Food and hospitality have always been about more than what’s on the table. They’re about people, stories, and the spark that keeps them going even when the industry tests their limits. Passion is what binds these journeys together, though it manifests in different ways: As resilience, purpose, creativity, or curiosity.
Marvin Alballi, Vice President of F&B, Hilton Asia Pacific
Marvin Alballi never planned on a career in hospitality. In 1994, he stumbled into a five-star restaurant by chance, drawn not by the food, but by a singer performing Lionel Richie’s Hello. When the short-staffed venue asked him and a friend to help serve, he discovered a world that captivated him. The rhythm of service, the atmosphere, the sense of belonging. That unexpected night sparked a passion that has guided his 25-year journey across franchise groups, independent concepts, celebrity-chef restaurants, and luxury hotels.
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Today, as Vice President of F&B at Hilton Asia Pacific, Alballi oversees operations across more than 1,000 hotels in 26 countries and territories, with 200 new properties opening in the coming year – and Alballi’s leadership is central to shaping its future. His approach blends strategy and creativity, but always with the guest in mind. “At the end of the day, guests don’t mind paying for quality,” he says. “But you have to be very smart about how you achieve it.”
That balance is visible in initiatives like Hilton’s Chef Exchange Programme, which sends chefs to sister properties for knowledge-sharing that sparks localised, memorable dining experiences, and the brand’s new Training Library, which provides 80 hours of structured training for every F&B employee. To strengthen creativity and consistency, Alballi is also building a corporate team of culinary leaders, including a Michelin-experienced executive chef focused on food quality, talent, and innovation.
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What sustains him, even amid challenges like rising costs and labour pressures, is the energy of the people around him. Collaborations with top chefs and mixologists, immersive restaurant concepts like Canes & Tales at Waldorf Astoria Osaka, and the thrill of mentoring talent all keep his passion alive. “Seeing food servers become directors of F&B or restaurant managers rise to directors of operations is incredibly rewarding,” he says.
For Alballi, hospitality is about empathy as much as excellence. “Every guest brings their own story, and the ability to make their day is what excites me most.” His lesson in resilience is simple: Passion thrives not just in the product, but in the people who create and share it.
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