Moving All Forward - Shaping the Future of Work at Okada Manila

Moving All Forward: Shaping the Future of Work at Okada Manila

At Okada Manila, every world-class experience begins with people. Behind each signature moment are team members who bring the resort’s brand of hospitality to life through care, creativity, teamwork, and pride.

This Labor Day, we celebrate work not only as dedication, but as meaningful contribution. Across the organization, team members continue to grow, serve with purpose, and find better ways to support guests, colleagues, and the business. This is how Okada Manila moves forward: through people who take action, learn from experience, and lead in their own roles every day.

Early Career Experiences: Learning Through Service

For team members beginning their careers, growth starts with understanding that service is not only about completing tasks, but also recognizing how everyday interactions can shape a guest’s experience.

Reynalyn Matias of Premium Marketing shares that when she first joined, she thought work would mainly be about following processes and completing tasks efficiently. Over time, she realized that customer service is also about building connections, understanding people, and handling different situations with empathy.

That realization helped her become more confident. When she faced a challenging situation on her own for the first time, she stayed calm, listened carefully, and offered a solution. This experience taught her that she could manage challenges under pressure, while developing stronger communication, active listening, and adaptability.

For Aaron Devora of Hotel, joining Okada Manila opened his eyes to the responsibility that comes with being part of a guest’s experience. As a VIP Reception Agent, he learned that service involves presence of mind, emotional control, and composure. He discovered that service is not simply about saying yes or no, but about offering thoughtful alternatives when a request cannot be fulfilled.

“Every role contributes to what makes a company truly prestigious,” he shares. “Even the smallest interactions could influence a guest’s overall impression.” For him, confidence is built by acknowledging mistakes, learning from them, and serving with empathy and purpose.

Early Career Experiences: Learning Through Service

For team members beginning their careers, growth starts with understanding that service is not only about completing tasks, but also recognizing how everyday interactions can shape a guest’s experience.

REYNALYN MATIAS

Reynalyn Matias of Premium Marketing shares that when she first joined, she thought work would mainly be about following processes and completing tasks efficiently. Over time, she realized that customer service is also about building connections, understanding people, and handling different situations with empathy.

That realization helped her become more confident. When she faced a challenging situation on her own for the first time, she stayed calm, listened carefully, and offered a solution. This experience taught her that she could manage challenges under pressure, while developing stronger communication, active listening, and adaptability.

AARON DEVORA

For Aaron Devora of Hotel, joining Okada Manila opened his eyes to the responsibility that comes with being part of a guest’s experience. As a VIP Reception Agent, he learned that service involves presence of mind, emotional control, and composure. He discovered that service is not simply about saying yes or no, but about offering thoughtful alternatives when a request cannot be fulfilled.

“Every role contributes to what makes a company truly prestigious,” he shares. “Even the smallest interactions could influence a guest’s overall impression.” For him, confidence is built by acknowledging mistakes, learning from them, and serving with empathy and purpose.

Leadership Development: Working Better Together

As team members take on greater responsibility, growth also comes from finding smarter and more efficient ways of working. Innovation is reflected in how teams improve processes, solve problems, and create better support systems.

For Gerald Rabanzo of Optimization, adaptability has been central to his journey. With experience in education, social work, systems, and project management, he entered the casino industry and applied his experience to process improvement and business solutions.

“Optimization and innovation are at the core of how our division operates,” he says. His team constantly looks for ways to simplify tasks, improve outputs, and support stakeholders. One example is the responsible use of AI for idea generation, research, analysis, and repetitive tasks. Used thoughtfully, digital tools help the team focus on work that requires judgment, collaboration, and creativity.

In IT, Lea Mariquina’s role has grown from IT Service Management to broader IT Service Delivery and 24/7 support operations. One impactful development has been the implementation of ServiceNow. Through the system, her team centralized issue tracking, strengthened service monitoring, and created clearer accountability. Its use has expanded to Facilities Management and other business units.

“Digitalization has significantly improved how we deliver IT services,” Lea shares. “It has allowed us to respond faster, resolve issues more efficiently, and gain better visibility into business needs.” For her, leadership also means creating space for people to suggest better ways of working—encouraging ownership, accountability, and continuous improvement.

GERALD RABANZO

For Gerald Rabanzo of Optimization, adaptability has been central to his journey. With experience in education, social work, systems, and project management, he entered the casino industry and applied his experience to process improvement and business solutions.

“Optimization and innovation are at the core of how our division operates,” he says. His team constantly looks for ways to simplify tasks, improve outputs, and support stakeholders. One example is the responsible use of AI for idea generation, research, analysis, and repetitive tasks. Used thoughtfully, digital tools help the team focus on work that requires judgment, collaboration, and creativity.

LEA MARIQUINA

In IT, Lea Mariquina’s role has grown from IT Service Management to broader IT Service Delivery and 24/7 support operations. One impactful development has been the implementation of ServiceNow. Through the system, her team centralized issue tracking, strengthened service monitoring, and created clearer accountability. Its use has expanded to Facilities Management and other business units.

“Digitalization has significantly improved how we deliver IT services,” Lea shares. “It has allowed us to respond faster, resolve issues more efficiently, and gain better visibility into business needs.” For her, leadership also means creating space for people to suggest better ways of working—encouraging ownership, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Leadership, Mentorship, and Culture: Moving Forward With Purpose

At the leadership level, Senior Vice President for HR Atty. Jerome Sarte connects the future of work to the values that guide Okada Manila: integrity, teamwork, pride, fun, creativity, and impact that extends to the community. These values shape not only what team members do, but how they do it.

For Atty. Jerome, All Forward is best understood as a way of working. It means turning plans into action, learning from what the organization has built, and encouraging every team member to lead in their own role. It is not only about moving in the same direction, but also creating progress through accountability, shared responsibility, and service excellence.

He also emphasizes that working smarter means simplifying processes, eliminating waste, and using technology where it helps people focus on higher-impact work. At the same time, productivity must be balanced with employee experience. Communication, coaching, feedback, and career discussions help team members understand their goals and see a future within the organization.

Okada Manila continues to invest in people development through talent review, where employees are assessed based on performance and potential, and development plans are created for bigger roles. This reflects a workplace that does not merely hire talent, but develops, empowers, and values people responsibly.

This Labor Day, Atty. Jerome’s message reminds every team member of the deeper purpose behind work: “Let us not live to work but rather work to live, which means we work for our personal fulfilment and to provide more for our families.”