A NEW three-story hotel with 51 rooms soft-opened last Wednesday to cater to the needs of local and foreign visitors, as well as business travelers.

The Orchard Cebu Hotel and Suites, located on A.S. Fortuna St., Bakilid, Mandaue City, is also positioning itself to get a share of the meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions (Mice) market that will come to Cebu.

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To do this, Orchard will offer promotional room rates to guests starting Wednesday until September, said hotel operations chief Antoniete Bacus.

The hotel is targeting an occupancy rate of more than 50 percent this year.

“The way things are going, we are optimistic (about our operations). Even before we soft-opened, potential clients have been making ocular visits; we have also received numerous inquiries about the hotel,” Bacus said.

She added that The Orchard is urging local and foreign visitors in Cebu, as well as travel agents, to try out its facilities.

As it is still in soft-opening stage, The Orchard maintains a staff of 25 people.

The hotel, which was completed after more than a year of construction, has two ballroom type function rooms that can house 150 persons. Another function room, which
is still being constructed, will accommodate more than 300 persons.

All of its rooms are equipped with various amenities, including LCD cable TV, mini-bar, WiFi Internet access, IDD/NDD telephone system, hot and cold shower, and in-room safety deposit box, among others. Its suite rooms are also equipped with mini-kitchen and Jacuzzi.

Bacus said that part of the hotel’s plan is to expand at the back of the present building to include more rooms, a swimming pool, a garden, and an al fresco dining restaurant.

“The expansion would depend on how present hotel operations.

When that will be materialized, we will be offering more or less 150 to 200 rooms total,” she said.

At present, The Orchard is intensively promoting its services and facilities through media ads and partnering with taxi drivers.