James Of All Trades, Master of All
 08.08.2004 | Philippine Daily Inquirer : SundayBiz by Amy R. Remo

To simply call James Puyat Concepcion a jack of all trades would not do justice to a man whose diverse interests range from IT to cooking.

At 35, Concepcion heads several companies in various sectors-Days Hotel Philippines, a hotel chain; Sunette Tower Hotel; Hertz Exclusive Cars, a car rental firm; Infiniant Financial Holdings a marketing concern; an e-commerce firm; a pre-school; Stopover Worldwide Media, a publishing house; Vacation Club International; and logistic franchising.

During the past year, he was able to turn these companies around.

On call 24/7 wherever in the world he may be, Concepcion says his entrepreneurial spirit was instilled in him and his siblings by his parents during his college days.

Concepcion is the son of the late Reynaldo “Rene” Concepcion-brother of twins Jose(former trade and industry undersecretary) and Raul- and Jesusa Puyat, daughter of the late Sen. Gil Puyat and president of Loyola Plans Consolidated Inc.

Despite his lineage, Concepcion says they didn’t have it easy when it came to money.

“Back in college, our parents would give us money enough for our essentials, to be like everyone else” says Concepcion. “So I used to do everything under the sun-as a photographer, tutor, fitness trainer to supplement my P120/week allowance.”

A graduate of BS Business Economics at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Concepcion had worked for multinationals in and outside the country, before joining his father in running the family business.

He came back from Canada in 1992 and managed Sunette Condominium, which later turned into the country's first condotel. Sunette started offering rooms on a daily rate aside from the standard weekly and monthly rates.

“That was my first exposure to the hospitality industry,” says Concepcion.

In 1999, Concepcion left again for the US, where he obtained his Master’s Degree in Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston.

Two and a half years later, Concepcion came back to manage the Arcon Franchise Group, with his late father, Rene.

Arcon Franchise Group is the umbrella organization of Days Hotel, master franchisor of Medicine Shoppe, Pizza Inn, Hertz and Century 21, among others.

Despite being the third in a brood of four and the youngest among the three boys, Concepcion has the biggest responsibility in most of the companies owned by the family.

“In terms of leadership, we’re different from other families because it is not based on age but on qualifications,” says Concepcion.

Concepcion, however, adds that they have equal holdings in the companies of their parents, except for those he had started, of which he owns majority.

“My sibling are very good (businessmen) in their own right-they have a lot of things I don’t have. But personality and experience-wise, I’ve had the more varied experience, : says Concepcion.

Concepcion relates that he and his late father would look around the US for franchises they could bring back to the Philippines.

“Franchising is easier because it’s quick education. It comes with a brand name that’s easier to push,” says Concepcion. “Most of all, it has international linkages, which in this quickly globalizing world, is very important.”

Among those they had brought in the country and became successful is the Days Inn of America, which became Days Hotel Philippines.

After 10 years in the Philippines, Days has five hotels located in Mactan, Cebu, Iloilo, Tagaytay City, Batangas City and Subic.

Joint ventures

“Before, we used to build completely new hotels. But what we’re doing now is we’re entering into joint ventures with existing hotel owners, whose hotels are not doing well anymore,” says Concepcion.

The Days Hotel concept, according to him, is unique because they lease old hotels with banks and owners.

“Were helping people, whose hotels are going to be foreclosed,” says Concepcion.

Concepcion says they lease the property, renovate and then manage it for either the banks or hotel owners, who will get a certain percentage from the gross sales.

“I don’t own anything. It’s a lease of the property, a management contract because it’ll be more complicated if we buy the property,” says Concepcion.

According to Concepcion, the costs of renovating the property depends on the size of the hotel, its condition or how many rooms it has. Renovating a hotel with about 120 rooms usually costs P15 million to P20 million.

“We run Days Hotel like a family corporation, very tight and we work quickly, “ says Concepcion.

It has internal school for its staff, meant to educate them on what Days Hotel has learned about the hotel culture after 10 years in the country.

The Days Hotel style of management is also unique as it fuses the best western technology and innovation with the finest in eastern hospitality and charm.

In 1997, Days Hotel Batangas City won the International Hotel of the Year Award for the whole Days Inn system all over 2,000 hotels.

Such an atmosphere would be suited for Filipino domestic travelers, which is its target market.

It is their way, according to Concepcion, to help build a sense of nationalism among Filipinos by encouraging them to travel around the country.

Days hotel also provides appetizing meals through its Oh! Restaurant. Concepcion chose the dishes himself.

Among Oh!’s specialties are Korean breakfast, nilagang baka, kilawin, and special iced desserts.

Concepcion is especially proud of his chocnut fondue, which he claims to be the first of its kind in the country.

Chocnut, according to Concepcion, does not melt since it doesn’t contain fat or oil.

“But we have found a way to melt it. It’s my secret recipe. We serve it with bread and fruits. It’s to die for!” gushes Concepcion.

Concepcion aims to put up more Days Hotels in Boracay, Southern Tagalog, Baguio and Mindanao by next year.

Despite many involvements, Concepcion tries to spend time with his wife, Ingrid Lopez Vito and Three kids. Otherwise, he would chill out with a game of golf or basketball.

Concepcion’s idea of pursuing a hobby is opening a business catering to that pastime. His passion for cooking and fine cuisine gave birth to Ziggurat, a restaurant which serves Mediterranean, African, Mid East and Indian food.

For his interest in writing and photography he set up StopOver, a lifestyle-travel magazine by several consumer choice awards.

He also recently opened a preschool called Tutor Time, which is a franchise of a US school.

“These other business keep my stress down, when I’m busy on the job or on a business trip,” Concepcion tells Inquirer.