Pinay goes to Dubai wanting to be a waitress, becomes hotel director instead

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – All she ever wanted when she went to Dubai 19 years ago was to get a job waiting tables.

“Pangarap ko lang noon ay maging waitress sa Dubai (My dream then was to become a waitress in Dubai),” said Michelle Vista David, now 41 and a sales and marketing director at a four-star hotel.

As such, she always has her hands full at the helm.

“All aspects of revenue po, sa ’kin sila nagre-report. (They report to me regarding all aspects of revenue.) I am the one who’s giving the [room] rate. I also do occupancy projections,” said David, who hails from Panay, Capiz. 

Hands-on

Describing herself as a hands-on manager, David said she is responsible for almost 60% of the 133-room hotel’s income. She starts her day holding a morning briefing with the management team and checking with the revenue staff about current forecasts as well as that for the incoming months’.

“It’s the most difficult job ever,” said David. She said her job entails building relationships with industry stakeholders like travel agencies and corporate establishments to ensure the hotel meets its daily budget.  

She also keeps her eyes peeled on hotel deliverables like customer satisfaction and excellent food offerings, among others.

“We are always fully booked during the high season,” she said of the hotel, whose market covers more than eight countries in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

“I make sure that we are not focused only on one or three countries so that we have a back-up in case something happens to those markets,” said David in a mix of English and the vernacular.

Big words indeed for a lady who, at 22, arrived in Dubai in 2005 on a visit visa with only one thing in mind: become a waitress.

A fast food cashier in Roxas City outlet before she joined the diaspora, David, seventh of eight siblings, didn’t get the job, though. Instead, she got one picking up calls as a faceless hotel phone operator. And that’s where her career in hospitality started.

Calling

“Being in the hospitality industry is my calling. I knew it when I got a compliment from a visiting ambassador of Kenya in 2015 saying, ‘Where is the telephone who answered my call? I can feel her passion, even on the phone.’ He came to the hotel and looked for me with a gift expressing how happy he was with the way I assisted him on the telephone. From then on, I became more motivated, more inspired. That’s where everything began,” David recalled.

After two months, David was promoted as a receptionist, eventually rising from the ranks in the industry to become a supervisor, reservations officer, office manager, sales executive, assistant sales director and finally, her present role at the four-star hotel where she’s been since December 2015.

Single mom

A single mom, David said her 13-year-old daughter, Maria Tamirez, is what keeps her going through the years.

“It’s a lot of hard work, perseverance and patience. There are so many challenges but my inspiration has always been my daughter, Tammy. I want to give her a better future, the best life she deserves,” she said.

“I can’t wish anything more for myself. I wanted to be a waitress and I got much more than that. Now I dream for my daughter. She’s my greatest achievement,” David added.

David was crowned Asia’s Most Prolific Director of Sales and Marketing at the prestigious Asia’s Pinnacle Awards in October 2023 at Okada Manila. —KBK, GMA Integrated News