Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort
Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort
Domiku continues to build on the legacy of a resort built by his grandfather. Carrying the place and its staff through typhoons and Covid has taught him a lot about patience and resilience.
Quick Facts
Domiku Sebasten Alegrado Ugarte
General Manager of Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort
Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, Philippines
Origin Story / Overview
Introduce yourself.
I’m Domiku Ugarte, General Manager of Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu. Growing up inside the resort my grandparents built in 1989, hospitality has always been part of my life. Today, I continue our family’s legacy by combining the Filipino value of Amuma—warm and sincere care—with modern hospitality innovations that enhance the guest experience while preserving the heart of our brand.
For over 35 years, Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort has been welcoming guests with authentic Filipino hospitality, offering a blend of island charm, comfort, and meaningful experiences. Under my leadership, we have introduced new developments such as the 65 room Sidlakan Building, upgraded resort facilities, embraced digital guest services, and strengthened our commitment to sustainability and community engagement. Our goal has always been simple: to make every guest feel at home while continuously evolving for the future of hospitality.
What inspired this venture?
Hospitality has always been in my blood. I grew up in a family that built and operated resorts, so the industry became a natural part of my life from an early age. Some of my childhood memories were spent around the resort—watching guests create memories, seeing how my family cared for people, and learning the importance of service, hard work, and genuine Filipino hospitality. Being raised in that environment inspired me to continue the legacy and eventually become part of the next generation leading the business.
What do you hope younger family members learn from your story?
I hope younger family members learn that success is not simply inherited—it is earned through hard work, humility, and genuine care for people. Growing up in a family business gave me the opportunity to witness both the rewards and sacrifices behind building something meaningful. I want them to understand the importance of honoring where we came from while also having the courage to bring new ideas and innovations for the future.
How can our family best support your business?
One of the best ways family members can support us is by helping promote the Philippines and everything our country has to offer—from our hospitality and culture to our beautiful islands and destinations. Tourism is such an important part of our economy, and every recommendation, social media post, or story shared about the Philippines helps encourage more people to visit and experience Filipino hospitality firsthand.
And of course, if they ever need a vacation, they can always call me—I’ll gladly take care of them and give them the best discounts possible! At the end of the day, hospitality is all about relationships, and we always want friends, family, and guests to feel at home whenever they visit us.
Lessons & Advice
What do you wish you'd known earlier?
I wish I had learned earlier that leadership is less about having all the answers and more about listening, staying calm, and building trust with people. When you’re younger, you sometimes feel pressure to prove yourself quickly, especially in a family business. But over time, I realized that experience, patience, and consistency matter more than trying to do everything perfectly right away.
Working in hospitality also taught me that challenges will always come—whether it’s operational problems, difficult seasons, a pandemic, or even natural disasters. You can’t control everything, but you can control how you respond and how you take care of your team through it all.
What principle has shaped your success?
One principle that has shaped me is staying true to my word and being committed to what I say I’ll do. I believe trust is built through consistency and follow-through, whether it’s with guests, employees, or family.
At the same time, staying humble is very important to me. Even though I grew up in the resort industry, I still believe there’s always something new to learn every day. Staying grounded helps me connect better with people and continue improving as a leader.
Advice for the next generation.
My advice to the next generation is simple: work hard, stay humble, and don’t be an asshole. Treat people with respect no matter who they are or what position they hold. At the end of the day, people may forget what you achieved, but they’ll always remember how you treated them.
Success means a lot more when you’re able to grow while still being kind, genuine, and easy to work with. In hospitality especially, being good with people and making others feel valued goes a very long way.
Image Gallery (click to zoom)
Speed Round
Walk us through a slice of your routine.
My day usually starts pretty early with either a morning run or a quick 9 holes of golf around 5:30 AM. It’s become part of my routine because it helps me clear my head before the busy day starts. By before 9:00 AM, I’m already at the resort for our daily operations huddle with all the department heads where we talk about guest concerns, events, occupancy, maintenance, and everything happening around the property. And somewhere in between all of that, I probably drink around 3–4 cups of coffee a day just to keep up with the pace.
After that, the day is usually a mix of walking around the resort, checking in on guests and staff, reviewing reports, and meeting with different teams. No two days are really the same in hospitality, which honestly keeps things exciting. It can get hectic sometimes, but I enjoy being hands-on and making sure guests have a great experience. I also try my best to balance work, fitness, and family time whenever I can.
Share a challenge you've overcome.
In the resort industry, honestly, there’s a challenge almost every day. But one of the biggest challenges we faced was going through the COVID-19 pandemic and then getting hit by a typhoon shortly after. Tourism completely slowed down during the pandemic, and like many businesses in hospitality, we had to make very difficult decisions while still trying to take care of our employees, guests, and operations.
What helped us get through it was staying resilient, adaptable, and united as a team. It reminded me that hospitality is really about people first. Even during uncertain times, we focused on supporting our staff, improving the property where we could, and preparing for recovery. Those experiences taught me a lot about leadership, patience, and staying calm under pressure. Looking back now, it made us stronger and more appreciative of every opportunity to welcome guests again.
Share a small win.
One small win for me was finally completing the Sidlakan Wing after several years of delays caused by the pandemic and the typhoon. There were a lot of moments when progress slowed down and things felt uncertain, so seeing it finally open and come to life was really fulfilling for the whole team. It may not seem like the biggest milestone from the outside, but for us, it represented resilience, patience, and the ability to keep moving forward despite the challenges.
