Why Terence Ronson fell in love with a Filipina and our tropical paradise
If you’ve ever wondered why most mixed marriages seem to involve a Filipina rather than a Filipino, you’re not alone. Even Florante, in that old folk song Pinay, pays homage to the charm and allure of the Filipina. It’s true. We’ve seen it—that beauty and grace, strength and resilience, musicality and tenderness, and above all, that innate motherly nature that gives them a hallowed spot in the heart of anyone they’ve tended to. In a sense, it can be said that hospitality is in the DNA of every Filipina.
It’s this very hospitality, paired with a not-so-surprising dose of old-fashioned romance, that drew Terence Ronson, a British-born hotelier-turned-technology pioneer, to the Philippines. He helped launch Hong Kong’s first Cyber Boutique Hotel (Rosedale on the Park), then rolled out free Wi-Fi in Vietnam’s five-star hotels long before guests checked in asking, “What’s the Wi-Fi password?” and even dreamed up HOTELINMYHAND, the OG hotel app that lets you book, order, and concierge your way through a property without lifting more than a thumb.
Ronson also created the Sixth-Star program and earned for himself a place in the Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame—yes, that exists, and yes, he’s in it.
You would think that with such achievements, he’d just happily retire on some island or in a high-tech penthouse in Hong Kong. Instead, Ronson, like many before him, now calls the Philippines home. There are more than 7,000 reasons for a foreigner to fall in love with this tropical paradise. For Ronson, the greatest one is his wife Maria.
Maria Ronson is neither the typical island-girl-kind of love story one imagines. Nor is she anything close to the Pinoy lass wishing to meet a “white man” who will sweep her off her feet and give her a Cinderella story. Maria is a seasoned journalist, a former Associated Press VP—in other words, a professional career woman.
Together, they’ve built a life in the tropics that marries his obsession with hospitality and her storyteller’s instincts.
While most expats end up in gated villages, there are a handful who fall head over heels with the Philippines’ natural splendor and choose to embed themselves in a uniquely Filipino environment. The Ronsons simply opted to take the path that blends hospitality’s heart with technology’s brains.
The result is his current project—consulting for South Palms Resort and Spa Panglao, MGallery in Bohol, a luxury development under Accor’s MGallery collection. This isn’t just another resort with Instagrammable infinity pools; it’s being designed as the poster child for sustainable luxury and smart technology, without losing the warm, authentic service that makes Filipino hospitality unbeatable.
Bohol is already known for its many tourist attractions: the Chocolate Hills and Cadapdapan Rice Terraces; Loboc River; Napaling Reef; Mag-Aso and Pahangog Falls; Hinagdanan Cave; and beaches that rival the more famous ones in Boracay, Siargao, and Palawan. We’re not even talking about the tarsiers, bees, butterflies, and exotic flora and fauna.
Into this Bohol mix, the Ronsons threw in eco-smart guestrooms that manage themselves without being energy hogs, seamless automation that doesn’t make guests feel like they’re trapped in an episode of Black Mirror, and digital tools that work with, not against, human warmth.
In Ronson’s words, “It’s about ensuring that every touchpoint, from arrival to departure, feels both effortless and memorable.” Translation: Tech should serve the people, not the other way around. Take that, AI!
And this is where the Filipino gift of hospitality comes full circle. While gadgets can open doors, only people can make you feel at home. The Philippines may be behind on broadband speeds and gadget penetration, but when it comes to the real software—the warmth, the smiles, the gentle touch, the inviting, almost melodious vocal tone—we’ve always been world-class.
Ronson sniffed it out early. He really gets it. Perhaps that’s why he chose the Philippines not just as a workplace but as a home. In Bohol, he’s building a luxury resort, but he’s also helping to code a new era of tourism where natural hospitality meets cutting-edge innovation. Imagine Siri, with a Filipino accent, offering you halo-halo on a humid day by the beach. Now, that’s the future.
At the end of the day, what Ronson and Maria are showing us is that the Philippines doesn’t have to pick between heart and hardware, between heritage and high-tech. The magic is in blending both. As the great Doc Emmett Brown in Back to the Future once said: “Your future is whatever you make it. So make it a good one.”
