Frank Reichenbach is not only a veteran hotelier, he is one who’s seen the Philippines go through it all.
And while he may have over 35 years of experience in the luxury hotel segment, Reichenbach, general manager of Marco Polo Ortigas, believes that hotel guests still look for and expect the basics: a clean bed, a good breakfast and a working shower.
“They just want things to work; no headaches when checking in or checking out,” Reichenbach said. “These things have not changed.”
Beginnings
In December 1980, he was interviewed in Switzerland for a posting at Ramada Hotel in Manila. He clinched the job and flew out immediately to serve as its food and beverage (F&B) director.
It was an exciting time in the capital at the time, one filled with equal parts danger and decadence. Martial law and the nightly curfews were still in effect, but he managed to bring in some of the best live bands to perform nightly at the rooftop bar.
“Something Special was our main band, and they really drew in the crowd,” Reichenbach recalled.
During one Valentine’s Day, he booked hot new chanteuse Kuh Ledesma, “but there were demonstrations being held simultaneously on the street, and the hotel’s entrances had to be barricaded.”
They managed to push through with the Valentine’s concert amid the political unrest.
Reichenbach joined The Peninsula in Hong Kong soon after, but he was back in Manila a couple of years later, this time with The Peninsula Manila.
When he was starting out, he cut his teeth in the small family-owned or -managed hotels in his hometown of Gstaad, the resort town in the Bernese Oberland region of the Swiss Alps, but Reichenbach was determined to see as much of the world as possible.
“It’s always been my dream to work in the luxury properties,” he said.
Fond memories
Veteran PR practitioners Mila Magsaysay Valenzuela and Rosario Ysmael have fond memories of working with Reichenbach at The Peninsula Manila.
“The Philippines was his first assignment as F&B manager and he adapted quickly to the country, so much so that he fell in love and married a Filipina. Even after he left and was assigned elsewhere, he always kept in touch,” Valenzuela said.
“He’s such a likable person, easy to approach, calm and so creative in his ways. We remain good friends to this day,” Ysmael said.
All in all, Reichenbach worked in Asian properties for 20 years—the longest in a particular region.
His most recent post was in Istanbul, for 10 years, “but by then, the political situation was already shaky, so the Marco Polo Ortigas’ offer came at the right time. My wife also welcomed the chance to come home. She’s originally from Quezon City.”
They’ve been in the country since 2015, and are adapting to the changes in the city in terms of infrastructure (“so many buildings, so much traffic”), technology (“online reviewers can be overly dramatic”) and menu preferences (“more people now look for salads, healthy alternatives”).
Thought twice
For Reichenbach, social media and the myriad advances in technology are the two developments he’s still getting used to.
“When we were first starting decades ago, the fax machine had just been introduced, and it was a big breakthrough. It was slower, but then people thought twice before writing something—unlike now where you can write something and post it instantly.”
As general manager of Marco Polo Ortigas, Reichenbach has his work cut out for him.
Lung Hin, the hotel’s Cantonese restaurant, and the rooftop bar Vu’s continue to do well. The property has also bagged the Forbes award two years in a row.
“The pressure, however, is always there to do better on all fronts, including revenues and profits. That may sound simple, but that’s the nature of the business, including our business. We also have our responsibility to the owners to maintain the building, keep it in good shape.
“What we want to do is establish (F&B outlets) Cucina and Pronto as really good places to go. We want them to be top of mind for people looking for a place to have lunch, or meet for their weekly coffee dates,” Reichenbach said.
