Having worked in the Philippines for 4 years, Boisdron left in early 2020. Then the pandemic happened. Now, after more than 2 years, he is back and ready to lead the opening of Lanson Place’s first property in the country.
SM Hotels and Conventions Corp (SMHCC) and Lanson Place Hospitality Management Limited (LPHM) signed a management agreement in 2019 heralding the introduction of the Lanson Place Personal Hotels & Residences brand in the Philippines.
Scheduled to open in the first quarter of next year, Lanson Place Mall of Asia is strategically located near the city’s two international airports, main commercial and entertainment districts as well as tourist attractions such as museums and historical landmarks.
The hotel rooms as well as the well-appointed serviced apartments are designed in sleek, contemporary style. Facilities will include an all-day dining restaurant, a fitness center and a rooftop swimming pool offering a full view of the picturesque Manila Bay.
It is also poised to be a choice venue for meetings and social events. Its ballroom can accommodate a maximum of 450 guests which makes it ideal for mid-sized events. An al fresco facility on the podium caters to relaxing intimate events.
Last month, SMHCC announced the appointment of Laurent Boisdron as VP &General Manager of Lanson Place Mall of Asia, the brand’s largest propertyand also the first to offer the latest generation of Lanson.
Boisdron has over 29 years of experience in the hospitality industry across Europe, the Middle East, United States, and Southeast Asia.
Prior to his recent appointment, Boisdron spearheaded the pre-opening and opening teams of Sable Navy Pier, Curio Collection by Hilton as the General Manager in Chicago, Illinois.
Prior to that, he was the General Manager of SMHCC’s luxury property, Conrad Manila from 2018 to 2020.
He also held various positions from the Radisson Hotel Group, namely: General Manager — Radisson Blu Cebu; Corporate Director of Operations for Owned & Managed Hotels — Americas; and Hotel Manager — Radisson Blu Chicago.
“Lanson Place Mall of Asia in the Philippines is a contemporary lifestylehybrid hotel that will have 247 hotel guestrooms and 143 serviced apartments with exceptional views. We will cater not only to transient guests but also to longer-staying guests,” Boisdron said in an exclusive interview with Malaya Business Insight.
Although Boisdron said that this will be his first time to handle a hybrid hotel,which will be quite different from previously managed properties, he shared that “It is an exciting project.”
“Its core originates from Hongkong with crafting spaces as its compass and the location at the Mall of Asia complex is stunning. It is facing the magnificent Manila bay, which is certainly the most sought-after location in Metro Manila to live, commune, work, play and learn,” Boisdron said.
“It takes true teamwork and enthusiasm to open a hotel. I am not going to do it alone. We will build a devoted team with a balanced mixed background in both serviced-apartments and hotels.”
“Ba sed on my postings in social media, there is already a line of people wanting to be part of the Lanson Place Personal Hotels & Residences Team. People are always curious with what’s new, want to experience a different culture, want to embrace and be part of something unique. So this is going to be exciting for them, much more for us,” Boisdron continued
Boisdron describes himself as a very hands-on type of leader, but with a very good sense of humor.
“Having a good sense of humor is very important to me. I am a hands-on leader, so I like to walk the talk with the team and communicate clearly. They need to feel comfortable and that they are part of the team to continuously engage them to execute at their best. We have already started on-boarding, which is key for them to know more about the uniqueness of the Lanson brand,” Boisdron said.
Boisdron’s work has been recognized through the years, as validated by his numerous awards: 2021 Hotel Management’s GMs To Watch (USA), 2019 CMO Asia Award for one of the Best General Managers in the Philippines, 2017 Asia Pacific Hotel of the Year Award (Radisson Blu Cebu), and the 2015 President’s Award for outstanding quality for Radisson North America, among others.
“My experience with the industry started with my family because my grand aunt had a restaurant in Brittany (France). When I was about 14, my grand aunt urged me to sell ice cream at her restaurant. So I did and I had a great time, without knowing that I would later build on a career on the service and hospitality business,” Boisdron said,
“In 2014, my friends and I went on a vacation in Asia. We went to Hong Kong, Singapore, then the Philippines where I stayed in Radisson Blu Cebu because I was working with the North American office, without knowing I would become its GM 2 years later.”
“I was telling my friends how beautiful the Philippines was and wished I would be able to work here. And it came true in 2016,” Boisdron added.
When asked why he wished to work here, Boisdron quipped he loved the country immediately.
“I love the people, the scenery. We went to Boracay, to Cebu, Bohol and Manila. People were just so friendly. The hospitality I felt made me want to work here,” Boisdron said.
Boisdron’s appointment to Lanson marks several milestones to his career–his second time to work and stay in the Philippines, his third position under SMHCC and his third brand to handle.
“I am thankful that I have entrusted with this stunning project. Having direct access to Lanson Executives and ownership group make it more efficient, which I truly appreciate.
Lanson’s is also quite different–small-sized boutique hotel company with a very efficient team,” Boisdron said.
He said his adaptability and agility made him embrace immediately the country where he is assigned particularly the Philippines.
“There were no culture shocks. Radisson Bluin Cebu is a 5-star hotel. I was very impressed with the service level, the staff-to-guest ratio is larger than the USA for example. You have more associates, more personalized service in general which means higher satisfaction to our guests. The experience to me was on a higher side. It felt very good that I was assigned to that hotel. I had a fantastic team. Radisson Blu, in fact, was even named hotel of the year during my stint in 2017 all over Asia-Pacific,” Boisdron said.
Boisdron is ready to enter a new stage in his career as the country re-opens it tourism industry after experiencing a slowdown as a consequence of the numerous lockdown measures imposed to combat the pandemic.
“I came back at the right time. All the indicators show that the opening of Lanson is positive. We are very excited to launch a new brand in Manila. And there is hope, tourists will come back. So our timing to open by the first quarter fits perfectly. We are on schedule. We have more time to prepare and fine tune,” Boisdron said.
He said it is good that the government is making sure that travelers are coming back.
Global travel and tourism sectors are projected to return to pre-pandemic levels in 2023
“This is very important for the Philippines, to give more access to foreign travelers who are vaccinated. The MICE business will also depend on that but most likely majority of the MICE business movements in 2023 will continue to emanate domestically. Luckily, in the Philippines, there is a very strong local market,” Boisdron said.
“The good news is we can offer both markets, longer staying and transient. We are also targeting expats, embassies, BPOs in the Manila area and secondary BPO hubs. We are also tapping the MICE guests as we are in close proximity SMX Convention Center (with year round partnerships), making it ideal for MICE delegates . And SMX Arena for local and International entertainment and sports events.
“Drawing share of young generation and young at heart as the newest contemporary lifestyle property is what we are going to be, the newest property to try,” Boisdron said.
LPMH is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wing Tai Properties Limited, a publicly listed company in Hong Kong, which currently manages 7 properties under the Lanson Place brand, comprising luxury Personal Hotels and Residences in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and soon in Manila and Melbourne.
