Seda on track to reach 3,500 rooms by 2019
AYALALAND Hotels and Resort Corp. (AHRC) looks to meet the growing demand for hotel accommodations in Metro Manila and the Cebu-Mactan area as it continues to expand its homegrown hotel brand Seda.
Citing figures from the Department of Tourism, AHRC said Metro Manila will have a room gap of 69,185 by 2022, while the Cebu-Mactan area would be unable the demand for 14,931 more hotel rooms in the same period. This follows the surge of both foreign and local tourists in key destinations in the country.
With this, Seda hopes to bridge the gap by adding over 2,000 rooms across seven hotels until 2019, concentrated in central business districts in the metro as well as in Cebu.
The new Seda hotels will rise in El Nido, Palawan, ALI’s Circuit estate in Makati City, Arca South in Taguig, Ayala North Exchange in Makati, the Bay Area in Parañaque, Cebu Business Park, and the Cebu IT Park. The company will also be expanding its flagship branch, Seda Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, with the addition of 342 more rooms.
By 2019, the Seda hotel chain’s total capacity will reach 3,500, from its current count of 1,409. AHRC earlier announced it has committed to spend P15 billion for this expansion program.
“Being a wholly owned Filipino company, we have a deep understanding of opportunities in the market. We were the first to bridge the gap between the luxury and budget hotels by offering a modern facility with efficient service at competitive rates. Solid demand for our hotels continues to steadily grow,” AHRC Senior Group General Manager Andrea Mastellone said in a statement.
From starting with only 179 rooms in 2012, AHRC has managed to grow the Seda brand to its current capacity by offering new formats. The company noted it has started constructing bigger hotels with at least 250 rooms. Seda Vertis North in Quezon City for instance is its largest so far, with a capacity of 438.
Seda is also working on improving its services by tapping institutions such as the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute to train its managers. This complements the hotel’s inhouse courses.
“Once a new employee has embraced our culture, we then proceed with the technical training to improve skills. Training and development have been key to our success and we will continue to invest resources in this area so staff are empowered to create memorable guest experiences,” Mr. Mastellone said.
Parent company Ayala Land, Inc.’s net income jumped 18% to P17.8 billion in the nine months ending September, driven by a 16% hike in revenues to P98.9 billion. —