Northstar

Destination Philippines 44 MAY-JUN 2018 MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS MCMAG-ASIA.COM Tourist arrivals in the rst two months of the year have already breached the 1.4-million mark, the rst time it has done so according to the Department of Tourism (DOT). China is the hottest market now for the Philippines, accounting for 21% of total arrivals, followed by South Korea. The hotel boom is expected to add 7,364 rooms to the inventory in the four- and ve-star category from 2018 to 2020, and an estimated 10,000 new rooms in the two- and three-star class. Analysts also see average occupancy rates holding at 80% or better. Cebu InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) recently signed a partnership with Thai hotel giant The Erawan Group Public Co. Ltd. for the opening of a new Holiday Inn in Cebu in 2020. The 180-room Holiday Inn Cebu City will be situated on Samar Loop in the Ayala-owned Cebu Business Park. IHG is banking on Cebu's steady economic growth and the completion of the new passenger terminal of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport. New inventory to capture the diverse needs of MICE groups. WORDS BING J JALECO Boomtime for hotels The Executive Lounge in Courtyard by Marriott Iloilo Iloilo The 324-room Courtyard by Marriott in Iloilo City is set to open this May. Property developer Megaworld Corp., which also owns the Resorts World complex in Manila, said its Iloilo property is a business hotel that will oer more than 3,000 square feet of meeting space. Davao City Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao is undertaking an US$8-million renovation and expansion amid new hotel constructions in Davao City. The Waterfront Group plans to add at least 300 rooms from the existing 159 rooms, and will undertake a top- to-bottom renovation on the hotel lobby and lounge, ballroom and ve function rooms, and two restaurants and bar. Hotel management also said it is repositioning the property from a tourist hotel to a MICE-oriented property. The Dusit Thani residence and hotel complex is on track with its scheduled opening at the second half of this year. The complex will house the 120-room dusitD2 Hotel Davao. Developer Torre Lorenzo Development Corp. said the property will be Davao City's rst luxury ve-star property. dusitD2 Hotel Davao will feature a ballroom with a capacity of 1,000 and function rooms. Palawan The Seda Lio in El Nido, Palawan is scheduled to soft-open in May and ocially open its doors a month after. The two-storey, 153-room property is the rst resort project of Ayala Land Hotels and Resorts Corp., which owns the Seda hotel chain. The sprawling grounds of Seda Lio, El Nido, Palawan.

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