually paid for by the company.” Rios said.

“Marketing the property is easy, as we get a lot of walk-ins. However, it’s the price war that makes it tough. Our commitment is more of a continuous and long-term investment like regular sprucing up and upgrade of product and service. And that’s what makes our business click,” Rios stated.

The hotel, beamed Rios, is getting all the more popular especially with private functions like weddings and debuts. “Unlike big hotels, we easily get filled up. For special functions, we have a variety of set menus but they’re flexible and can still be mixed and matched.”

One of the best ways to tickle the guests’ fancy is through good food, he said. The hotel’s outlets always feature certain specials. “Our seafood festival at the roof deck from December to January was a big hit. And before that, the steak-all-you-can last June to November did very well. This February until next month, we’re having a Mongolian and Japanese food fest.” The roof deck outlet sits about a hundred.

Having Japanese food on the menu obviously means the hotel is well patronized by Japanese. “They are very particular about cleanliness, that’s why they like it here and they also find our price reasonable.”

The hotel’s top three clientele are Japanese, Americans and Koreans, aside from locals who make up the bigger chunk of their corporate market. They also have long-staying expats. Pinoys, especially balikbayans, usually stay at the hotel for an average of two to three weeks, according to Rios.

Lean months would still see the hotel buzzing with activities as meetings and product launchings always fill up their events folio.

Lean months would still see the hotel buzzing with activities as meetings and product launchings always fill up their events folio.

Given the tough times calls for more creativity to keep guests coming in. “You have to come up with various ways to catch attention. Here at City Garden, we’re more service-oriented. We don’t even have to join the price war because once you pull down your prices you can’t pull them up anymore. That’s where cost management comes in. So, if you can do something internally like enhance your product and upgrade your service, then you give your clients value for their money.”

One thing that makes the new GM and his staff proud about the property is the continuous and regular upgrading of their facilities. It’s something that even five-star hotels can’t always do. That’s why City Garden always looks and smells new. And that’s where the clients’ money goes, said Rios.

Like someone who has been around the industry for sometime now, being a key player only means more juggling acts to do than less. Those who call the shots are the ones usually over laden with privileges that come with heavy responsibilities.

Considering the various hotel cultures that Rios has immersed himself into, then we’ll have an insight of the guy’s mettle as a rich fusion of all the things he’s done, worked for and worked with.

“Everyday is a learning experience for me. I learn from my different bosses and their different personalities. I always try to pick all of the good things from each of them. These are the things that have helped me to adjust each time I move on to a new sphere.”