In short
Manila hospitality and Filipino food “soft power.” Moment Group’s growth and strategy for scaling Filipino comfort food, plus a check-in on tourism and infrastructure via the upcoming Mandarin Oriental Makati Manila.
Guests and backgrounds
Abba Napa and Eliza Antonino, co-founders of Moment Group (F&B). Napa is an entrepreneur since college; Antonino has hospitality experience including a first job at Four Seasons New York and restaurant management. James Chambers is the Monocle reporter interviewing them. Also featured: Frank Droyan, GM of the new Mandarin Oriental Makati Manila (French, previously in Macau).
Key claims
Moment Group grew from ~10 restaurants (2017) to ~85 doors by 2026, paused expansion during COVID, and now funds growth internally. They don’t scale “for footprint,” but for productivity per square foot. Michelin Guide Philippines helped spotlight Filipino cuisine; infrastructure (especially flights) limits tourism.
Notable examples
Manam’s sinigang (short rib and watermelon) and other classics/twists; Manam Ayala Triangle included in Michelin Guide. Moment Group expansion to Cebu (5 stores) and Singapore (Hayop, Michelin-recognized). Mandarin Oriental reopening after 12 years; helipad and suggested island trip to Palawan.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOExploring the Moment Group
0:45 to 2:26
Overview of the Moment Group's rapid growth and plans for expansion.
“Plus, we'll check in with the GM of the city's new Mandarin Oriental.”
Founding Story of Moment Group
2:26 to 4:28
Founders share how they transitioned from retail to the restaurant business.
“Manila is very small, so we have a lot of mutual friends.”
Manam's Unique Menu
4:28 to 6:06
Discussion on the Filipino comfort food offerings at Manam.
“For our listeners who perhaps haven't tried it or haven't been to the Philippines, Can you just give them a little bit of a flavor of the menu at Manam?”
Michelin Guide's Impact
6:06 to 7:53
The significance of the Michelin Guide's entry into the Philippines.
“There's like a lot of things to choose from.”
Tourism and Infrastructure Challenges
7:53 to 9:33
Exploration of the challenges facing tourism infrastructure in the Philippines.
“For Manam, it's wonderful to be acknowledged by anyone, people that dine with us or different kinds of bodies.”
Business Landscape in Manila
9:33 to 11:20
Current state of the business environment in Manila post-COVID.
“And to get to those islands, those beautiful islands, you still have to cross Manila.”
Moment Group's Growth Update
11:20 to 14:02
Update on Moment Group's expansion and employee impact since 2017.
“in Clark, which is an hour and a half away or even three hours or even four hours when the traffic is there.”
Growth of The Moment Group
14:02 to 17:24
Learn about the growth trajectory and strategies of The Moment Group.
“But I mean, you promised to open only one.”
Future Vision for Filipino Cuisine
17:24 to 21:23
Explore aspirations for expanding Filipino cuisine beyond local borders.
“If you were to continue that over the next 10 years, you'd be up to 600, I think, if my maths holds up.”
Transitioning to James Chambers
21:31 to 21:45
The conversation shifts to James Chambers discussing the broader economic context.
“And you can find out more by heading to momentgroup.ph.”
Show all 14 chapters
Exploring Manila's Dynamic Economy
21:45 to 25:14
Discuss the underappreciated economic potential of the Philippines.
“james how does that uh the success of this group fit into the the bigger scene such a dynamic economy of course in manila but more widely you know nationwide incredible expansion opportunity across the piece.”
The Mandarin Oriental's Reopening
25:14 to 28:00
Insight into the reopening of the Mandarin Oriental and its significance.
“If you look at the numbers, Hong Kong has had about 36 million visitors this year.”
Exploring the Mandarin Oriental's Unique Offerings
28:00 to 30:55
Learn about the unique aspects and targeted guest experience of the Mandarin Oriental in Manila.
“It's not a cookie cutter, it's a Mandarin Oriental.”
Exploring the Mandarin Oriental's Unique Offerings
31:00 to 31:15
Learn about the unique aspects and targeted guest experience of the Mandarin Oriental in Manila.
