In the latest episode of the podcast “Inspiring Women in Hospitality” founded and hosted by Naureen Ahmed, AppleOne Group VP for Hospitality Samantha Manigsaca shares her success journey and her vision for the next generation of hoteliers.
The podcast series features successful women from the industry, exploring their career journeys, the lessons they’ve learned, and the sources of inspiration that drive them.
To start off the episode, Samantha reflected on her journey as a young girl helping her parents host guests, which sparked her interest in the field.
“It was really something that I can go way back when I was a child. When I was younger, my parents always loved to host people at home . . . it was always me that was preparing. So this is where I saw my passion for hospitality.”
As a second-generation leader of their family business, Samantha witnessed the humble beginnings of AppleOne Group, from the very first property it developed to its current status as a multi-industry company.
“So I reached my undergrad. I had the option to do business management or hospitality,” she shared with Naureen. Needless to say, hospitality was an obvious choice for her.
“It was my own choice, my parents fully supported what I love to do . . . For Filipinos, hospitality is very natural, right? So I think I’m just in the perfect industry,” she furthered.
Still, Samantha’s success journey wasn’t a walk in the park. While in the middle of her internship for her master’s degree, the pandemic hit.
“I was in the US during that time, doing an internship in the middle of the program. Then my internship was cut short. So, I was stuck in the US for eight months,” Samantha shared.
Determined to complete her master’s degree on time, she made the most of every opportunity available to her after returning home to the Philippines. In 2021, when Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort was still in its pre-opening stage, she was allowed to continue her internship at the property. Fast forward to today, and she now leads the hospitality arm of AppleOne Group.
“Everything that happens to you molds your next step. I never expected myself to be here today. But then the pandemic happened, everything else happened, and this is why I’m here. And I’m grateful that all these things happened, because it made me who I am today. And I think the experiences have really helped me a lot in terms of being a colleague, being an employee, being an owner and operator,” she reflected.
Drawing on her years of experience in the field, Samantha found a new passion: mentoring the next generation of leaders.
“I really want to mentor the next generation because I feel like that was what I didn’t have when I joined the hospitality industry. I think there was a huge gap between the experts and the next generation, which is my generation now,” she explained.
For Samantha, understanding one’s reason for doing what they do is vital to thrive. “I want to support women, most especially those who want to know their why, who want to identify their why, no matter what age,” she added.
She further expressed that “it takes a lot of heart and humility, it takes a lot of patience, but for as long as you actually know what you really want, which is what is inside your heart, and the passion that you really want, no matter what’s gonna happen, you always go back to it. So, it’s very important to know your why.”
Ultimately, Samantha’s motivation stems from the three H’s that serve as her pillars in her journey: hospitality, heart, and humility. These values she learned from her greatest inspiration – her parents.
Listen to the full episode here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3mHgqgTLzFoNTCIfs0YiDU?si=BWuHv0pdT_mOwWBszgCVTg
