Behind the Success: How Our Featured Hoteliers Launched Their Hospitality Careers

As we slowly move into another year in hospitality, we ought to look back on the stories that have catalyzed progress and positive transformations in the lives of people in the industry. Stories that our featured personalities shared with us here on Discovering Hospitality in the last year, highlighting their proven strategies, triumphant overcoming of challenges and their journey toward a successful career in hospitality; not only to give them due honor and recognition, but also to inspire and educate those who wish to follow their footsteps.

Without further adieu, here is the first collection of some of our featured hospitality personalities’ anecdotal stories about the beginnings of their successful hospitality careers. 

Gil Acuna

Hospitality Consultant, Program Chair for Hospitality Management. De la Salle-College of St. Benilde

“If you believe in the alignment of the universe that determines your destiny, then probably I am a product of that belief. 

I was fortunate to be at the right place at the right time with the right people. My managers gave me opportunities and guidance to learn things they sensed I needed to know to improve my job. 

I will never forget my manager who made a departmental training proposal and successfully submitted it to the General Manager under my name when she found out I was new to the task. She later asked what was stopping me from learning with all the open resources in the property.

And there was this hotel owner who, in front of a foreign quality assurance auditor, asked about the cleanliness of a guestroom I just cleared for sale. After being told to pull out the headboard. I was shocked with all the dust behind it. Or the time a VIP guest wrote me a personal letter saying how bad the wine service was at a restaurant I managed. 

In essence, these examples showed that one must be committed to self-improvement and take criticisms openly as these are necessary eventualities on the way to the top. These have since made me take on a more proactive approach to work. 

It is important to take a job in hospitality and the academe with an open mind that anything is possible when not bound by your personal limitations. With a paradigm shift. I eventually realized I was already being mentored by colleagues and managers to assume leadership roles. I will be forever grateful to them. It helped that I asked a lot of questions and was always curious how things were done. I was drawn into the vibrancy of both careers where no day is ever the same.”

Read the rest of the interview with Mr. Gil Acuna here.

Wesley Van Der Voort

General Manager of Villa Caemilla Beach Boutique Resort and Under The Stars Luxury Apartments, Boracay

“I grew up in Europe, where my parents instilled in me the value of hard work from a young age. While studying, I worked part-time, starting as a dishwasher, then moving on to waiter, kitchen helper, and bartender. Over time, I realized hospitality suited me perfectly. It’s dynamic, people-focused, and creative—and I never looked back.”

Read the rest of our interview with Mr. Wesley Van Der Voort here.

Paolo Campillo

Hotel, Restaurant and Bar Consultant for 3AM Hotel Consultancy, Former Hotel General Manager

“I've been doing this for 30 over years professionally, not counting summer jobs. I started my career right at the bottom. I started as a pot washer, a dishwasher in a restaurant.  In a hotel being a Steward is probably the second most difficult, the most difficult being housekeeping. 

Hats-off to all the housekeepers out there because it's not something I could do day-in, day-out. 

In your hospitality career, you get these moments of truth throughout your career, testing whether you want to nut it out for another day or go into a corner and cry and go home. 

In University, I couldn't decide what I wanted to do for a living. I discovered that I really liked the food & beverage lifestyle. Particularly in Canada and the US, where you really have to work for your tips. 

I was sent off to Switzerland to take up hotel management, and once I got there, I quickly figured out that I not just wanted to own my restaurant, but I wanted to be a Hotel General Manager.”

Read our entire interview with Mr. Paolo Campillo here.

Lora Gregorio

Restaurant General Manager of SO/Uptown Hotel Dubai

‘From the day I started in customer service (I was 16 years old), I knew I had a passion for the hospitality industry and would pursue it in my career. I was drawn to the energy of hospitality, the way a single experience could make someone feel valued, cared for, and completely at ease.

What started as curiosity, quickly grew into a passion for creating memorable moments, whether through service, ambiance, or connection

What keeps me inspired every day is the dynamic nature of this industry, no two days are the same. New cases and situations always provide an opportunity to exceed expectations, innovate, and lead with the heart. Seeing a guest leave with a smile, or mentoring someone on my team to reach their potential, reminds me why I chose this path.  It is very rewarding.”

Read more of Miss Lora Gregorio here.

Evidently, it is sheer passion and pure intention that have delivered our featured hospitality personalities to their own successes. They broke the illusions of challenges and obstacles in the early part of their careers, seeing them as opportunities for growth and using them as inspiring examples to share with their colleagues as true and well-deserved leaders in hospitality.