“by heading to mandarinoriental.com forward slash Manila.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:11Eliza Antonino:Hello and welcome to The Entrepreneurs on Monocle Radio, the show all about inspiring people, innovative companies and fresh ideas in global business. This week we're off to Manila where we'll hear from the founders of a hospitality group who have taken a delicious assortment of brands and Filipino comfort food to another level, growing from 10 to 85 restaurants in less than a decade.
0:35Abba Napa:And they aren't stopping there. We will continue to open our restaurants in neighborhoods where we are embraced. Our real big vision is to help bring Filipino flavors outside of our shores.
0:48Eliza Antonino:Plus, we'll check in with the GM of the city's new Mandarin Oriental. With Mandarin Oriental, our service we anchor in the heart already of people from the Philippines. We embrace this local heritage. But at the same time, we also bring up from this legendary service that we have. This is The Entrepreneurs with me, Tom Edwards.
1:19Eliza Antonino:You're listening to The Entrepreneurs. We do have something a little special for you this week. We're on the road. Where are we headed? Well, I'm delighted to say I'm joined on the line now from Bangkok by the one and only James Chambers. Hello, James. How are you? Hi, Tom. I'm very well. Thank you. Now, tell me, we're on the road. We heard the teaser at the top of the show. We're off to Manila. Tell me, how come you rocked up in Manila? What was on the agenda, James? Well, as you know, Tom, I've got a very wide beat over here in Asia. And actually, the Philippines is one of those countries that's on the top of my list or towards the top of my list.
1:58Eliza Antonino:And I've been trying to go there more and more over the last few years. And the Moment Group is a F &B chain that I've been watching for almost a decade now. I first met them back in 2017, when I was doing a story on Manila. Back then, they were kind of an up-and-coming company with about 10 restaurants. And I wanted to go check in to see how they're doing now in 2026. And I sat down with them at their headquarters in Makati, and this is what they had to say.
2:27Abba Napa:Manila is very small, so we have a lot of mutual friends. And so we were hanging out a lot already. I've been an entrepreneur since I graduated from college, and our very first business actually was in retail with my partner, John, who's our third partner here at Moment. And one day, the commercial developers were like, you know what, we have this new development that we're putting up and you could put your retail shops in it. But I know you guys love food so much, so you could also make it a restaurant if you wanted. And John was like, let's do that. And I said, why would we want to go from non-perishable to perishable goods?
3:05Abba Napa:But 2012 was an amazing time in the Philippines where the dining scene was nascent, but it was really picking up. We loved food so much we wanted to just give it a shot for fun, but we were so busy. We knew that we couldn't handle it purely ourselves. And Eliza and I were such good friends already, and her background is really hospitality. She had restaurants when she was younger. Her first job was in the Four Seasons in New York. So we asked her if she could be our managing partner in this new venture, and she said no. And she said no every month for six months. but one day, dusk, in the summer, we had a couple of martinis.
3:45Abba Napa:After one bottle of Grey Goose, she finally said, enough, I will do it but I will only do one restaurant and that's the deal. So we shook hands that we would only create one restaurant together. And it's been 15 years this year and that's the only promise we've ever broken to one another.
4:02Eliza Antonino:Was the first restaurant Manam?
4:04Abba Napa:No, the first restaurant does not exist anymore. It was a barbecue restaurant called Q. And in its place today is actually our Japanese restaurant. So our third restaurant was actually Manam, which came six months later from our first restaurant because we were just so excited.
4:21Eliza Antonino:And that's the restaurant that you guys, I guess, are known for today, right? That's your most famous brand. It's Filipino comfort food. For our listeners who perhaps haven't tried it or haven't been to the Philippines, Can you just give them a little bit of a flavor of the menu at Manam?
4:40Abba Napa:Manam is really a menu of Filipino dishes created by Filipinos who live in the Philippines. You know, it is inspired by the way we grew up eating Filipino in our household. So a lot of the dishes are inspirations or even recipes from our family. One of the most beloved dishes there is a sour soup made with short rib and watermelon called sinigang. and that's really a tribute to Eliza's mom's recipe. And so it has a lot of these dishes. And I think one great thing about Manam is that the menu is divided into dishes that are classics and dishes where we take some poetic license with them. I think what's nice about that is if you're craving something nostalgic and familiar, you can choose from the classic section.
