A NEW LOOK FOR DOWNTOWN CEBU CITY
Once a lumber store, a hotel now stands tall at the corner of Leon Kilat and Sanciangko Streets in Cebu City
The old downtown is getting a new look.
This was how officials of the One Central Hotel described its presence in Cebu’s downtown area.
The hotel, which is part of the One Central Tower owned by the Yu family, was officially launched on Thursday.
It is the family’s first venture into the tourism industry. The family-owned business tapped Bluewater Hospitality to manage the hotel.
Steven Yu, chairman and chief executive officer of One Central Tower, said “the birth of this hotel in this historical and heritage district of downtown Cebu City links our city’s colorful past to the future of our city’s premier position as a preferred destination for travel and business.”
The 160-room One Central Hotel is at the corner of Leon Kilat and Sanciangko Streets. It is where Luzon Lumber used tobe located and it is beside Elizabeth Mall.
“We hope that this edifice and its location will help arouse a traveler’s curiosity into the city’s history as a birthplace of Christianity in the Philippines,” said Yu.
He said the hotel’s location used to be part of the Central Train Station Complex of Cebu City that stretched all the way to Danao City in the north and Argao in the south.
“This train station was instrumental in the early progress of Cebu’s trade and commerce that served as its foundation to become the hub of trade and commerce in the Visayas and Mindanao regions,” he said.
Akropolis Stars Realty Development Corp., the real estate arm of the Yu family, embarked on a two-year construction program to erect One Central Tower.
The business hotel, which soft-opened last April 6, has since been getting positive reviews from both local and international guests.
“We are blessed with a location that is near the bus terminal and the busy downtown area. We are pleased to be providing guests with a safe and comfortable stay while they are in Cebu,” he said.
But more than its rich history, One Central’s presence is expected to inspire other hotel players in the area to upgrade, renovate or innovate their facilities.
Carlo Suarez, president of the Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu, said that with the steady influx of tourists to Cebu, the city needs a complete portfolio of accommodations, from luxury to budget, to cater to all types of market.
Data from the Department of Tourism 7 (DOT) 7 shows that the province has about 22,000 rooms, 11,000 of which are located in Cebu City. The rest is shared by the cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu. More rooms are expected to open starting next year.
“Our 2017 reports would indicate that annual average room occupancy among these three cities is about 60 percent. We are looking forward to the opening of several properties,” said DOT 7 Director Shahlimar Tamano.
A NEW LANDMARK. A business hotel occupies an area where a lumber store once stood. One Central Hotel has 160 rooms and is part of the One Central Tower project of Akropolis Stars Realty Development Corp. SUNSTAR FOTO / RUEL ROSELLO