A LIFESTYLE hotel brand marketed for travelers under 35 will find its first home in Mandaue City, Cebu.
Radisson Red, operated by the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2021. It will have 146 rooms.
On Tuesday, Cebu Landmasters Inc. (CLI) signed a management agreement with the Radisson Hotel Group to bring the first Radisson Red hotel to the Philippines.
Radisson Red will become part of CLI’s Astra Centre, a mixed-use complex that will be erected along A.S. Fortuna St.
Radisson Red will be the second property of Radisson Group in Cebu after Radisson Blu Hotel.
“What attracted us to the Radisson Red brand is the innovation behind it. It address the demands of the millennial, tech-savvy, creative travelers,” said CLI senior vice president and chief operating officer Jose Franco Soberano.
Radisson Red is the second hospitality brand that CLI has partnered with which targets the millennials. The first was the lyf brand of Ascott for serviced apartments.
In a statement, Katerina Giannouka, president for Asia Pacific of Radisson Blu, said Cebu is a perfect location to introduce the Red brand because of its “dynamic, fast-paced urban center with a youthful vibe and positive outlook.” She said they are excited to introduce a new era of hospitality to the country.
Radisson Red’s concept is described as “expressive, technologically-savvy and social” and is “perfectly suited to Asia’s new generation of travelers who desire experience, flexibility and connectivity.” Rooms at Radisson Red will feature bold designs and the latest smart technology. Its room size is at 28 square meters. The hotel has two food and beverage outlets, namely Red Deli and OUIBar. It also offers guests the 24-hour Red Face gym.
Hotel guests check-in through the hotel’s mobile app, enabling them to head straight to their room and unlock the door via their smartphone.
The hotel also features meet event studios for functions.
CLI president Jose Soberano III said bringing in Radisson Red to Cebu is another proof of their confidence to Cebu’s booming tourism industry.
The 146-room addition of Radisson Red will boost CLI’s current hotel portfolio to 756 rooms.
“We are very much elated of this progress. We are harnessing all elements to make tourists more welcome in this particular growth corridor,” said the CLI chief, referring to the robust business activities along the AS Fortuna stretch.
The CLI top official said global brands partnering with local developers isn’t something new. In fact, it has become a global trend for branded hotels to grow continuously.
Soberano said these brands want to be in good location and team up with topnotch landowners or developers.
“CLI is positioning to be very active in the hospital tourism industry in the Visayas-Mindanao area because of the opportunity and the upside in the industry,” he said, adding that the additional rooms they hope to bring in would somehow address the demand in the tourism sector, which is still lacking compared to the country’s Asean neighbors.
Scott Bryce, Radisson Hotel Group vice president for finance and IT for Asia Pacific, said Radisson Red’s entry to the Philippines is a welcome development for both parties, particularly for the group, which is aiming to ride on the country’s growth in travel and tourism.