HOTEL UPDATE Meet Paul Gill: The Century Park GM

Guests to Century Park Hotel will be pleased to know that their favorite hotel has something “new” for them. The new management has invested at least R12 million for the renovations.

Paul Russel Gill, general manager of Century Park Hotel said “we are now renovating our guest rooms, we have plans to order new equipments for the spa and to make active promotion.”

“In promotion, we are dealing closely with Philippine Airlines and the Department of Tourism (DOT) particularly in Cebu with DOT Regional director Aurora Patria Roa. When everything is formalized, we will sit down with Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon for our plans,” Gill said.

If there was one thing that Gill is proud of about his hotel, it is the ties that have been built with people, saying, “The hotel is one where memories are built. I really enjoy meeting people who fondly remember their stay at our hotel. They would tell me how they had a party here, or how this person had a reception in the hotel. It amazes me how so many people can identify with the hotel through their experiences here.”

He said that it is only fitting that they “get the best service that we can provide. We always want their stay here, no matter how short, to be a memorable one.”

Even though the hotel is hit by tough times the past years and with the US-Iraq war on-going now, Gill is undaunted. With a marketing strategy that has both strong local and foreign drives, the hotel has managed to maintain a regular flow of guests.

“We have an occupancy of 65 percent which is better than last year. Our guests include Japanese and Koreans who are at least 15 percent to 20 percent of the total staying here in our hotel. As for the security, I am very comfortable seeing the guards checking the bags. I like that kind of step. I think we are prepared for this,” Gill said.

The hotel recently held its Malaysian Food Festival (March 17-27) and not only was he (Gill) the host, he also supervised the preparations of the dishes himself, although he invited a Malaysian cook.

“I think the days are gone when the GM just sits behind his desk. At the end of the day I’m right here to look after the owner’s interests, and make sure that everything is running well. You can’t do that all behind a desk. You should always have proper respect for your staff. The GM should have confidence in their training and their abilities,” Gill stressed.

He added that he usually lets his staff run their divisions and he’s only there to inform if any adjustments or changes have to be made.

“When your staff see you, and know they can always approach you and if they have problems or suggestions, it is a very good thing. It’s also good for the morale of the employes to see their GM checking on them, telling them whether or not they did a good job,” Gill pointed out.

This is not the first time that he sets foot in the Philippines. His first work in the Philippines was an Executive Chef from 1994-1996 at the Cebu Plaza Hotel. “Working in the Philippines was a delightful experience. The people are very warm and friendly. Also there’s no problem with the language because practically everybody speaks English.”

After many years of cordial partnership with the ANA Hotels International, the Century Park Hotel has decided to be self-manage. And both parties have amicably agreed to no longer renew the management contract. Last January, the Maranaw Hotels and Resorts Corp., the managing and owning company of the Century Park has appointed Gill, a British national to be its GM.

In his status in the hotel industry, Gill has practically been around all over Europe and Asia. He started his career in the hotel industry with the London Hilton in September 1980 as a trainee. He then moved to Nova Hilton in Geneva, Switzerland in 1983 as Demi Chef de Partie.

In 1984, he was back to London as Senior Chef de Partie for the Grosvenor Hotel; moved to Meridien Piccadilly in London in 1985 as Sous Chef. Then he transferred to Le Sous Sol Restaurant in London and eventually became executive Sous Chef for the Taipei Hilton. He then moved to be executive chef for the Kuching Hilton, Sarawak, East Malaysia and met his wife.

‘I think having the experience of being involved in the F&B division really helps. Most of the good GM’s I’ve worked with tend to have started there (F&B). This is especially true for the Century Park Hotel, which had a reputation for having one of the best F&B division,” Gill pointed out.

Gill took the reins of the Century Park from Bobby Carpio, his predecessor, who has decided that it was time for him to retire and spend more time with his family.

Though he formally became the hotel’s GM only last January, Gill was already working closely with the hotel’s department heads to ensure a smooth transition.

“I have to give it to Bobby. He really did a fine job in running the hotel and hopefully we can build from the foundation he started,” he said.

His staff is clearly happy with their new GM and they appreciate his “hands-on” type of management. “We really think having our new GM here is a wonderful thing. He makes the staff work a little bit harder and drives them to perform a little bit better,” said Toti Palileo, Public Relations officer for the hotel.