[Executive Edge] Behind the Scenes of 71 Gramercy with Fabio Ide

What inspires me most about model, host, and actor Fabio Ide is that he sees business opportunity in the Philippines.

This, of course, is not true for everyone. Many of us here think we have to work abroad to earn a good living. Most foreigners, for their part, view this country as primarily a getaway destination, an idea reinforced by the “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” campaign.

Yet Ide is creating things right on the soil where we stand, and on his very first effort, he’s already reached the sky. The bar, longue, and restaurant that he co-founded with 8 others sits atop the Gramercy Residences building in Century City, Makati. This height is where the venue takes its name: It’s called 71 Gramercy because it occupies the entirety of the 71st floor.

A view you’ll never forget

Given the height of 71 Gramercy, it offers a view quite literally unlike anything else available in the country.

Yet the view of 71 Gramercy makes for more than just bragging rights – it’s market differentiation. Ide, in fact, singled the view out as what distinguishes 71 Gramercy from other high-end nightspots.

Ide said, “So for a lot of people that come here, they’re not just looking for a party, they’re not just looking for a dinner – they’re also looking for the view. And we can offer them that. People sometimes spend just like 10-15 minutes at the al fresco area. They take amazing pictures, they also post in social media after like ‘oh my god, I don’t really feel like I’m in the Philippines!’ ‘Great view, what a great experience!’

Ide continued, “So you put in this experience of being the tallest building in the country, plus you’re in a very classy place with beautiful people, good food, good music. So this connection between these two factors make 71 Gramercy what it is right now. We are considered now the hottest spot in the nightlife in the city now because it’s easy for you to open a club just like in the ground floor, people go there, ‘oh it’s nice’ but it’s just like some other club.”

“And this maybe after two or three years, people just like get tired of it, and they try to go to different places,” Ide went on. “But here, despite of being a residential building, we offer the view, we offer this experience of being, you know, partying outside. You just don’t feel like you’re in Manila because no one else has ever offered something like that, not on the 71st floor, with the best view of the city.”

It was always Ide’s and his team’s goal to make not just a bar, but a sky bar, one modeled after all the great ones in the world. Most visitors of 71 Gramercy would agree that they have triumphantly succeeded.

From 71 Gramercy, you can make out the cluster of towers that makes up Rockwell Center. In the distance, you can also see the different areas of Fort Bonifacio: Burgos Circle, Serendra, and McKinley Hill. Other areas are less noticeable – Pasig, Mandaluyong, and Pasay – but still identifiable. In short, the view is as encompassing as it is beautiful.

As inspiring as the view is, it also poses special challenges, chief among them being safety. Ide described the potential issue as so: “Our biggest concern would be if there’s a fight, and someone throws a glass or a bottle from the topside, if it falls down, it hits someone’s head. For sure the person’s gonna die, that’s for sure.”

Before any problems could arise, Ide and his team took action. Ide said, “That’s why now, if you come here at night, you can see our security are located around the walls to make sure no one is gonna do anything stupid.”

There have been other challenges associated with having an establishment on the top of a primarily residential building that Ide and his team have had to solve. Some are obvious – to zero out the noise for the residents, for instance, they had to install top-of-the-line sound proofing beneath their floors.

Other challenges are less obvious. For example, not many people would consider the logistical challenge of shuttling hundreds of people a night to and fro the 71st floor, but it’s there. You want to get your patrons up to the venue as fast as possible, so as to keep them in a happening mood.

To keep wait times down, Ide and his team have added a third elevator to the pair that exclusively serves 71 Gramercy patrons after a certain time. This they got from Century City, who Ide works with closely to ensure that Gramercy Residences smoothly serves both its residents and its guests.

Hands-on ownership

Many celebrities are co-founders more in name than in practice. They may lend their name to a business partnership for marketing purposes – in effect, leasing it. Yet they will not be involved of the day-to-day business operations that the title of co-founder or co-owner may lead you to believe.

As was clearly apparent from speaking with Ide and how comprehensive he was in his answers, he is the complete opposite of a hands-off owner. He is not just financially invested into 71 Gramercy – you can see that he is personally invested into it.

In fact, Ide serves as host of 71 Gramercy on Wednesday nights for their Electric Runway series, which is their version of model’s night. Of this role, Ide said, “I’m in charge of bringing the models here. I offer a nice dinner to 10-15 models. Once they are satisfied with their food, of course we expect them to stay for the party.”

He reasoned, “So people who come here, especially the expats and other foreigners, they wanna see beautiful people. And it’s nice when you see a lot of models around, and beautiful girls, good looking guys, like hanging out, so people are like ‘oh, this place is nice, there are really beautiful people.'”

Yet Ide also does so much more than what you would ordinarily associate with the term “hosting.” On his nights, he is in charge of the entire ambiance of 71 Gramercy.

Ide said, “With my partner, Manolet Dario (Global DJ/Promoter and Director of 71 Gramercy), we make sure that the music is really good, people are dancing, enjoying the music. We have to make sure that the music is loud enough for the people outside to be dancing, to be enjoying.”

He explained, “Because sometimes you wanna offer them a very cozy ambience, but at the same time you want people to dance and have fun. Cause when you start dancing, when you start having fun, you get into the vibe and you start having drinks. And you know, it’s all connected, right?”

Ide even troubleshoots most issues, solving them as they arise. Ide said, “Sometimes, people come here and they’re wearing shorts and like a normal shirt, and we have a very strict dress code here in 71 Gramercy. And for me, as the host for that night, I have to make sure that sometimes, I’m sorry, we cannot allow you to enter. Sometimes I tell them, this time it’s fine but next time make sure you won’t come back here wearing shorts and a shirt.”

That a celebrity of Ide’s stature would interact with guests on such a personal level would surprise many people, but to me it simply shows Ide is truly a Filipino at heart – or “pusong pinoy” as he often proclaims. Ide wants to do everything within his power to build something truly great in the adopted country he has grown to love. – Rappler.com

Rappler business columnist Ezra Ferraz graduated from UC Berkeley and the University of Southern California, where he taught writing for 3 years. He now consults full-time for educational companies in the United States. He brings you Philippine business leaders, their insights, and their secrets via Executive Edge. Follow him on Twitter: @EzraFerraz