5:25Abba Napa:And if you're in the mood to experiment and to just discover something, you can choose from the twist section. I think that's what makes people come back to it a lot. Like there's just so many occasions by which you can use the restaurant and the brand.
5:36Eliza Antonino:Talking about coming back to the restaurant, do you guys still eat at Manam? And Eliza, when you go, what do you order?
5:44Abba Napa:Oh, definitely. I eat Manam at least maybe once a week because it's comfort food for me. Filipino is one of the things that I think you grow up with, Filipino food, and just gives you a big hug. So as Abba said, the sinigang I go for because that's what my mom created. The sisig, which is a classic Filipino dish of a pork jowl. And baby squid as well. There's like a lot of things to choose from. You don't just go for one dish or another. We have like 100 dishes in Manam. And I think it's a good awakening for, especially for foreign people to come. Because we actually serve our dishes there small, medium, large.
6:24Abba Napa:So even if I'm alone eating in Manam, I can have three, four dishes just to sample that and to eat my craving.
6:31Eliza Antonino:Last year was a pretty big year in the Philippines for the food scene. I mean, the Michelin Guide released their first Guide to the Philippines. Congratulations. The Manamin Ayala Triangle was included. Yes, thank you. What has the last 12 months been like for that restaurant and also for the food scene here in Manila?
6:54Abba Napa:And I think that it's wonderful for our dining scene, you know, to finally get a spotlight on the country. Like I can say like people sometimes say, oh, the Philippine cuisine has been on a slow boil for a decade. Right. And I think that's true. And I think it's reaching a tipping point. And there's so much interest now in our flavors and discovering our different dishes. So having the Michelin Guide come in last year was like this wonderful exclamation point to that. You'll see online people wanting to tick off everything on the list. So when we were there during the ceremonies, Manam was one of the restaurants that cooked for the ceremonies.
7:28Abba Napa:We were so fortunate to be alongside all these other amazing restaurants and chefs who had been flown in from other countries that are also Michelin recognized. And they were like, that's so amazing that there were so many restaurants that were put on the guide. And I think it's wonderful because Filipinos now are not just Filipinos, but foreigners are more interested in going out and trying different restaurants in Manila at all different price points. And I think that's really good for the dining scene in general. For Manam, it's wonderful to be acknowledged by anyone, people that dine with us or different kinds of bodies.
8:02Abba Napa:So to be recognized for a brand that we created to feed the Filipino on a weekly basis, a la carte, appropriately priced, I think is wonderful.
8:12Eliza Antonino:The Michelin Guide, bringing it here, it's a sizable investment. I mean, the government has to work with the Michelin Guide. There are other countries, particularly in Southeast Asia, perhaps looking at the example of the Philippines or Thailand who have done that and wondering whether it's worth it. From your perspective as entrepreneurs, do you think that's money well spent?
8:32Abba Napa:Yes, I think the Philippines is a beautiful country to discover. It's just that we don't maybe get enough spotlights for the different aspects of it. It's not just the dining scene. It's the art scene. It's the destinations. It's the beautiful beaches. It's the culture. There's so many things to discover. So I think any effort made to showcase that and communicate that to adventurous eaters and travelers around the world, I think is wonderful for the country.
9:01Eliza Antonino:What's missing? Because you guys have incredible hospitality, right? You're extremely warm and welcoming. You have these incredible beaches. You have this cuisine. The art here is amazing to anyone who's lucky enough to come here to the art fair every year. Why aren't you suffering from over-tourism? Why aren't you guys complaining about there being too many people here? What's missing? Why aren't more people coming?
9:24Abba Napa:I think definitely the infrastructure. If you compare our infrastructure with our neighbours in Southeast Asia, we have the least ways to get here. I mean, we have 7 ,100 islands, right? And to get to those islands, those beautiful islands, you still have to cross Manila. Unlike when you try to go to Bali, there are straight flights to Bali. We have no flights, international flights going to our wonderful islands of Burakai, Palawan and Chargao. So I think that kind of infrastructure of where people can get around is really what's lacking today. And hopefully the government will get there someday.
