QUEST EMBARKS ON ITS P30M UPGRADE

Filinvest executive says that the company has refurbished 80 out of 427 rooms in its Quest Hotel in Cebu City and will fix up the rest within the year.

Filinvest-led Quest Hotel and Conference Center is spending up to P30 million on room renovations this year.

The investment is part of the hotel’s strategy to reinforce its position as a premium and value-driven business hotel in the city that also caters to leisure guests, said Mia Singson-Leon, the hotel’s general manager.

The room upgrade, according to Leon, will be done in phases. Of the 427 rooms, the hotel has already refurbished 80 rooms.

“We hope to finish the room renovation by the end of the year,” said Leon. “We live up to our promise to provide every guests a cool, clean, and comfy stay in our hotel.”

Quest Hotel began its room renovation program last March. By the third quarter of this year, it intends to launch its digital services for room check-in and check-out. Leon said this added feature aims to make each guest’s stay less of a hassle.

Amid the peace and order situation in some parts of the country, Leon said the company remains positive about the continued growth in arrivals to the country. She said the country’s renewed ties with China and Russia are set to bring in more tourism traffic to key destinations, including Cebu.

Quest Hotel’s year-to-date average occupancy level stood at 85 percent. Guests, both foreign and local, stay at least 2.5 nights.

Moreover, Leon said the hotel will be launching a dedicated website for its serviced apartments next month. Quest Hotel has 30 serviced apartments with room sizes ranging from 40 to 50 square meters, which they are offering to long-staying guests.

Of the 30 units, 18 units are already booked, mostly by expatriates and local executives from business process outsourcing companies who stay two to three months, on average.

By next year, the hotel, according to Leon, is also eyeing an expansion of its conference amenities to cater to the growing meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition market.

In 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission authorized FDC Hotels Corp. to increase its capital stock from P1.516 billion to P3.646 billion. In the first quarter of 2017, the Gotianun family-led Filinvest Development Corp. told the Philippine Stock Exchange that its net income reached P2.4 billion, an increase of nine percent from the same quarter of 2016. Property contributed 42 percent, while EastWest Bank accounted for 40 percent. Its power and sugar businesses contributed 13 and four percent, respectively.