A group of real estate developers tapped Thai hospitality company Dusit International to manage a hotel in a Malibu-inspired project in La Union province.
Fausto Liriano, chairman and chief executive of RCL Realty & Consulting Services, says dusitD2 Resort will rise within the 7.5-hectare Waves Beach Club and Residences in Barangay Panisican, San Juan, La Union—the country’s surfing capital.
The project is envisioned to be a high-end and secure residential resort community in Northern Luzon.
“All the projects we work on have a theme. In this case, with the development of Waves Beach Club and Residences, we have the theme of Malibu, California. So there is consistency in the development and at the same time, we want to protect the investment of different investors who are going to invest in our development,” says Liriano, a 38-year-old civil engineer from the Dominican Republic.
Liriano heads RCL Realty & Consulting Services, a real estate and property development advisory firm headquartered in Makati City and with a satellite office in La Union.
RCL stands for Rojas, Chong and Liriano—the names of the three partners. Aside from Liriano, the other partners are Francisco Custodio Rojas from Spain, who serves as the vice president for investor relation and David Chong from Panama who is the vice president for marketing.
RCL is composed of a diverse team of experts who have accumulated years of experience not only in the Philippines, but also in 15 countries in three continents across the globe.
RCL is developing Waves Beach Club and Residences, together with Brightbeam Corp. which owns properties in Tagaytay, Bulacan, La Union and Baguio City and is the franchisee of Rapide Auto Service Experts, a chain of quick service center for motor vehicles.
Liriano says dusitD2 Resort, San Juan will sit at the front of Waves Beach Club and Residences which is slated to open by the first quarter of 2019. He says dusitD2 Resort will be an eight-story hotel with 174 rooms and two levels of basement parking.
He says dusitD2 Resort, San Juan will also offer residences divided between two to three condominium towers and a minimum of 50 villas.
Facilities will include a gym, spa, swimming pool, two restaurants, two bars and a 1,000-capacity function room. Guests will have a direct access to the property’s private beach in Urbiztondo, the famed surfing spot.
“It is the first of its kind in the area, and is expected to bring in more tourists, second-home buyers and other forms of investments to the area,” says Liriano.
Dusit International has previously opened dusitD2 resorts in Thailand, the United States, China and Kenya, and is in the process of opening twelve more properties in China, the Philippines, Oman, Bhutan, United Arab Emirates, Myanmar and Qatar.
“It is a part of the aggressive expansion plan of Dusit International in the Philippines. Now Dusit is working on more than 50 projects worldwide,” says Liriano.
Liriano says the partnership with Dusit will assure homebuyers of the quality of the project. “You can have a peace of mind, because the one managing your property is Dusit,” he says. “This is what the brand is promising—luxurious hospitality.”
Liriano says the target market of the residential project include residents of San Fernando and La Union province, overseas Filipino workers, professionals and the income groups A to C. “The market is open to everyone, but the lifestyle is there. It is a good investment,” he says.
He says the project is designed with luxury, comfort and safety of residents in mind. “It is flood-free. We are assuring you that the development has already been tested and it is not flooded. I am pretty sure that Dusit before they partnered with our group, has already done a study,” he says.
Liriano says the project will also help bring more tourists to La Union and contribute to the development of the province.
“We are very glad, and we look forward to the future of the province of La Union,” he says.
“The arrival of dusitD2 branded properties in La Union signifies positive growth in the real estate and property development industry of Region 1,” says Evelyn Singson, Philippine Hoteliers Inc. vice chairman and president.