HOMEGROWN Property developer Worldwide Central Properties Inc. has forged a partnership anew with The Ascott Limited for its latest venture in Mandaue City named Vitale Suites.
The 23-story building has 233 residential units and 150 serviced suites, with the latter operating under the Citadines Mandaue Cebu name. The project sits on a 1,556-square-meter property along F. Cabahug St. in Mandaue City.
Sharon Ong, the company’s chief operating officer, said their expansion in Mandaue City is buoyed by the positive reception they’ve received from the firm’s first partnership project with The Ascott’s Somerset brand—The Suites at Gorordo, which is scheduled for turnover in the middle of this year.
“We thought of bringing the same Singapore-inspired living to Mandaue City,” Ong said.
The Ascott Limited is said to be the world’s largest lodging owner-operator and a renowned Singapore hospitality brand. In Cebu, it currently has four properties operating under the Citadines and Somerset brands.
Vitale Suites commenced its construction on Friday, Jan. 26, 2024. It is scheduled for completion in 2027.
Inclusivity
For this third condo project, Ong said they are raising the bar higher in residential condo development by promoting inclusivity. The condo, she said, is designed to also cater to individuals with limited mobility, with its wheelchair-friendly units.
Some 36 accessible units will be built on the seventh and eighth floors of the tower with a room size of 33.8 square meters for studio suites and 47.6 square meters for one-bedroom suites. The units will each have wheelchair-friendly amenities such as lowered kitchen cabinets, among others.
Other units at Vitale Suites have room sizes ranging from 25.29 square meters to 51 square meters, offering studio suites, one-bedroom and two-bedroom suites.
Hotel component
Meanwhile, Ann Leslie Ong-Ngo, group chief executive officer of Worldwide Steel Group Inc., said the entry of Citadines Mandaue Cebu is set to support Mandaue City’s growth, by providing leisure and business travelers more accommodation options.
“We are excited for Mandaue City because there are a lot of untapped corporates that want to stay in the area but they don’t have the options. And this is (Citadines Mandaue Cebu) going to be one of their spectacular options,” said Philip Barnes, country general manager for Ascott Philippines.
Barnes said they are targeting transient guests, including those from the industrial, manufacturing, and logistics sectors, who will be attending work meetings and audits in Mandaue City.
Amenities, services
The hotel services of Citadines will also be available to the residents such as housekeeping, babysitting, laundry and dry cleaning and rental of selected facilities for a fee.
Vitale Suites boasts amenities and features that promote healthy well-being.
The active zone boasts an array of facilities, including a swimming pool, rock climbing wall, jogging path, outdoor fitness area, indoor gym, kiddie play area, bicycle parking and golf bag lockers.
Meanwhile, the leisure zone offers a tranquil escape with a viewing deck, an organic herb garden and a residence lounge.
Vitale Suites, a Berde-registered development, also prioritizes sustainability with features such as rainwater management, optimized natural daylight within units, and outdoor recreational areas promoting a healthy lifestyle.
It is also a pet-friendly development.
Optimism
Meanwhile, Barnes expressed optimism about the growth of the country’s residential property sector, driven by the desires of the young population to own their own homes and to have their own investments.
“The Philippines has seen good returns in real estate per square meter, so I think that will continue. On the hospitality side, I am really overly optimistic. You see the developments coming through and we are just at the beginning of our launch,” he said.
Barnes, however, pointed out that more can be done in the Philippines, and it is connectivity that somehow impedes its accelerated progress.
“It is either we wait for connectivity to come or you build and connectivity follows after,” he said.