Upcoming Hotels and Resorts in the Philippines 2

Boracay, Cebu to open new hotel rooms

Luxury destinations Boracay, Cebu and Palawan are adding thousands of new hotel rooms this year, according to a report by Manila Standard Today.

Real estate advisory firm CBRE Philippines said the 27 upcoming hotels in Boracay alone would add 2,655 hotel rooms.   It said with the rise of Aqua Boracay, the last single big development project on the resort island, only 168.5 hectares of disposable and alienable land were left for future developments.

 “There is increased capital appreciation in the island given the diminishing availability of developable land,” said Ms. Liz Silvestre, associate director for investment properties and capital markets of CBRE Philippines.

The company said in Cebu, the upcoming availability of 1,267 hotel rooms could increase occupancy rate to about 80 percent from the current 67 percent to 73 percent.  It said the new developments in Boracay and Cebu and the aggressive campaign to promote Palawan would boost leisure tourism in the country.

The government hopes to attract 5.5 million international visitors in 2013, up from the 4.3 million arrivals registered in 2012.  Ms. Silvestre said hotel and resort developers should take advantage of the industry growth.

Many foreigners who flock to Boracay now invest in luxury residential properties on the resort island, according to Ms. Silvestre, CBRE Philippines associate director for investments and capital markets, said there is strong interest from foreigners in the Aqua Boracay by Yoo luxury residential development.

Four hotels among world’s best

Four Philippine hotels made it to the top 500 hotels for 2013 based on the list of the New York-based travel magazine, Travel+Leisure, according to a report by BusinessMirror.

Palace deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte said the four hotels are Discovery Shores, Boracay; Edsa-Shangri-La; Makati Shangri-La; and Manila Peninsula.  She said this recognition could become a greater draw for foreign tourists to visit the Philippines.

Balesin ups the ante

Balesin Island Club is probably the biggest and most expensive single-resort development in the country to date, according to a report by Business Insight.

Alphaland plans to spend tens of  billions of pesos to develop the 500-hectare island off Quezon province facing the Pacific Ocean with seven internationally-themed villas, five-star accommodation in all its 292 villas, each big enough to accommodate up to four guests.

The resort will acquire two brand new Cessna Grand Caravans and two British Aerospace Jetstream 32 and build world-class amenities such as a spa, sports centre horseback trails, a full gym and an aqua centre.  Alphaland’s Balesin Island Club is a members-only island resort set to be fully completed by the first quarter of this year.

Masterplanned by EcoPlan of Miami, Florida, Balesin Island Club was developed to be the  most environmentally-sustainable membership club. “Sustainability was the starting point of our entire process, not an afterthought,” Mr. Wilhelm Bolton, general manager, said.

World-class resort to open in Baler

A new resort is set to open in the surfing destination of Baler, according to a report by ABS-CBN. Costa Pacifica Raintree, located along the famous surfer’s beach of Sabang, is expected to open in the first quarter of 2013.

The resort will have 108 suites equipped with LCD television with cable programming, air conditioning and hot and cold shower. Guests will also enjoy free use of the pool and gym. There is also complimentary W-Fi access, and for the young ones, there is an activity room and gym.

Costa Pacifica’s dining outlets include The Beach Shack, which offers local and international cuisine for lunch and dinner, and a breakfast buffet served daily. Café Rosa, on the other hand, is a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant and coffee shop where guests can sample authentic Baler cuisine.

Tucked between mountain and sea, Baler is the economic hub and political centre of the province of Aurora and has long been a byword among surfers.

Ayala bares Puerto Azul plans

Ayala Land Inc., the country’s biggest property company, expects to finalise the acquisition of a portion of the 3,000-hectare Puerto Azul property from Boulevard Holdings Inc. of the Panlilio family over the next four months, according to a report by Manila Standard Today.

Ayala Land president Antonino Aquino said the company is interested in just a portion of Puerto Azul in Ternate, Cavite province. He said Ayala Land could transform the property into another leisure and resort facility similar to Anvaya Cove in Subic and El Nido in Palawan.

“We just had an agreement to talk and come around with the various required studies we had to do prior to actual due diligence work. It will take about four months to be able to complete the actual due diligence,” Mr. Aquino said.

Ayala Land in Bataan has teamed up with Subic Bay Development and Industrial Estate Corp. to develop a 320-hectare leisure project, called Anvaya Cove. It also operates 150 island resort rooms in Lagen, Miniloc and Apulit Island, formerly Club Noah.

Ayala Land earlier said it plans to double its landbank for tourism-related projects to 1,000 hectares over the next two to three years as the country aims for higher tourist arrivals. 

Richmonde Hotel to rise in Iloilo

Property developer Megaworld Corp. is tapping internationally renowned design firm Gettys for its luxury hotel project in Iloilo, according to a report by ABS-CBN.

Megaworld said it is teaming up with Gettys for the design of the PhP500-million Richmonde Hotel Iloilo, which will be located in Iloilo Business Park.  Megaworld has commissioned Gettys to conceptualise and design the hotel’s facade, grand lobby and interiors, restaurant and guest rooms.

Richmonde Hotel Iloilo will take up eight floors of the 12-storey Richmonde Tower, and will have a capacity of 151 guest rooms.

Boracay resort up for expansion

Summit Hotel and Resort Specialist Inc. of businessman Alfred Yao is expanding the Sol Marina Resort Boracay from a 55-room resort to a 380-room four-star resort facility.  The expansion project is up for completion by first quarter of 2014 and will contribute an additional 10,000 room nights for the Boracay Island.

It will also feature the largest infinity pool reaching 2,800 square metre area, a mini golf course, convention centre with a capacity for 800 delegates and other distinct features to capture the complete and ultimate guest experience in Boracay.

Ayala to build more hotels

Property developer Ayala Land Inc. will launch new hotel brands this year to expand and diversify its product portfolio amid the rapidly growing tourism industry, according to a report by Manila Standard Today.

Ayala Land president Antonino Aquino said the company would unveil its affordable hotel brand that will charge US$60 per night (PhP2,500) in the fourth quarter.  He said the company is looking at three sites, including Bacolod, Iloilo and South Park in Alabang, for the affordable hotel brand.

The new hotel brand will offer 150 to 200 rooms and will be cheaper compared to the US$120 per night being charged by Seda, the company’s boutique hotel brand.

Ayala Land would also launch Seda Suites, an upscale hotel brand that would soon rise in Bonifacio Global City.  “We really intend to be aggressive to be able to take advantage of the current positive economic environment,” Mr. Aquino said.

Mr. Aquino said Ayala Land would have nearly 2,000 hotel rooms by 2013 and 4,000 rooms by 2015.  Ayala Land would add 534 rooms this year, with the opening of Holiday Inn & Suites and Seda boutique hotel in Davao.

Ayala Land currently has 1,426 hotel rooms, of which 947 are under branded hotels, namely Hotel Intercontinental in Makati, Cebu Marriott and Fairmont Hotel and Raffles Hotel in Makati.   Another 150 rooms are in eco-tourism resorts in Palawan and 329 rooms are under the boutique brand Seda.