Travellers International Hotel Group Inc. said it aims to continue the expansion of Resorts World Manila with the opening of three hotels and the rebranding of two facilities this year.
“Resorts World Manila has the largest concentration of hotel rooms in any development in the Philippines,” TIHGI president Kingson Sian told journalists over lunch.
Resorts World Manila, a joint venture of Alliance Global Group and Genting Hong Kong Ltd., has more than 1,800 rooms across four hotel brands: Marriott Hotel Manila and its West Wing expansion, Maxims Hotel, Remington Hotel and Belmont Hotel.
Sian, who is also the president and chief operating officer of Alliance Global Inc., said the plan is to have 3,500 hotel rooms by 2019 under various stages of development, including the completion of the 391-room Sheraton Manila Hotel, the 355-room Hilton Manila and the expansion of Maxims Hotel. Resorts World Manila is also opening the 11-story, 191-room Okura Hotel in 2018.
Okura, a Japanese company, agreed to construct another 13-story hotel with 380 rooms in Bayshore City Resorts World, the second complex of TIHGI that would rise on the Entertainment City complex in Parañaque City.
Sian said other plans include the rebranding of Maxims Hotel and the renaming of the 712-room Remington Hotel into Holiday Inn Express.
Sian said average occupancy rate at the hotels remained healthy at over 80 percent.
Resorts World Manila, which opened in August 2009 across Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3, also hosts Marriott Grand Ballroom, the country’s largest hotel ballroom; Newport Mall, a casino area, Newport Cinemas and Newport Performing Arts Theater.
The hotel and casino operator incurred a net loss of P36.8 million in the first nine months of 2017, after the June 2 incident when a gunman razed a portion of the facility resulting in the death of 38 people. The complex was closed for 27 days and reopened on June 29.
The company renovated the affected area and opened a lighted pedestrian walkway called Lumina: Walkway of Lights which connects the second level of Maxims Hotel to Newport Mall. Lumina has 100,000 multi-colored LED bulbs that brighten the 110-meter walkway.
TIHGI reported P15.7 billion in gross revenues and P2.6 billion earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization in January to September.
The company aims to be among the premier world-class integrated entertainment and tourism destinations in Asia once the third phase of expansion is completed by 2018. Roderick T. dela Cruz
