P1.5-billion Courtyard by Marriott to open in Iloilo next month
April 25, 2018
EVEN prior to its official opening next month, the P1.5- billion Courtyard by Marriott Iloilo has, so far, gained a positive response from the hospitality market, with about half of its 326 rooms already reserved by both leisure and business travelers, the hotel’s top executive said.
“The growing interest and anticipation is just a validation of how people are eager to experience the level of service that an international chain provides,” Courtyard by Marriott Iloilo General Manager Cleofe Albiso told reporters during their recent news briefing held at the Marriott Hotel in Parañaque City.
To date, she said they have already received bookings from independent travelers and combined groups for 159 rooms in the first day of their operations in May.
“That’s really amazing because that’s about half of the inventory already,” she said of their impressive occupancy.
Apart from these local visitors for “staycations,” she cited another captive market from among the companies or business locators present within the business park where their accommodation facility is also located.
“In fact, we have a group booking already for two months,” she noted of the long-stay reservation from their first corporate account comprised of expatriate-trainers of a business-process outsourcing firm. “So they book for 10 rooms initially, for 60 days straight.” Located at the Megaworld Boulevard in Mandurriao, Courtyard by Marriott Iloilo is the first international hotel brand and the biggest hospitality business in Western Visayas.
This minimalist property offers guests full amenities, such as three food-and-beverage outlets, a gym, a pool, a full bar and a lobby lounge. Its ballroom that can accommodate up to 250 people enables the hotel to cater to the growing meetings, incentives, conventions and events (Mice) industry in Iloilo.
“So we are set to be the next venue for your socials, weddings and your corporate shows or conferences,” Albiso said of their meeting space.
The GM is bullish of this sector given the establishment of Iloilo International Convention Center, which had already hosted a few meetings of the previous Asia-Pacific Economic Conference and other regional affairs.
“In the Philippines the two bigger options for Mice destinations are Manila and of course, Cebu. With the saturation, the traffic and the cost that goes with it, to have another option for a venue for Mice is really good. Iloilo is beginning to attract that,” she said. “Our presence will ensure that the international market will really try us.”
With the level of investment they put in the business, the executive noted it serves as a validation that they are prepared to really provide the international level of service promised by the Marriott International brand.
“We’re here to really deliver that,” Albiso said. “In terms of the preopening phase that we are in, we’re really focused on first opening the hotel and make it ready.”
Courtyard by Marriott is present in more than 1,000 locations in nearly 50 countries and territories worldwide.
It’s parent company, Marriott International Inc., is based in Bethesda, Maryland in the United States, and encompasses a portfolio of over 6,000 properties in 30 leading hotel brands spanning 122 nations and territories.
Source: Business Mirror