Quick Facts
Domiku Sebasten Alegrado Ugarte
General Manager of Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort
Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, Philippines
Image Gallery (click to zoom)
Origin Story / Overview
Introduce yourself.
I’m Domiku Ugarte, General Manager of Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu. Growing up inside the resort my grandparents built in 1989, hospitality has always been part of my life. Today, I continue our family’s legacy by combining the Filipino value of Amuma—warm and sincere care—with modern hospitality innovations that enhance the guest experience while preserving the heart of our brand.
For over 35 years, Bluewater Maribago Beach Resort has been welcoming guests with authentic Filipino hospitality, offering a blend of island charm, comfort, and meaningful experiences. Under my leadership, we have introduced new developments such as the 65 room Sidlakan Building, upgraded resort facilities, embraced digital guest services, and strengthened our commitment to sustainability and community engagement. Our goal has always been simple: to make every guest feel at home while continuously evolving for the future of hospitality.
What inspired this venture?
Hospitality has always been in my blood. I grew up in a family that built and operated resorts, so the industry became a natural part of my life from an early age. Some of my childhood memories were spent around the resort—watching guests create memories, seeing how my family cared for people, and learning the importance of service, hard work, and genuine Filipino hospitality. Being raised in that environment inspired me to continue the legacy and eventually become part of the next generation leading the business.
What do you hope younger family members learn from your story?
I hope younger family members learn that success is not simply inherited—it is earned through hard work, humility, and genuine care for people. Growing up in a family business gave me the opportunity to witness both the rewards and sacrifices behind building something meaningful. I want them to understand the importance of honoring where we came from while also having the courage to bring new ideas and innovations for the future.
How can our family best support your business?
One of the best ways family members can support us is by helping promote the Philippines and everything our country has to offer—from our hospitality and culture to our beautiful islands and destinations. Tourism is such an important part of our economy, and every recommendation, social media post, or story shared about the Philippines helps encourage more people to visit and experience Filipino hospitality firsthand.
And of course, if they ever need a vacation, they can always call me—I’ll gladly take care of them and give them the best discounts possible! At the end of the day, hospitality is all about relationships, and we always want friends, family, and guests to feel at home whenever they visit us.
Speed Round
Walk us through a slice of your routine.
My day usually starts pretty early with either a morning run or a quick 9 holes of golf around 5:30 AM. It’s become part of my routine because it helps me clear my head before the busy day starts. By before 9:00 AM, I’m already at the resort for our daily operations huddle with all the department heads where we talk about guest concerns, events, occupancy, maintenance, and everything happening around the property. And somewhere in between all of that, I probably drink around 3–4 cups of coffee a day just to keep up with the pace.
After that, the day is usually a mix of walking around the resort, checking in on guests and staff, reviewing reports, and meeting with different teams. No two days are really the same in hospitality, which honestly keeps things exciting. It can get hectic sometimes, but I enjoy being hands-on and making sure guests have a great experience. I also try my best to balance work, fitness, and family time whenever I can.
Share a challenge you've overcome.
In the resort industry, honestly, there’s a challenge almost every day. But one of the biggest challenges we faced was going through the COVID-19 pandemic and then getting hit by a typhoon shortly after. Tourism completely slowed down during the pandemic, and like many businesses in hospitality, we had to make very difficult decisions while still trying to take care of our employees, guests, and operations.
What helped us get through it was staying resilient, adaptable, and united as a team. It reminded me that hospitality is really about people first. Even during uncertain times, we focused on supporting our staff, improving the property where we could, and preparing for recovery. Those experiences taught me a lot about leadership, patience, and staying calm under pressure. Looking back now, it made us stronger and more appreciative of every opportunity to welcome guests again.
Share a small win.
One small win for me was finally completing the Sidlakan Wing after several years of delays caused by the pandemic and the typhoon. There were a lot of moments when progress slowed down and things felt uncertain, so seeing it finally open and come to life was really fulfilling for the whole team. It may not seem like the biggest milestone from the outside, but for us, it represented resilience, patience, and the ability to keep moving forward despite the challenges.
Lessons & Advice
What do you wish you'd known earlier?
I wish I had learned earlier that leadership is less about having all the answers and more about listening, staying calm, and building trust with people. When you’re younger, you sometimes feel pressure to prove yourself quickly, especially in a family business. But over time, I realized that experience, patience, and consistency matter more than trying to do everything perfectly right away.
Working in hospitality also taught me that challenges will always come—whether it’s operational problems, difficult seasons, a pandemic, or even natural disasters. You can’t control everything, but you can control how you respond and how you take care of your team through it all.
What principle has shaped your success?
One principle that has shaped me is staying true to my word and being committed to what I say I’ll do. I believe trust is built through consistency and follow-through, whether it’s with guests, employees, or family.
At the same time, staying humble is very important to me. Even though I grew up in the resort industry, I still believe there’s always something new to learn every day. Staying grounded helps me connect better with people and continue improving as a leader.
Advice for the next generation.
My advice to the next generation is simple: work hard, stay humble, and don’t be an asshole. Treat people with respect no matter who they are or what position they hold. At the end of the day, people may forget what you achieved, but they’ll always remember how you treated them.
Success means a lot more when you’re able to grow while still being kind, genuine, and easy to work with. In hospitality especially, being good with people and making others feel valued goes a very long way.
Comments
