Wednesday, February 13, 2008 Hotel to undergo renovation
THE Cebu City Marriott Hotel (CCMH) will close part of its facilities starting April as it embarks on a renovation aimed at enabling the hotel to keep pace with its clients’ changing needs.
“We will renovate the entire hotel,” said Roy Abraham, general manager of CCMH, last Monday during a dinner at the CCMH ballroom to celebrate the hotel’s 10th anniversary. “We hope to start by the end of April and finish by the end of November.”
Everything from the 300 guestrooms to the public areas like the lobby, the restaurants, the ballroom and all the meeting rooms will get a facelift to the tune of “a few million dollars.”
Asked to describe how the facilities would be upgraded, the general manager said the focus would be on customer preferences and technology.
Phases
He declined to give further details, saying he was still meeting with the architects and interior designers for the specifics.
Business will go on as usual throughout the renovation period, as the work will be done in phases, starting with 150 rooms first.
Ann Olalo, CCMH director of sales and marketing, said that from a present average occupancy rate of 77 percent, occupancy would be expected to drop to about 42 to 45 percent during the period.
Most of the hotel’s clients are business people. But on weekends, there are also families that check in. The hotel’s new look will cater to both markets.
Abraham said Marriott aims to be known as “the lifestyle business hotel in Cebu” with help from the nearby Ayala Center Cebu, which describes itself as the lifestyle mall in Cebu.
The renovation will be funded by the owners of CCMH, namely Cebu Holdings Inc. and Ayala Hotels Inc., as well as by funds generated from CCMH operations.
Olalo said the hotel’s renovation ties in neatly with the expansion plans of Ayala Center Cebu.
Shops
She expects that by the end of June, the hotel’s clients will be able to walk from the Marriott car park to the mall through a covered walk that will be lined with shops.
During the renovation period, the reduced scale of hotel operations will allow employees to take advantage of their vacation leave and opportunities for cross-training within the hotel.
During its 10th anniversary celebration at the CCMH ballroom, Marriott awarded 79 of its 150 regular employees for having worked at the hotel for 10 years. Another 17 employees were awarded for having worked at least five years at the hotel.
Abraham attributes the hotel’s success to three things: its location, the Marriott brand and its employees.
On plans for more Marriott properties in the country, Olalo said Marriott Manila is currently being constructed by Megaworld in front of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport 3 in Manila. (CTL)
