Monday, August 25, 2008 Renovation almost done By Nancy R. Cudis Sun.Star Staff Reporter
THE management of the Cebu City Marriott Hotel announced it is business as usual, even though it is operating with much smaller space than before while more than half of the hotel building is undergoing half of a renovation plan.
Marriott Hotel started implementing a two-phase renovation plan in June. The first half involves 185 rooms, the lobby, lobby
lounge and bar; restaurant; pool, pool bar; and al fresco dining area.
Marriott Hotel general manager Roy Abraham said that with only 38 percent of its room inventory, the hotel had to turn down some guests.
“But when we are done with this (renovation), people would not want to go anywhere else,” he said, adding that the first phase of the renovation is on schedule and will be completed by the end of next month.
As a result of the renovation, though, the hotel had to transfer the garden restaurant to one of the ballrooms and one function room was converted into a temporary reception desk.
Guests stay
Abraham said the hotel staff informs would-be guests about the ongoing renovation when they make reservations, but most of them decide on going ahead.
“The way the guests see it, they don’t see or hear the renovation going on. Some new guests don’t even know about it and think that the relocation of some facilities is actually part of the hotel,” Abraham told Sun.Star Cebu in an interview last week.
With the completion of the first phase, the second part of the renovation will begin right away. The second and last part of the renovation plan—which will affect 116 guest rooms, among others—is expected to be completed by December this year.
“This is one of the fastest renovations that will happen in only five to six months. Usually, it’s never done. This project is really part of our plan so we have to do it. If we stretch the renovation for a year and a half, the cost would be inconvenient.
Once done, we will have a stylish, hip, and modern hotel geared for business travelers,” Abraham explained.
He added that being a newly renovated hotel will add to their list of strengths that include location, brand name and great
employees.
Business hotel
The renovation is in line with Cebu City Marriott Hotel’s positioning as a business hotel that caters to “24/7 achievers,” people who are driven to achieve their goals 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Marriott with its new look is expected to be fully operational by Dec. 31.
Marriott’s renovation also coincides with the ongoing development of a new segment at Ayala Center Cebu. The mall’s old lagoon area is being developed into additional retail space, entertainment area and landscaped garden. A portion of Ayala Center’s landscaped garden leads to Marriott.
Abraham said 90 percent of the furniture and fixtures in the new Cebu City Marriott are locally sourced. A few, however, had to be imported, like the carpet from China.
Some of Marriott’s suppliers include Cebu Fil-Veneer Corp. for hotel room furniture and Dedon for outdoor furniture pieces.
“Everything will be new. We now have new flat-screen TVs and Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) in every room, new sinks, showers, beds, everything,” Abraham said. “In the end, they will come here and ask, where did you get that?”
He also disclosed the hotel’s plan to keep adding new technology in its pool of services, such as Internet Protocol Television (IPTV). Although it is still not known when the hotel will install IPTV in every room, he said the infrastructure for this particular feature will already be installed during the ongoing renovation work.
Abraham is confident that even with the operation of Sofitel Hotel—a property of the SM Group—and other future hotels in Cebu City, Marriott will retain its loyal customers and attract new ones.
“Bring it (competition) on. It is the customer who will decide. We have loyal customers who choose to stay in our hotel (during the renovation) even if they have a choice to go somewhere else,” he said.
