Traders Hotel Manila's (THM) Tree-lighting

Spreading the Holiday cheer
By Earl D.C. Bracamonte


Traders Hotel Manila (THM) celebrated a glimpse of the first light of Christmas through a tree lighting and pledge ceremony held recently at their spruced-up lobby. Simply dubbed “Eco Sparkles,” the solemn affair was formally opened by its general manager Gordon Aeria. His inspiring words on how one can rekindle the Holiday spirit by giving back to the environment and to society echoed the true essence of the Yuletide season.
“It’s Christmastime once again. This marks another year to be thankful for. We have been through a lot of absorbing challenges and we here at Traders are ending the year with delight and fulfillment for the blessings bestowed upon each of us in 2012. More than any season, Christmas is the time of the year when we feel a renewed sense of optimism and hope for ourselves, our ailing environment and the community at large. This year, we rekindle the Holiday spirit by giving back. We spread the joy and the love through random acts of kindness that we share with those who we have the opportunity to reach out and touch.
“Christmas is a time of goodwill, for family and those who have lesser in life. If we could spread joy even to a single soul, then we’ve made Christmas truly alive,” declared general manager Gordon Aeria.
Hotelier Mrs. Julie Benedicto of the New Riviera Hotel Development Corp. (NRHDC), commenced the tree lighting with a candlelight blow-off, signifying the spark that gives hope to others.
The event was also a great opportunity to introduce the Perfect Fit initiative, an undertaking that sells statement designs printed on black, red and green t-shirts. The proceeds, together with the monetary pledges, will be used to support the education of the out-of-school youth of Brgy. Maytubig in Pasay City.
“THM also advocates ‘acts of greening’ with its Holiday decorations and embellishments made from recycled materials such as bottle caps, newspaper, twine and the like as its pledge to the environment.
“We have also invited some children from the Maytubig community to regale our guests as they are the real reason behind all our efforts. As they serenade us with their carols, we remember that these kids are the symbol of the future. And with the statement shirts we are all wearing tonight, may this be a continuous reminder of what the Holiday season is all about.”
The shirts will serve as a reminder on how one can spread the joy and love through simple acts of kindness to our less-privileged brethren. The spirit of the Holiday season filled the air as the Maytubig kid’s choir serenaded the guests with a number of Christmas carols to end the event. The kids gleefully belted out such tunes as Star ng Pasko, Kampana ng Simbahan, Feliz Navidad, Pasko ng Pilipino and Christmas in Our Hearts.
“Let us celebrate the Yuletide season this year by being the spark that gives hope to others. This is our third year with the kids, stepping up our activities each year. For 2012, we celebrated our Kid’s Day at the Manila Ocean Park. And last Halloween, we repainted and redecorated the Maytubig Children’s Center.
“We do more engagement with the children. In turn, they become more confident with us. We expect this happening every year. The hotel owners, NRHDC, are very supportive of this undertaking.
“Guests that stay with us during Christmas and the New Year are made to feel very welcome. Whether their stay is for business or pleasure, we share with them the spirit of the season. So that they’ll feel they have a home and family here in Manila. We have completed all our room renovations and by mid-March next year, we will start refurbishing our ballroom” GM Aeria said in closing.
For more information on the Eco Sparkles campaign, simply log-on to the hotel’s Web site, www.tradershotels.com.









Comments

Popular Posts