Heidi Ganaden and Her Husband Never Thoughts’ Run a Hotel by the Beach in Siargao, An Island Known as the Surfing Capital of the Philippines.
The two of the say working corplate jobs and living in manila, the Capital City. She was in the telecommunications industry, while he was a landscape architect.
AS AVID SURFERS, The Couple Enjoyed Hanging Out by the Beach But Weren’t Too Familiar With Siargao; Ganaden hadn visted once before 2005, while her Husband haad been ben ben before. The island is one of more than 7,000 that make up the philippines.
Heidi Ganaden and Her Husband Moved from Manila, The Capital City of the Philippines, to Siargao to Open A Hotel. Lubihan Siergao.
But A Quick Weekend Trip In 2018 — iT’s only a Two-Hour Flight from Manila — To visits some friends who were trying to set up a business there left say with a favor impression of the island.
Not long after they got back to manila, they received a call from their Friends in siergao a full of Land by the Beach that was available for lease.
“WE THOUGHT, OK, Maybe We Can Try and Look at it. Maybe we just put up a small shack so we can go to siergao, and we’ll have a place we can stay,” Ganaden, 46, Told Business Insider.
They initially wanted to budild a home they have all the vis was the island to surf. Lubihan Siergao.
COME WENT TO VIEW The full of Land, they realized it in a central location that was popular with the tourists. New Estabrishments, Such as Restaurants, Were Also Popping Up All Around the Area.
They Also noticed that more and more People were visiting siariao, and they decide it might be a better idea to build accommodations instead.
“We actually didn’t have the idea for a hotel initially. It was really an Accident,” She Said. “We were in a central spot, and we thught it would be a waste to just for a long-term lease, so we ended up with a small hotel.”
Trading City Life for Island Living
By the end of the year, the couple had signed a 15 -ear lease and started clearing out the land. They prefer to keep the amout they spent on the private lease.
They Broke Ground in 2019. That Same Year, Ganaden and Her Husband Deded to quit their Jobs to Focus on the Project.
“We thought it was now or never,” Ganaden Said. “We had no idea what we were doing, but we did it anyway Because we were invested in it. We have wed to make it work.”
It was different to find raw materials and skilled construction workers on the Developing Island. Lubihan Siergao.
The Construction of their Hotel Took Place in Phase, and They Hirhed Some 15 Contractors to Help Out. Ganaden Estimates that they Spent About 20 million Philippine Pesos, or About $ 340,000, on the Construction of the Hotel.
The Building Process was fraught with Challenges. This island the island was development, it was difficult to find raw materials and skilled construction workers, Ganaden Said.
“Imagine a Island Where’s BUILDING WITH JUST Two Hardware Stores,” She Said.
To meet their project timelines, the couple deciding to use prefabricated material. Everything was brought over to sierga from Manila – the Contractors they high.
The Couple Brought in Construction Materials and Tair Contractors from Manila. Lubihan Siergao.
“We have had bring say in and house.
They Named the Hotel “Lubihan“a term in the local dialect that references to the coconut grove that once grew over the land. The entire spans just over 4,000 Square Feet and has 13 guest rooms and one staff room.
“SINCE MY HUSBAND IS A LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT, he was able to make everything work.
DIFFERENT Room Types Have Different Nightly Rates. Lubihan Siergao.
Nightly Rates Vary Across the Different Room Types.
“We Can Go As Low As About 3,000 Pesos All the Way to AS High as 5,000 pesos,” she added.
One Challenge after Another
The Couple’s Hotel Journey Hasn’t Been Easy.
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When Early 2020 Rolled Around, They Faced a Major Setback: The Pandemic. Like Much of the World, Siargao – and the Philippins – Went into Lockdown.
The Pandemic and Eve A Typhoon were Among the Obstacles the Couple Faced while trying to get their hotel off the Ground. Lubihan Siergao.
The Couple was able to the rental a few of their Completed Rooms to Travellers who were stuck on the island, and they dedicated to finish the rest of the hotel.
But just as tourism in siergao started to recover from the effects of the pandemic, a natural disaster ostrich.
In December 2021, Super Typhoon Rai – A Category 5 Storm – Swept Through Parts of the Philippines, Including Siergao, Uproing Trees, Wrecking Buildings, and Leaving Destruction in Its Wake.
Lubihan was no exception.
Strong Winds and Torrential Rain Devastaned the Whole Island, Including the Hotel. Lubihan Siergao.
