Next-Gen Real Estate Leader Monica Lorenzo On Bringing A Private Paradise To The World

Monica Lorenzo’s monthly journey from Manila to Davao takes her to an island she knew as a child, where she’s now discovering what happens when hospitality becomes a canvas for art, sustainability, and storytelling.

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Once a month, Monica Lorenzo makes the same journey. Manila to Davao, then across blue waters to an island that has shaped her life in unexpected ways. As Business Development Manager and Director of Leisure Developments for Torre Lorenzo Development Corporation (TLDC), she splits her time between the residential properties that started the business two decades ago and their hospitality developments that are defining its next chapter.

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This monthly routine carries echoes of a simpler time. As a child, Monica would visit this same island on family day trips during Davao summers. Back then, it held nothing more than a beach and what she now describes as a “glorified bahay kubo.” There was no electricity, no infrastructure, and certainly no luxury resort. Simply put: “There was nothing here.”

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Where that basic hut once stood, there’s now an authentic Thai restaurant, one of several establishments that serve guests who arrive. The island that once required careful planning just to visit for an afternoon now hosts international guests who stay for weeks, drawn by protected coral reefs, art installations, and luxurious amenities.

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It’s a transformation similar to Monica’s own unexpected journey, as she never imagined she would get as involved with the family business. The island she once knew as a private family retreat has become Dusit Thani Lubi Plantation Resort, a major part of her professional life. “Lubi” means “coconut” in Bisaya, referring to the island’s heritage as a coconut plantation, back when simplicity was the only luxury it offered.

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Now, as she steps off the catamaran for another working month, Monica inhabits both versions of this place: the wild, undeveloped island of her childhood, and the carefully curated destination it has become.

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Monica Lorenzo Finds Her Way

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After graduating from Ateneo de Manila University with a degree in management engineering, Monica followed what seemed like a logical path: a management trainee at Unilever. For three years, she was shuttling between brands and learning corporate and marketing fundamentals.

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It was always part of the plan to pursue graduate studies. She followed in her dad’s footsteps, enrolling at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Their excellent real estate program was a major draw, even if she wasn’t entirely sure where it would lead; the idea was that at least she would understand what was going on with the family business.

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TLDC was founded by her father, Tomas P. Lorenzo, in 2000 as a developer for premium university residences. They built their reputation methodically, pioneering quality student housing near top universities around Metro Manila after observing the lack of options for students who didn’t want to commute hours daily or crowd into basic dormitories.

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By the time Monica joined two years ago, the company had grown into a full-scale developer with developments across Manila and Davao. But life, like the business itself, has a way of expanding beyond original parameters.

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“I signed up to do business development for our residential side at the time. I never thought that the hotels would be a bigger chunk of the day,” Monica reflects. “It was first, like, help out where you’re needed, where you see the potential for growth.” What started as occasional marketing assistance for the hospitality properties, given her prior experience, quickly evolved. “All of a sudden, you’re deep in the ops and strat.” She laughs. “How did I end up here?”

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Read a the full article at Lifestyle Asia's September 2025 Travel and Motion issue by purchasing a copy online and in Sari-Sari Shopping stalls.