Hotelier's climb to success

WORKING a way up in the hospitality industry could be demanding, but a woman with a towering ambition to be successful in this field was Maria Manlulu-Garcia.

Over the years, this ambition evolved into something more personal and inclusive: to inspire fellow Asian women to break barriers and encourage more female leaders to make it to the top.

Manlulu-Garcia's hard work and skills brought her to the peak of hospitality after an uphill climb in the hotel business for 30 years.

She braved the highs and lows of hotel management, starting in the United States and eventually finding her way back to her roots in the Philippines.

Strong foundation

Manlulu-Garcia's strong work ethic was not merely shaped by her own experiences but also her mother's influential role as a former general manager of various hotels in the United States, serving as an inspiration for the young aspiring hotelier in her.

Her father with a military background also instilled discipline in her, greatly shaping the leader she has become today.

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«With the combined traits and values of my parents, I have an advantage of working with a graceful heart and an iron fist — together, it works magically,» she said in an interview with The Manila Times.

Manlulu-Garcia had the chance to jump-start her career in the Philippines as the director of Housekeeping Services at Sofitel Philippine Plaza. She was later promoted as the director of rooms or executive assistant manager at the same hotel.

She shared: «I opened six international hotels, rebranded three hotels and graciously received the prestigious Mabuhay Awards from the Association of Human Resources Manager in the hospitality industry for a managerial position in 2008 during my time in Sofitel Philippine Plaza from 2006 to 2012.»

After which, Manlulu-Garcia took the mantle of general manager (GM) for Pico Sands Hotel/Pico de Loro Club from 2012 to 2013, where she was regarded as the youngest female GM for Pico de Loro Hotel and Country Club. It was followed by her short stint as director of Rooms in Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua in 2014.

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She joined the Novotel Manila Araneta City as the executive assistant manager in 2015. She got a