FILINVEST LAUNCHES YOUTH-ORIENTED RESORT
For years, a leap from a low cliff and into the cool depths of Duawon Beach was a summertime or Sunday ritual for young Cebuanos. Filinvest Group has picked the spot as the site of its 308-room resort targeted at beach-lovers 35 years old and younger.
The Gotianun family-led Filinvest Group is investing P1.5 billion to develop a lifestyle resort that targets the younger generation, a market segment that is quickly growing in the hospitality industry sphere.
Filinvest Hospitality is building Grafik, a 308-room resort on a 2.8-hectare property located in Duawon Beach Lapu-Lapu City. Construction will begin this year and is slated for completion by 2020.
Grafik Mactan is the flagship brand under Filinvest’s Grafik chain. It will be managed by Filinvest’s own hospitality management company, Chroma. Grafix is Filinvest’s third property in Cebu Province and the second in Mactan, after Crimson Resort and Spa.
“This is a testament to our belief in the strong economy of Cebu and strong tourism potential that still has to be reached,” said Francis Gotianun, assistant vice-president at Filinvest Hospitality, during Grafik’s groundbreaking ceremony over the weekend.
Gotianun said the location of Grafik Mactan in Duawon holds a special place in the family’s heart, as it was where they would go on beach vacations.
“This property here has been known to us for a very long time,” said Gotianun.
About the experience
“While it doesn’t have a white beach, it has beautiful saltwater lagoons. People will love the views out to the sea and the rugged nature of the location,” he said.
Grafik Mactan will have two signature restaurants, three bars and multiple pools. It will also offer resort services that would appeal to the millennials’ preference for a customized experience.
“The resort will be for the young and young at heart who are into casual and fun accommodations,” said Gotianun.
“We feel that this segment is underserved. We wanted something that is less formal but causal and fun. We wanted to revolutionize how people enjoy resort developments,” said Gotianun.
Upon the start of operations, Grafik will provide over 400 jobs in Mactan Island.
James Montenegro, country manager at Chroma Hospitality, described Grafik as a way to revolutionize fun. “With the Grafik brand, we are challenging the hospitality industry. We are challenging the norm. We will be doing things that other hotels are not doing,” he said.
Montenegro said they are looking at offering rooms that will have no minibar and no cable TV because they want their guests to bring their own content, to go out of their rooms, and experience the atmosphere of the hotel. This has yet to be finalized, though.
“We will have our own internal radio station to bring in the music. With the Grafik brand, we want to bring in the music and brand and to help our guests experience it all together...We are also bringing in new dining concepts, such as a modern cafeteria. We are trying to give guests a different experience,” said Montenegro.
“In Grafik we say: vivid life, vivid expressions and vivid experiences,” he added.
Room rates at Grafik may play between P5,000 and P6,000. “Millennials know the value of money and they will pay for a unique experience. People say they now collect more experiences than things. We are putting in a lot of spaces for them to create those memories,” said Gotianun.