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Thursday, February 23, 2006
Marco Polo holds ‘dress rehearsal’ for March opening
By Cherry Ann T. Lim Of Sun.Star Cebu
Marco Polo Plaza Cebu yesterday opened for a dry run as a prelude to its soft opening next month, giving the public a glimpse of the transformation that followed the entry of a new owner and an international hotel group into the former Cebu Plaza Hotel.
“This is the first venture of the Metrobank group into the hotel business, and we’re very excited,” said Alfred Ty, president of Asia Pacific Top Management International Resources Corp. (APTMIRC), which owns the hotel.
Soft opening
During the blessing of the premises yesterday, Ty said the dry run is just a “dress rehearsal,” with the soft opening to take place in the first week of March yet.
Cebu Plaza Hotel closed in 2003 after its owner, Pathfinder Holdings Philippines Inc. (PHPI), turned it over to Metrobank in payment of PHPI’s P900-million debt. PHPI had used Cebu Plaza Hotel as collateral for its loan.
Ty told Sun.Star that Metrobank subsequently sold Cebu Plaza to APTMIRC, which is a “family company, but not part of the Metrobank group.”
But the public still associates Marco Polo Plaza Cebu with the Metrobank group because Ty also represents Federal Land Inc., the property arm of the Metrobank group associated with high-rise condominiums and offices in Manila.
John Girard, vice president of marketing and operations of the Marco Polo Hotel Group, which is managing the hotel, said Marco Polo Plaza Cebu would be marketed as a “businessman’s urban resort.”
It will target the MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) market, which he said is very strong in the Philippines, as well as the balikbayan and tourist markets.
Hans Hauri, general manager of Marco Polo Plaza Cebu, said the hotel won’t be ready to take in guests who want to stay overnight until about March 15. Some fine-tuning is still needed for the air-conditioning, as well as fire and other safety systems.
The ballroom is still under construction. Only two function rooms are open as of the moment which can accommodate 100 people each.
Ballroom
Once the ballroom is completed in April, it will be able to accommodate 500 people in a sit-down setup, 750 in a stand-up setting and 1,000 for concerts, he said.
Local tourism stakeholders yesterday welcomed the reopening of the hotel, which had been a landmark, the site of many wedding receptions, corporate affairs and banquets in its over two-decade-long run.
Cebu Plaza Hotel also won the tourism department’s Hotel of the Year award at least twice, in 1996 and 1997.
“Businesswise, it’s needed in the industry,” said Cebu Travel and Tours Association president Cecile Sa-a. “It’s an addition to the city hotels.”
She said travel players will be booking rooms at the hotel, especially when it becomes fully operational.
Some travel players have complained of a room shortage in Cebu, especially during peak seasons like the Sinulog festivities in January. The full operation of the hotel would mean the opening of over 300 more rooms in the city.
Time
“It’s about time,” said Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, about the reopening of the hotel.
“I was the one who told them (Metrobank group) to open it because they called me and asked what I would suggest. And I said, if you want to sell it, you’re asking a very high price. Who’s going to buy at a high price when they don’t even know if it’s working or not? You make it run (first), and then you can sell it,” he told Sun.Star.
Asked if APTMIRC would sell the hotel once it proved profitable, Ty said no.
He said APTMIRC was very committed to the hotel especially after it invested a substantial amount of money into the property.
Renovation costs on the hotel are estimated to reach P500 million.
Jewel
Hauri described the hotel as “a jewel,” saying “every wire, every pipe, every duct is new. It’s only the walls that are from the old structure.”
The air-conditioning, sprinklers, CCTV cameras and beds are also new.
Asked to rate the renovation work that was visible so far, Marget Fernan-Villarica, president and general manager of Destination Specialists (Cebu) Inc., said it was “very impressive,” with the hotel looking elegant and having a businesslike ambience.
Hauri revealed that an amphitheater is still being constructed near the swimming pool area overlooking the city.
When it is finished, perhaps in May, it will be a “dream place for outdoor shows, weddings and individual performers.” It will be able to accommodate from 200 to 500 people.
Ty also said work would begin on the low-rise structure in a month or so, with hopes that the low-rise could become operational within the year.
Ty was coy about revealing any of APTMIRC’s other plans in Cebu.
Mayor Osmeña had told Sun.Star that the Metrobank group was looking for a property on the beach to develop into a resort.
The public official said he had also taken the group up to Mt. Manunggal where it is cool, but he said the group had expressed preference for a beach property.
Open
“If something comes along, we have an open mind toward that,” Ty said. “It would be a good complement to the hotel. But we’ll focus on the hotel first.”
The Marco Polo Plaza Cebu already represents a substantial investment since it is a five-hectare property, he explained.
A team of experts from the Marco Polo Hotel Group in Hong Kong is currently in Cebu to help the local staff get the hotel up
and running.
Marco Polo’s Girard expressed optimism about Cebu as a tourism destination, saying it is perceived as a safe destination where people can relax.
He said the things going for Cebu are its beautiful city, history, diving sites, business and leisure options, wonderful people and proximity to Bohol.
But he added, “Perhaps a few more airline connections might help.”
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (February 23, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
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