10:02Eliza Antonino:Well, I mean, one of the best things they seem to have done is obviously step out the way and privatize the airports. I mean, when I arrived, there's noticeable changes. is that experience that you have as people who live here is it easier to transit through the
10:15Abba Napa:airport these days oh definitely definitely now it's like um i feel like we're in hong kong or in singapore that you get out of your plane in 10-20 minutes if you don't have to wait for your luggage you're out the door even getting out of the philippines now is actually even easier so we're getting there not at the pace that we all want to be but we're getting there anything
10:37Eliza Antonino:you would like on your wish list for the government to do next? What more could they be doing? A lot.
10:45Abba Napa:A lot. A lot, a lot, a lot more. A lot more. Yeah.
10:49Eliza Antonino:Any ideas that you'd like to suggest?
10:52Abba Napa:I mean, definitely we need better transportation. We need better public transportation, for example, to get from one place to the other, right? We need that. We need a better airport in terms of this airport can probably last us, I would say, maybe five, ten more years. But at a certain point in time, we really need to move somewhere else. Case in point, for example, the flights now that are going to our well-known beach destinations are moved to another city in Clark, which is an hour and a half away or even three hours or even four hours when the traffic is there. So the tourism for those places are down.
11:34Abba Napa:And there's really no solution to this day as to how to now have better transport for people who are coming from Manila. I mean, imagine if you landed from Bangkok. Now you have to take another two-hour, three-hour car ride to go to your next flight just to take it to another island. And like before, you just hop 10 minutes, you're there on on the next plane, right? So these are the solutions that they really need to find. So maybe a better place or better transportation to and from those two airports.
12:07Eliza Antonino:Last time I met with you guys was 2017, almost 10 years ago. And back then, Rodrigo Duterte was in power. It was the height of the war on drugs. Since then, we've had COVID, who knows how many floods. But here we are, 2026. I just want to get, first of all, a kind of a mood check for the kind of business community in Manila. You know, you're entrepreneurs, you're plugged into the scene here. When you talk to other entrepreneurs, how do you feel right now about business in Manila in 2026?
12:42Abba Napa:I think it's no secret that there are so many improvements that can happen in the country on all levels. But if you take a look at Manila today, you'll see that it's bustling and vibrant and growing. And that's despite all of the handicaps that we have. And I think that if there was just more concerted effort at all levels to really focus on nation building, I can only imagine how far we can go. I think that the private sector does a lot in this country to push things forward. I think a lot of our GDP is really local consumption, right? And we're so fortunate with that. I think it's the 100 million people also in this country and happy people at that.
13:23Abba Napa:We just need better infrastructure. And when I mean infrastructure, I don't just mean physical infrastructure. I mean the scaffolding of a nation. What I'm trying to say is a very young country. And I think the youth is very aware now, very self-aware. Everyone's plugged in. And hopefully that awareness will instigate real progress and really allow the government to really put discipline in action and focus on giving us a nation that this country deserves.
13:51Eliza Antonino:And Eliza, how has the business grown in that time? We spoke in 2017. I can't remember how many restaurants and bars you had at that time. But I mean, you promised to open only one. I mean, how many do you have in 2026? I know you've also expanded overseas. I mean, can you give us an update on where things stand right now?
14:14Abba Napa:Okay, so today we have around 85 doors. I think when we spoke in 2017, we probably had 10.
14:22Eliza Antonino:I think so, yeah.
14:23Abba Napa:Yes, we probably had 10 or 12. Today we have 85 doors. Actually, during COVID, we stopped expanding. It's actually when things opened up is when we really started opening more and more. Business has been very good for us. We have around 5 ,300 people now. So that translates to, I always talk about it, That means we are taking care of around, let's say, any 20 ,000 to 25 ,000 people because they have their own families, right? Which makes us feel that we're also contributing in that way to the economy and to the country. But in terms of business-wise everywhere else, I think food has been pretty good.
15:05Abba Napa:Despite what COVID happened, everybody got together and really helped the community. And food is everybody's. We don't eat for nutrition. It makes us all happy. And I think it's a continuing saga in that sense, right? And that's why it's nice that now we're 80 stores strong. We have five stores now in Cebu that we opened last year. We opened one in Singapore called Hayop, which also got recognized by the Michelin Guide. So we're pretty happy and the future is bright.
