HRS students visit Mega Manila

Real life education in the real world - Because there is no better way to cascade academic instruction than having the students see first-hand the realities of the industry. This is the underlying principle behind the 3-day Manila tour of the Hospitality and Restaurant Services (HRS) students of STI Naga.

After months of painstaking planning and consistent coordination with Manila-based hotels, 40 HRS students excitedly left for Manila on the night of January 21, their destination, the Elegant Hotels of Mega Manila!

First stop is the distinctive Victoria Hotel at the Quirino Avenue near the famous Baywalk Park. The students were given a glimpse of the hotels’ 24-7 operations and a tour at the thematically designed standard and suite rooms for their guests. These rooms uniquely distinguished Victoria from the rest of the hotels in the city, true to their tag - “Feel the Distinction.”

Next in line for their first day around Mega Manila is the oldest and one of the biggest five star hotel in the city, The Manila Hotel. Although there is not enough time to see the 570 rooms of the hotel in a day, the students saw for themselves the elegance and grandeur of a five star hotel. At the Manila Hotel, students were given a seminar on bartending done by professional bartenders of the luxurious hotel.

Day one’s itinerary ended with the students going back to their residence hotel in Makati City. Though tired from the almost 10-hour trip from Bicol and the entire day at the city, students never seemed to get tired as they shared their excitement with their roommates on the day they have just concluded.

The road leads to the Bayview Park Hotel on the morning of the second day. Located just across the American Embassy and overlooking the Manila Bay, the Bayview Park Hotel offers a great ambiance for gazing at the sunset. Their rooftop pool makes it more romantic for people who love nature and serenity while at the heart of the city. The hotel is an example of a three star hotel. While at the Bayview Park Hotel, students attended a seminar on Food and Beverage Services, a real life demonstration of how FNB are done in the real world.

In the afternoon, City Garden Suites in Malate area was the next destination. In here, the students were treated to a demonstration on housekeeping and each was asked to try to show their beddings preparation talents. City Garden Suites is one of the preferred hotels for people who look for a standard class hotel. They offer classy and elegant accommodations at a very reasonable price.

Hotel visits were completed on the second day. Going back to their hotels, the students took with them priceless lessons and experiences shared by persons who are active in the industry. Visualizing the operations of various hotels they have visited, now the students have a crystal idea on what the industry looks like from the inside. An idea that will propel them to strive harder if they really want to be inside the hospitality and service industry.

The final day is equally important as the two previous days. Destination? Greenhill and SM Mall of Asia (MOA), two contrasting shopping destinations in terms of market, positioning and pricing.

Located right at the heart of San Juan, the Greenhill Shopping Center has over 2,000 stores that sells wide array of products from cell phones, cameras, shoes, t-shirts, accessories, jewelries and anything you can conceived saleable. In here, you can find both original and imitations of your favorite apparels. For those who want to find slightly used original gadgets, the second floor electronic center is the place for you. There you can find almost every cell phone models at a reasonable second-hand price. Thousands of people flock this part of San Juan everyday all with one common agenda, to get the lowest price possible. As to the quality, - let’s just talk about the price.

MOA on the other hand is the complete opposite of the first. Let’s not talk about the price, let’s talk about quality. Being the second largest mall in the country, MOA is the premiere attraction in Pasay City which attracts daily foot traffic of 200,000 people. Among the must visit places in the Mall of Asia are the IMAX Theatre, considered as one of the world’s biggest 3D screens, the Olympic size Ice Skating Rink, the open-air Music Hall that has been a venue for numerous concerts and events and the SMX Convention Center, a 900 million project that is set to compete with the Philippine International Convention Center in hosting huge national events and gatherings.

The 3-day activity was jam-packed with learning, self-confidence building and adventure every student present should be proud about. Not everyone gets the chance to visit four lavish hotels in Mega Manila and not every student gets the rare chance to be in Manila. Going back home, this experience is a manifestation of how our family wants the best for us and we should give them the best in return. We cannot repay them too soon for their hard works, but we can always instantly show our gratitude by doing our best in our class.

Real life education. Real life experiences. Real life perseverance.

De Mateo and Maraño win Staff and Faculty of the year

The Christmas Season has been extra special for Glen de Mateo and Benjamin Maraño, an administrative staff and a faculty member, as both were adjudge winners in the STI Naga’s Search for the Employee and Faculty of the Year.

The two garnered the most number of points after tallying the votes from the students and their co-employees thus earned them the prestigious award.

Serving as a cashier for over a year now, Glen de Mateo’s dedication to his job did not go unnoticed. Apart from the collected student’s votes, his hold on the prize was further bolstered by the overwhelming nomination from both the faculty and staff. The award came as a surprise admits the soon-to-be father. His praise for his colleague’s efforts in the performance of their duties was his source of enthusiasm to give the best and be the best.

Benjamin Maraño has been with STI Naga for almost half a decade as a part-time faculty member handling CET programs. His story is a perfect example of how one can triumph over physical difficulties. He never let his challenged stride get in the way of imparting knowledge to his students. His difficulty has been his constant motivation to take a step further for his students and the Institution.

More than the recognition, the prestige and the honor of this award, the passion for perfection should be the core motivation of anyone aspiring for this award. STI Naga will make this an annual event to encourage and challenge each employee to give out the best in the name of genuine service. The eyes should not be on the prize but rather on how well we have done our best each petty task we perform every day. The biggest prize comes from the compounded little things we do.