When we choose a career in the Hospitality Industry, we forgo the standard holiday times that many others enjoy. Oftentimes, long hours away from family and friends are substituted with a heavy work schedule, even being on duty for work on Christmas Eve and on Christmas day.
But, for me, the pleasure that we give to others and the camaraderie that we share with our coworkers more than makes up for any perceived downside. The smile on guests and customers' faces and seeing them enjoy themselves is something that we will never forget.
A career in hospitality is what we have chosen to do and love, knowing that the pleasure and satisfaction it brings are insurmountable.
Here at Discovering Hospitality, we are happy to be entering our third year of bringing industry news, views, happenings, and exciting reviews on just about everything that the industry has to offer.
And like everyone else in the industry, we continue to work throughout this merry Yuletide holiday to create valuable content, provide helpful information and celebrate hospitality’s visions and visionaries.
All of the team would like to wish a very Merry Christmas to one and all.
A toast to all of us for keeping the spirit of hospitality alive this Christmas!
Christmas is just around the corner. Everyone in hospitality is prepping up to give their guests a memorable Christmas this year.
All over the Philippines alone, hotels, resorts, restaurants and bars have enticing packages and promos, as well as celebratory feasts on offer, both on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Take for instance in Metro Manila, Ascott Manila’s Mesclun restaurant is going to host a Christmas Dinner buffet on December 24 from 6 to 10pm. For P2,490 nett/pax, Christmas diners could partake in a smorgasbord of maki and tempura, carveries, pasta, cheese, and more.
Currently, Crowne Plaza Manila Galleria Suites’ Xin Tian Di Chinese Restaurant, winner of the 2024 World Luxury Restaurant Awards, is offering a festive set menu of their bestsellers to be shared among five guests worth P13,400++ until January 5, 2025.
When it comes to staycation packages for this merry season, Sheraton Hotel offers an overnight stay in a Deluxe Room, inclusive of a festive breakfast buffet and a dinner for two at S Kitchen until December 29. This includes free use of facilities and 20% off for a massage in its Shine Spa.
New World Hotel, on the other hand, has a special Yuletide promo of 30% off on all room types on weekends until December 29.
Dusit Thani Manila is also offering a Christmas Rush promo that is good for two adults and two kids with a special Christmas souvenir for the kids starting at P7,000++ per night until January 31, 2025.
For a Christmas overnight stay with more of the perks, Shangri-la Manila, offers a room package for P10,000++, inclusive of breakfast for two, two glasses of champagne at the Champagne Bar, option for early check-in at 10am or late check-out at 2pm, complimentary use of the facilities, and free parking for one vehicle.
In Boracay, you could count on the entire island to be illuminated by festive meals and endless celebrations, such as Ambassador in Paradise beachfront resort, which will be hosting a Christmas Eve Dinner Buffet from 6pm till 12mn with live entertainment.
Feliz Hotel in D'mall Station 2 will also offer a Christmas Eve Dinner Buffet for P2,500 nett per person from 7pm till 12mn.
At the south end of White Beach, Villa Caemilla Boutique Hotel will be offering a special a la carte meal on December 24 and 25 from 6pm till 12mn. This will highlight their seafood market and live barbecue alongside a live musical performance by the beach.
For those who will be In Cebu on Christmas, the Waterfront Hotel and Casino will host a Yuletide buffet on December 24 and 31 for dinner, and lunch and dinner on December 25 and January 1 for P1,999 per person. Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan will also dole out its celebratory dinners either by the beach or at Aka restaurant on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, starting at P2,900++ per person.
In El Nido, Mua Tala Hotel will be hosting a Noche Buena feast on December 24, from 8pm till 12mn. For P3,000 per adult and P1,500 for children until 12, Christmas Eve diners will have access to Filipino and Spanish-inspired cuisine, a carving station with roasted chicken and lechon, and desserts to fulfill a long-lasting Christmas eve feast in El Nido.
Where the view of the Taal Volcano is top, a staycation in Tagaytay’s Taal Vista Hotel stands to be alluring, as it offers a panoramic experience and an overnight discount of all room types. Starting at P11,500, an overnight stay shall be inclusive of buffet breakfast, lunch or dinner buffet at Veranda for two adults, 10% discount on any spa service, 10% discount on all Kultura malls, and free use of hotel facilities.
And just a few minutes’ drive away, there will be a Christmas Day Lunch Buffet at Asador Dos Mestizos on the 25th from 11am until 3pm. This feast will include a spread of assorted Pintxos, Paella, Cocido Madrileño and more Spanish delights that guests may eat as much as they can for P2,500++.
For intimate Christmas dinners at home, you may create your own dinner spread with food and beverages sourced from the marketplaces and delicatessens, like Santis Deli, which has an extensive brochure of imported meat, cold cuts, cheeses, dried fruits, Italian fruit cakes, German spiced pastries, wines and more.
While the options for celebrating Christmas this year are endless, any which way you do it is still going to be perfect and special, as the spirit of Christmas lies in embracing life and sharing our blessings with others.
2025 Culinary Offerings
With a new year, it is time once again to recalibrate ourselves, shed out the irrelevant and futile and improve, optimize, upgrade our mind, body and soul. In short, it may be good to learn culinary arts and get the opportunity to be a part time or full time chef.