15:36Eliza Antonino:other entrepreneurs always like us to find out from fellow entrepreneurs how you fund the expansion, the growth. So going from 10 or maybe a dozen in 2017 to 85 now, I mean, that's quite an incredible growth. How have you managed that?
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15:52Abba Napa:Yeah. So of course, in the beginning, we would fund it through lines and loans. And, you know, we're very fortunate that we've been in business since we were like very young for out of university. So we're able to build good relationships with the finance industry, the banking industry. And then, you know, it's like a rolling stone gathers more moss, right? So right now, we're able to internally generate what we need for expansion, you know, and that puts us in a really good position. And I think one thing is that we don't scale for scale's sake. I always say that, yes, we have 85 doors and one little door in Singapore.
16:26Abba Napa:But I think for every door that we've opened, we've turned down two doors. I don't believe today that success is measured anymore in footprint. I believe it's measured in productivity per square foot, if you'd like to call it that. And that's always how we've chosen to grow. What spurs our growth is really that our same shop trajectory is increasing year on year. We're trying to build moment to be an institution that outlasts us, the brands before us. We want it to serve generations of Filipinos, not just this current one. And that means you have to be actually very concerted in how you grow and how you expand and how you scale.
17:09Abba Napa:And I think when you do it that way, you're able to also, your success keeps up with the growth rate that you want.
17:17Eliza Antonino:So final question on the future. What's next? You've grown, I guess, in the last 10 years by a multiple of eight. If you were to continue that over the next 10 years, you'd be up to 600, I think, if my maths holds up. But in all seriousness, the next few years, what have you got on the cards? You mentioned earlier that you're opening a new office. I mean, what else is coming up for the moment group?
17:41Abba Napa:I really like to think that our vision is that we can really become like a long horizon, like cultural institution for the country. It's a very young country. And today we just happen to express ourselves through hospitality. And I think food is really one of the great mediums for us, right? So we will continue to open our restaurants in neighborhoods where we are embraced, open our doors to that. We're highly creative. We create everything that we do in-house. So it's very hard to stop creating. We haven't created since the pandemic, actually. So next year will be a year of a lot of creations, entering new categories, new cuisines.
18:17Abba Napa:And I think our real big vision also now is to help bring Filipino flavors outside of our shores. Not just to Filipinos who are hankering for the flavors of home because they live so far away, but also to all kinds of adventurous eaters around the world that want to discover a new cuisine. And, you know, we've got a taste for it in Singapore. We're so proud to say that Filipinos come and bring foreigners to eat at our little restaurant there. But today, eight out of ten tables are foreigners. And that's really lovely because, I mean, it's a new cuisine, right? And so that excites us, and we hope to be able to play a part in that.
18:52Abba Napa:in bringing Filipino flavors to the world. So there's a lot going on, and I guess that's why we need that second building. But we're excited about it, and it still inspires us. And for as long as that is the case, we will continue to create.
19:06Eliza Antonino:And Eliza, building on what Ava said about Filipino cuisine being something that's been talked about for years, a bit of a slow boil, I've heard it off and on.
19:16Abba Napa:Ten years ago, yeah.
19:16Eliza Antonino:It's just ready to become the next trend, but it never quite makes it. But does it feel like it is still bubbling up? And any evidence you've seen? I mean, there's Filipino restaurants popping up in London. And I mean, it's a bit stronger, I guess, in America. But what have you seen? Are you confident that this time it's going to happen?
19:34Abba Napa:I think it's been happening. You have Kasama in Chicago who they just won their first star. And you have second star. Sorry. They have lines outside the door. In London as well, there are a few restaurants opening. And we were just in New York a couple of months ago. and there were a few Filipino restaurants that were also coming up. I think it's happening slowly but surely. And I mean, Michelin being here as well, it was a good thing. And really people talking about it is one thing, but really, as Abba was saying, people eating it is a different thing. And it's nice to see how, I guess, the world is so small now that you can see a lot of people are curious with their cuisine and really trying to get some of them in their own plates.
