Education is the foundation of success

Panama has managed to attract the attention of all types of public for one of its greatest riches: Tourism. Investors, travelers and people looking for work in this sector come to this Central American country with the certainty that there they will find what they are looking for.

That was the case of Édgar Pérez, who today is the manager of one of the most representative hotels in Panama, the Gamboa Rainforest Resort, an ecological hotel with 150 rooms built in 2000 and part of the Bern Hotels & Resort Group. For this edition of HOTEL MANAGEMENT we invite this expert in hotel management and administration in our Section the Professional of the Month.

This Guatemalan was born on January 19, 1959. In his student days he moved to Mexico to study Administration and Finance at the Universidad Iberoamericana, and instantly knew that his future would be in the field of hotel management. With that clear goal he trained professionally to enroll in the market.

"I have studied at Cornell University, I have obtained the International Certifications of Advanced Strategic Management and Advanced Operation Management. This allowed me to train and gain experience in hotel management. From a very young age I came to Panama to insert myself in that world. I had the opportunity to get a job as an operations analyst at the Holiday Inn Hotel in this country and there I saw that that was what I wanted. Subsequently, at the age of 25, I was appointed as resident manager of a 120-room hotel. That fact marked my performance and my vocation for the future," recalls Édgar Pérez.

He was not wrong, from that moment and until now, the administrator has 26 years of experience in the hotel market, has worked for the holiday inn, Westin, Camino Real and Crowne Plaza hotel chains.

The voice of experience
"The challenges that arise in this profession are many, perhaps one of the most important is to obtain a sustained and stable growth to guarantee the future of the company. This is achieved with excellent teamwork, being efficient in the execution phase of the projects and going beyond the expectations of our clients", explains Pérez.

As a manager, our professional recognizes that there are many more challenges that must be met, because not only must he take responsibility for his actions and his decisions, but he also has to ensure the effective fulfillment of the responsibilities of his employees and the continuous motivation of them.

He is aware that for this "you have to be a genuine and strategic leader when forming a work team, you have to motivate them to meet their objectives with enthusiasm and encourage them to be in constant growth and training, so that they are updated and professionalized; only in this way can we provide a service that exceeds expectations and generate processes of creation and design of new products that enrich the offer of hotel services, "says Égar Pérez.

For our manager it is clear that when working with pleasure the rest flows spontaneously, even in extreme conditions.

"I remember working for some years at the Westin Camino Real Tikal Hotel, which is located in a remote area 500 kilometers from civilization. There everything was handled in a very different way than I was used to: the work shifts operated differently, for example some employee was a waiter in the mornings and worked in maintenance in the afternoons. The issue of specialization was not handled, that is, a person could act as a receptionist in the mornings and in the afternoons he did support on the beach. Despite that I feel that we did a good job there because it was evident that the staff enjoyed those mixed tasks. I especially remember the smiles and the taste of the boys at work," says our professional of the month when asked about one of the experiences he remembered the most.

With all the reason, the training of personnel in all areas of tourism and hospitality is urgent, since it is necessary to supply the needs and strengthen the shortcomings in the professional and training context that today have those who are or aspire to enroll in this issue.

With a view to the future it is vital to solve this, since it is a fact that "Panama is one of the most stable economies in the region and has been inserted into the world economy, playing an intelligent role by using the geographical position as one of its greatest strengths through tourism. The development of the sector is guaranteed and we must prepare for it," emphasizes our guest.

And he is not wrong, because in addition to the beauty of the landscapes that Panama offers, they also have adequate facilities to execute any type of academic, business or leisure activity. Commerce, industry and even the Panamanian population are adapted, gifted and trained to be hosts every day of the year. Perhaps for this reason, during this year it is planned to open ten new hotels and by 2011 it is planned to build 23 more establishments. With this, it is intended to reach the goal of 24,000 rooms that Panama plans to have to offer its visitors. "You have to train to take advantage of these resources," he says.

According to Édgar Pérez "Latin America is the region that has shown to have a capacity for growth and autonomy far above the great powers in the last crisis.  I believe that it is currently the new awakening of the region in the growth of infrastructure, being Brazil the best of examples, also in all countries there are new projects that, without a doubt, will set the tone for growth in the coming years. "

Work, tranquility and family
When everyone rests peacefully in their hotel on a weekend is precisely when their life is agitated, planning meetings, supervision tours, attending to office matters, carefully reviewing the restaurant, checking the attention to each client, stimulating their employees to follow their work with enthusiasm, confirming that what is planned is being executed, among other activities are those that are part of the weekend agenda of the manager.

So much so that he and his wife Maricarmen move to live there every weekend to be able to attend to work without neglecting the family. She is his second wife and feels happily married. From his previous marriage he has four children and a grandson of four "years", of whom he is completely proud.

During the week, the day to day of our professional of the month is relatively quiet, loves yoga, meditation and fishing, likes photography and looks for time to walk and exercise. He confesses to be an admirer of plants and agriculture, especially fruit trees. He is fortunate to run an eco-friendly hotel in a country full of natural riches.