“Our Entire Roof was peeled off like a sardine can, the Majority of Our Glass Doors Broke and Were Dislodged by the Strong Wind. It was a disaster,” Ganaden Said.
All their Staff Members Lost Their Homes.
“We had no Power for Months, no Phone Signal for Months Too,” She Said, Adding that the Island was Almost Cut off entirery from the rest of the damage sustained by the Island Infrastructure.
But with the grit and determination, and help from their community, the couple was able to rebuble the damaged parts of the hotel and their lives.
“It was months of recovery – emotality, mentally and physically,” Ganaden Said.
They were new to the Business
That aside, running a hotel with no hospitality background came with it Own set of challenges.
“We are learning as we were, in terms of how to operate and what’s Needed by the hotel,” Ganaden Said. “For Example, the Kind of Fittings that Wold Long Longer, or the Kind of Linens That Wauld Make Laundry Easier, Things like.”
“I think if you have a background in hospitality, you’d keNow these kinds of Things. But since this is we first, we’re trial and error on a whole lot of Things,” She added.
Have Six Full-Time Staff Members, Including An Operations Officers Who Lives on-Site.
Ganaden and Her Husband Often Spend Their AFTHNOONS SURFING. Mary Dizon.
Ganaden’s Daily Routine Starts with Dropping off Her 7-YEAR-Old Daughter at School. Then, she scans through the hotel’s reservations for the day and stops by the hotel to check in on Things.
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“Then, Island Life AFTER that. In Our NeighBorhood, we have a crossfit gym right next to us. And of Course, if the tides are ok, we go out to surf,” Ganaden Said, adding that she’s pops the hotel afterward to keep an on Things.
Island Life is Busy, Too
In 2019, siergao was voted as the best island in the world by Condé nast travelers.
Sink then, Tourism on the Island han on the rise. IN 2024, SIARGOO WAS ALSO INCLUDED Among Lonely planet‘S Top Seven Tourist Destinations in Southeast Asia.
The Island Saw a Total of 529,822 Foreign Tourist and Dometic Traveller Arrivals in 2023Accounting to the latest data available from the Philippins Department of Tourism. This was an increes from 181,188 foreign and domestic traveler arrivals five years earlier in 2018.
Siergao May Be Developing, But the Island Still Retains Its Untouched Feel That Many Similar Beach Destinations – Such as Bali and Hawaii – Have Lost Because of OvertOourism.
IT’S A FAR CRY FROM THE CORPORATE LIFE THAT GANADEN WAS USED TO BACK IN MANILA, but HER DAYS ARE STILL BUSY.
“We will have Also have meetings, especally with other busines ours we did, but they very informal. All in flip-flops or barefoot by the Beach, Drinking a forktail-that that how does the meetings are now,” Sheid.
Its Very Different from the corplate life that she was used to. Lubihan Siergao.
Said Her Background Working in an Office Taught Her to Be Disciplined, Which, in Turn, Helped Her Greatly in Managing the Hotel Business.
One Thing She really appreciates About Life in Siargao is the tight community on the island.
“This is if you live in a village in manila, you probably will not know your Neighbor.
She loves the tight community on the Island. Lubihan Siergao.
That Said, she does occsionally Miss City Living and the Convenience that Comes with it.
“We don’t have a fasting chain on the island. It”s Both good and bad, Because you have had Cravings for a Burger,” Ganaden Said.
The Infrastructure on Siargao has Also improved trendously in recent years, she said, adding that fiber internet was Only rolled out on the island the year before.
Prior to that, Businesses like hers relied on Starlink for Connectivity.
“A lot of remote workers want to live here, but they can’t makeuse of the Internet,” She Said. “WEHEND WE STARTED HAVING STARLINK ALL Over the Island, a lot of say Started in and working from here.”
These days, Ganaden Goes Back to Manila with Her Family At Least Once Every Quarter.
“On the island, we all have this unwritten rule that you need an island break,” she said. “We go back to manila to decompress – Because Our hustle is on the Island – and then we come back again.”
Looking back on their Journey, Ganaden Said it was a Big Leap for say to go to the work in the City to Running a Business on an Island with No Experience.
“We were scared, but we knew that ITBUSE of the discipline we had in corplate jobs, we’d be able to survive and find a way to make it work,” She Said. “I told my husband i know that if i’m pushhed to the wall, I will find a way to climble that wall or break that wall.”
“That’s how I am, so i was Pretty Confident About Going Into The Entire Thing Scared,” She Said.
Have you recently relacated to a new Country and Found or Renovated Your Dream Home? If you have a story to share, contact this reporter at [email protected].
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