20:17Abba Napa:And even, you know, I mean, you have Filipino food in the opens now. So it's getting there. It's getting there. I think also the interesting thing about Filipino cuisine really is that there is no canonical Bible for how to cook our dishes. We're an archipelago of 7 ,107 islands. So everybody has their own way of cooking that adobo or that sinigang. And I think that's what makes it so special, but also makes it hard. it's harder to be legible because of that, right? I think it's beautiful that around the world, Filipinos are creating their own Filipino restaurants with their own points of views of how they were raised, where they were raised.
20:57Abba Napa:And I think that's really wonderful and beautiful. And then you come to the Philippines and you eat in a place like Mana, for instance, which is created by us, where people who live and continue to live and were raised, born and bred in the Philippines. So I think it's about making sure that people can understand all the different facets of the cuisine. in a way that makes it legible to them. And then that can help people start to crave those flavours, right? And I think that's the next jump. That's the next hurdle, right? And we'd love to be a part of that one.
21:26Eliza Antonino:That was Abba Napa and Eliza Antonino, co-founders of The Moment Group. And you can find out more by heading to momentgroup.ph.
21:44Eliza Antonino:you're listening to the entrepreneurs still with me on the line from bangkok is james chambers and james how does that uh the success of this group fit into the the bigger scene such a dynamic economy of course in manila but more widely you know nationwide incredible expansion opportunity across the piece. How does this fit into the kind of bigger picture? I don't know, the sort of current status, what's the direction of travel? Well, the Philippines is, I think, one of the most, I guess, overlooked and underappreciated places in this part of the world. I mean, in Southeast Asia. If I were to ask you any question about somewhere like maybe Thailand or Singapore or Hong Kong, you'd probably have an answer but when it comes to the philippines if i was to ask you to name another successful startup or company to come out of that country i'm not sure if i should put you on the spot but you'd probably struggle so you know for the moment group they are using food as an avenue to try and kind of educate people and spread a bit of awareness and filipino soft power outside of the country.
22:58Eliza Antonino:So the fact that they've managed to build their company up to something with 85 outlets and expand to Singapore is going to be very helpful in attracting attention to the country as a whole. Well, yeah, and to that point about expansion and a focus on the country as a whole, that wasn't all you did, was it, in Minilla, James? I think people who know Monocle know there's no resting on laurels. we're always busy, our reporters, when they venture out into the field. Another interesting hospitality take from a, well, a business, an institution, well, even greater scale, working with some different kind of considerations.
23:41Eliza Antonino:But let's enjoy a little of this. Who else did you meet whilst you were there? So while I was there, as you said, Tom, we don't just go and see the people we're interviewing for the magazine, the radio. We go and try and find news stories and see what else is going on. So I was running around town as much as you can when you have the traffic that Manila does. And one of the people I went to call on was the GM of the new Mandarin Oriental, Mr. Frank Droyan, who's a Frenchman, and he's landed in the Philippines from Macau. James, that sounds like a great tale, the Frenchman in Manila via Macau. What kind of things were you kicking around?
24:20Eliza Antonino:Well, I mean, one of the things I was thinking as I drove from the airport into the city, I mean, I should say that's one of the big things that has changed in Manila is the airport. It's much smoother these days. But I was riding into town, into my hotel. One of the things that caught my eye was the Dos Itani, which is a Thai hotel chain. And it just made me think that the Philippines doesn't really have its own global hotel brand. And that's perhaps something that business people and entrepreneurs in the country should be looking at. But I was there to go and speak to the GM of the Mandarin Oriental, which is reopening at the end of this year after being away for 12 years.
25:02Eliza Antonino:It's a very hotly anticipated opening because there hasn't been anything of the like for a long time. And they're hoping that it will bring a bit more tourist traffic back to the country. Because boy, do they need it. If you look at the numbers, Hong Kong has had about 36 million visitors this year. And the Philippines as a country of 117 million people has only had four. So their tourism industry is very small by comparison. And they're hoping that having a big name like this open a brand new hotel, smack bang in the middle of one of the nicest parts of town, is really going to start bringing international tourists and investors back to the capital to see what else is going on.
