In a recent episode of the Inspiring Women in Travel Asia (IWTA) series, host Natcha Charoenwai interviewed Joanne Golong-Gomez, Commercial Director of Conrad Manila, offering travel industry professionals a masterclass in resilience and talent development. With over two decades of cross-functional experience spanning sales, marketing, and operations, Golong-Gomez shared actionable strategies for navigating crises and cultivating the next generation of hospitality leaders.
Golong-Gomez’s career includes a stint as General Manager at Ascott and spearheading multiple hotel openings under the Hilton portfolio. She has built a reputation for restructuring unstable organizational frameworks, implementing robust processes that consistently drive strong financial outcomes. During the acute disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, her strategic pivots generated a 20 to 30 percent revenue increase at Conrad Manila, optimizing service charges for staff while meeting regional stakeholder benchmarks.
Bridging the Generational Divide via Two-Way Mentorship
“The hotel industry cannot exist without people to serve other people,” Golong-Gomez emphasized, reflecting on post-pandemic challenges of re-recruiting, retraining, and upskilling teams filled with industry newcomers. A staunch advocate for continuous professional development, she believes modern leadership requires a balance of humility and agility.
To bridge the gap between traditional hospitality frameworks and incoming Millennial and Gen Z professionals, Golong-Gomez champions a “two-way street” approach to mentorship:
- Empowered Autonomy: Teaching operational basics while encouraging team members to innovate beyond standard procedures.
- Reverse Mentoring: Welcoming fresh insights from digital-native staff regarding emerging technologies and AI integration.
- Humility in Growth: Advising new graduates to remain humble, noting that academic knowledge must be paired with foundational, hands-on experience.
Reflecting on the challenges of balancing executive roles with motherhood, Golong-Gomez credited a robust family support system as vital to her career progression. For women aiming to scale the hospitality ladder into regional or corporate roles, her final directive was clear: stay hungry and pivot outside your comfort zone. Whether moving from sales and marketing into operations or exploring technical financial metrics like EBITDA and GOP, continuous curiosity remains the ultimate driver of personal and corporate growth.
This leadership perspective aligns with broader industry trends, as seen in recent executive appointments such as Nicola Coccia Returns to Conrad Bangkok as General Manager. Similarly, the evolving role of finance in hospitality is explored in Andaz One Bangkok's Alisa Promphuth on Transforming Hotel Finance from Ledger to Leadership.
Golong-Gomez’s insights serve as a blueprint for hospitality leaders navigating an industry in flux, emphasizing that resilience, adaptability, and a commitment to mentorship are non-negotiable for sustained success.
