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SM Investments Corp. (SMIC) announced on Wednesday
that it entered into an agreement with Carlson Hotels Worldwide-Asia
Pacific for the management of two new hotels within the Mall of Asia
complex in Pasay City.
In a disclosure to the Philippine
Stock Exchange, the holding firm of the SM group said the agreement
between its subsidiary, Hotel Specialists Inc. and the
Singapore-based firm would entail the latter’s operation of two
new hotels under the Regent and Radisson brands.
The Carlson group, which is into
marketing, travel, and hospitality industries, owns the brands T.G.I.
Friday’s and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, among others.
Hotel Specialists will build the
hotels for about P2.4 billion by middle of this year for completion
by late next year. KSS International Pte. Ltd. was tapped as the
project’s architectural designer.
“The two hotels’ prime
location creates a vibrant customer base for us, given their
proximity to the country’s largest mall, the SM Mall of Asia, and
to SMX Convention Center, which today is the country’s largest
privately owned venue for trade shows and other high-density
events,” Merril F. Yu, Hotel Investment Group senior vice
president, said.
According to SMIC, the project
would involve a “hotel-within-a-hotel” design wherein the
80-room luxury Regent Manila Bay City would be housed within the
500-room Radisson Hotel Manila Bay City. However, the two hotels
would have separate driveways, entrances, lobbies, guest facilities,
and staff.
The smaller Regent hotel would
have plush suites, including a 400-square meter presidential suite
but both hotels will have first rate amenities like business
centers, swimming pools, fine-dining restaurants, and extensive
function facilities, SMIC said.
Besides the two luxury hotels,
the SM group is also building a 150-room Microtel Inns and
Suites-branded hotel within the 60-hectare complex that would be
managed by Paramount Property Management of the Phinma Group.
SMIC is also building a hotel in
Hamilo Coast, the conglomerate’s tourism and leisure project in
Batangas, while at the same time expand the Taal Vista Hotel,
converting the 400-room Cebu hotel into a five-star hotel managed by
Sofitel. On top of that, the Hotel Specialists would also develop
inns nationwide that would cater to sales people and other frequent
business travelers.
--Likha C. Cuevas-Miel
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