25:50Eliza Antonino:Well, yeah, let's have a little listen to the conversation. I wasn't expecting so much cheering because it was such a place where people have memories. Everyone I speak to, I have a chat, and then I say, Frank, can I tell you something? I have this memory into the hotel. and they have a personal connection. If this is because they had their wedding, if they've fallen in love, they did a business meeting, it really depends for different people. And so I think that's very special for people. I think it's also special for many people which have worked with us in the past because they're knocking at our door and saying, I want to join, I want to come back.
26:32Eliza Antonino:So what are your first impressions of life in the Philippines? You've been here over half a year now. It's not your first time in Asia, though. You've got plenty of experience working in hotels here. What's it like living here? I think it's very fortunate because I live in Makati, and I work in Makati. I had a chance to see also outside of Makati. I went to Cebu. I went to Padawan. I could see what the nature is all about. So I had the glimpse of the diversity and I think it would take me a long time to discover everything because there are 7000 islands. I think first impression, because that was your question, it's very easy to navigate because everybody speaks English and the hospitality has a lot of potential to make a name internationally.
27:24Eliza Antonino:That's what we're trying to do with Mandarin Oriental, our service culture, our reputation, and also the fact that we anchor in the heart already of people from the Philippines. We really want to make sure that we also speak out, that it's a great place for service and hospitality. We just did a tour of the hotel under construction with the hard hats on. What are the things you would highlight for our listeners? What are the things you're excited about, the elements of the hotel that you think your guests will be particularly interested in? I think it's the sense of place. So the feeling that you are part of something which is about the Philippines, that you come and travel.
28:07Eliza Antonino:It's not a cookie cutter, it's a Mandarin Oriental. And as we do so well with Mandarin Oriental, we embrace this local heritage. but at the same time we also bring up front this legendary service that we have with our group all around the world it's about the Asian grace and is about the hand crafting and all the chefs you spoke to me about the laundry and the uniforms obviously you know the person which is behind the scene and doing this and their knowledge and they know how to make all this happening for a guest stay is critical. The hotel isn't going to open yet for a few more months. What type of guests are you expecting to receive at your hotel and who are you targeting?
28:57Eliza Antonino:So historically there is a large part of corporate business which comes through the Philippines and they will naturally come to the hotel for better service, a better product. But I hope that we are able to reach out to guests around the world to show them the quality of service that the Filipinos can showcase to the rest of the world. So people which are well-traveled, multi-generational, people which are coming for a reason of traveling. So you see a lot of people which some of them they know the Philippines already. We cater to them but I hope that we can also reach out to the people which are the first-timers into the Philippines and fall in love with the Philippines.
29:42Eliza Antonino:One of the special parts of the hotel is you have a helipad on top of the building. You mentioned that if guests were that way inclined, they could fly from your hotel to one of the islands. So I just want to get a recommendation, a tip for our listeners. If you were fortunate enough to be choppering from the Mandarin Oriental in Makati to one of the islands in the Philippines, which one would you suggest? And why? Yeah. I'm sure I still have time to discover more from the Philippines. But what has really impressed me the most was Palawan and the beaches that are immaculate. And the fact that you can go from one beach to another one with a little boat and you feel that you're completely alone.
30:32Eliza Antonino:And I think that's very special. Yeah. the fact that you can come to here to Makati, spend some time, discover a busy city and connecting with art, culture, and afterwards connecting with more nature, I think it's very special. That was the GM of the new Mandarin Oriental Makati Manila chatting to James Chambers earlier. And you can find out more about the forthcoming opening by heading to mandarinoriental.com forward slash Manila.
31:15Eliza Antonino:And that's all for this episode of The Entrepreneurs. We'll be back at the same time next week. The program's edited by Jack Dewars and produced by Christy O 'Grady. You can listen again and find out more about the show at monocle.com. That's where you can subscribe to Monocle Magazine and ensure you're reading more about better business every month. If you'd like to get in touch with the team, do email me, Tom Edwards, on teatmonocle.com or reach out to Christy on teatmonocle.com. For now, though, it's goodbye and thanks for listening to The Entrepreneurs.
From the publisher
Manila special: Founders of Moment Group Abba Napa and Eliza Antonino have transformed the city’s restaurant scene in less than a decade. Plus: meet the general manager of Mandarin Oriental Makati.
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