In ISCAHM Katipunan, there is a short Culinary Arts course, called the Fundamentals in Culinary, which will run for 3 months, every Saturday starting on January 25th. This course covers cooking methods and techniques needed to be an efficient chef. It is suitable for beginners, housewives, hobby cooks, and if you’re a professional, you could refresh your skills through this course. You may visit ISCAHM on December 23, 26 and 27 to inquire and enroll.
If you want to explore other avenues in Culinary, you might want to check out the Center for Culinary Arts, Manila (CCA). The pioneer culinary school in the Philippines offers different kinds of courses to becoming a Chef, a Culinary Entrepreneur within 5 years, a Certified Culinary Agripreneur, and a learned Cook and Baker be it in 12 days part-time or 6 months. Contact CCA Manila now to catch the 2025 classes.
For Professional Certifications with international accreditations by TESDA and WorldChefs Fast Track and, Global Culinary and Hospitality Academy, offers comprehensive courses that are curated to guarantee you a career in Culinary, either here or abroad. Their Level 1 to 3 Professional Certifications on Culinary Arts, Baking, Pastry and International dishes consists of in-person and online training, plus an internship of 300 hours minimum. Aside from receiving the Recognition of Quality Culinary Education by the renowned World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS-RQCE), they are also tied up with several hospitality establishments worldwide, like the Aman Resorts where a handful of Global’s graduates have landed a job. Contact Global Culinary and Hospitality Academy for further details.
First Gourmet Academy also offers professional courses in Culinary. If you book until the 31st of December, you will get a chance to avail of Php 120,000 OFF plus an extra discount of Php 20,000 on your tuition and begin February 24,2025. Their schedules are flexible, so anyone who is interested can definitely gain quality culinary skills that they could use to further their career as a chef or open a business.
With these exciting course options offering flexible schedules, anyone has the chance to fulfill their culinary goals in 2025.
Share the blessings!
Christmas, as we know it, is about giving and receiving. It is the season when we get to pause, take a break, spend precious moments with our family and extend gratitude for our blessings this year by sharing to others who are in need.
However in the past, due to our busy lives serving others in our profession, we have neglected to find the opportunities to give back to others.
Now, there are quite a number of charitable organizations, pay-it-forward websites and fund-raising platforms where we can contribute from anywhere in the world.
There is Dream Big Pilipinas, which aims to fight child labor by raising funds for their scholarship and by teaching underprivileged children how to be literate and off the streets. To further cultivate discipline and give them a sense of purpose, children are trained to play football, a sport that could strengthen them and open more doors of possibilities for them.
For those who are more inclined to support underprivileged farmers, the GreenEarth Heritage Foundation is a Christian humanitarian organization that promotes sustainable livelihood in organic farming, reforestation programs, and more. You could help augment their lives by buying GreenEarth products, like Moringa Tea and Powder, which are made by the farmers and others in their community.
If you are into helping the local communities build sustainable solutions, there is Liter of Light by MyShelter Foundation that promotes solar light bulbs using plastic bottles. Each bulb emits 55 watts, providing communities with carbon-free and low cost electricity.
How about sharing your time and presence to people who are going through physical and emotional upheavals through Love Yourself. By volunteering to give counseling and life coaching during your spare time, you could help a person’s life in a big way.
Would you be interested in helping the animals of Boracay? You could support Boracay Animal Adoption and Rescue Center (BAARC), a group of local volunteers who are helping these animals live a better lives. The population of stray dogs and cats have reached a point wherein they are around the streets or on the beach, reproducing, whilst continuously looking for food, shelter and comfort everywhere. Many of them have incurred injuries after being accidentally run over by a passing vehicle or they have acquired some skin disease that would need medication. To extend your support to BAARC, reach out to them on Facebook. You may either adopt a pet, donate or volunteer to help.
If you prefer to donate in crowdfunding sites, there are Gava and Go-Fund-Me, both are crowdfunding platforms that help elevate people’s lives, fulfill their dreams, support groups and campaigns, and educate individuals.
How about donating to Cropital, a revenue sharing crowdfunding platform that gives financing access to farmers. Investors will get their capital back after the farmers have earned from their harvests, as well as a percentage from the sales of the harvests.
There are obviously several ways to share our blessings, and now that we have a list of organizations and platforms to select from, we can easily extend a helping hand and finance the dreams of those in need in just a few clicks on our gadget.
New and Upcoming Stuff
We at Discovering Hospitality understand the needs and interests of our colleagues. We are dedicated to providing valuable content, exciting updates and inspiring interviews with the prime movers of our industry.
We have a wonderful list of interview features to uplift, educate and inspire our readers, honest-to-goodness accommodation and restaurant reviews, press releases from hotels and hospitality schools and organizations, and an increased number of news and updates that are relevant in the industry.
In addition, we will be publishing more travel articles with tips and information to give travelers an idea of their potential travel destinations, as well as articles written by hospitality students. We will also be uploading Discovering Hospitality Talk, the video version of our featured interviews that showcase the true and endearing personalities of our interview subjects.
