A TYPICAL day for Simon Ramsay involves a lot of walking. Doing rounds in the 400-room hotel, from the banquet areas going all the way up to the business lounge on the 20th floor, making sure everything is neat and tidy and functioning as it should. With a few meetings loaded in between and a few chit-chats with guests, a typical working day, he says, can often go up to 12 hours, not a novelty in the industry he’s in and certainly not something he does with hesitation. “As most hoteliers would say, it never ends,” he says light-heartedly.
Simon has been in the hospitality industry for the last 22 years, a profession he has mastered and has grown passionate about, following stints in six hotel properties across three continents. He is fresh from an eight-year stint in Qatar, and arrived in Cebu last August to join Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu as its new hotel manager. The second-in-command to the general manager, his responsibilities include overseeing hotel operations and attending to guest feedback, among others.
Born and raised in Scotland, Simon said he pursued hospitality studies in a college in the capital, Edinburgh. “At 16 I didn’t know what to do,” he admits, “but I enjoyed it and I liked it. It stuck with me ever since.”
At 18 he had his first full-time post as receptionist in a Hilton property in Scotland
and eventually rose through the ranks. He’s had experience handling various departments, too, like banquet sales, room sales and revenue.
Simon’s previous post was as executive assistant manager in Qatar, where he played a significant part in the rebranding project of the Ramada Plaza Hotel to the Radisson Blu Hotel Doha.
“It’s always good to travel the world, to learn,” he says. “I had spent all my life in Europe, nine years in the Middle East and now I’m here in Asia, learning new techniques that will be with me for the rest of my life. There are (aspects) that I’ve learned from my travels that I brought and introduced to my team here as well, for them to see another perspective in how they work, which is important for a hotel with an international clientele.”
Simon shares that this is not the first time he’s worked with Filipinos, since in his previous hotel in Qatar, Filipinos accounted for more than 300 of its 1,056-person staff. From Dubai to Doha and now to the Philippines, he notes, “I can see the same level of commitment in how they work.”
And that is something he appreciates, being someone who is committed to his profession as well. But it’s not to say it’s all about work for the seasoned hotelier.
On his days off, Simon says he enjoys playing golf, swimming and traveling. He’s done tours around Cebu, Bohol and Mactan—and as an advanced PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) diver, has visited local dive sites. Also quite the sports fan, he enjoys watching games, seated next to his two cats, who interestingly enough also flew halfway across the world to be with him and his wife in their new home.