Jap hotel chain eyes 1st int'l branch here

A JAPANESE hotel chain is looking into the possibility of putting up a branch in Davao City, an official of the Davao City Investment and Promotions Center (DCIPC) said.

The Japanese hotel chain is a 4-star facility that has branches in Osaka and Tokyo and none from other countries yet.

DCIPC head Lemuel Ortonio said their visit to Davao City last May 24, is to signify interest in putting up a branch outside Japan for the first time.

Ortonio said the management of the hotel got in touch with the Japanese Chamber of Commerce in Mindanao, who in turn connected them to DCIPC.

During their first visit in the city, the general manager of the hotel wanted to get data on the tourist arrivals of the city especially the number of domestic and international tourists that come to Davao.

Representatives of the City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) were also present during the meeting and were able to provide what the general manager was looking for. On top of this, they also wanted to know the spending capacity of the Dabawenyos.

“Since this is just their first visit to Davao City, their visit just served as their initial survey of the

city,” said Ortonio. He said Davao City gaining prominence and having a good relationship with Japan may have been the reason this Japanese hotel chain is interested to invest in Davao City.

“[If they pushed through investing here], of course we will have additional hotel facilities especially knowing that it’s a 4-star hotel in Japan. Having this kind of facility with this star-rating in the city will help us improve our tourism facilities that we can provide our visitors,” he said.