MANILA, Philippines—International hotel chain Marco Polo is expanding its presence in local tourism with the opening of a 313-room five-star hotel in the Ortigas central business district, its third in the Philippines, by end-2013.
The hotel property is in a 32-story tower now being built by businessman Samuel Po, who is into the distribution of baby care, feminine hygiene and geriatric care products.
“It’s going be a fabulous property,” Hong Kong-based Marco Polo Hotels president Steve Kleinschmidt said in a recent interview. “This gives us presence in the three major cities in the Philippines.”
Asked why it took Marco Polo so long to break into Metro Manila, Kleinschmidt said: “We were looking really for the right opportunity. We want to make sure it will fit our profile moving forward.”
Marco Polo is managing two other hotels in the country – one in Cebu City and one in Davao. The group also entered into a trademark royalty agreement with tycoon George Ty’s Federal Land Inc. to manage an upscale two-tower residential project that will rise near the Marco Polo hotel in Cebu.
The upcoming hotel in Ortigas will feature rooms and suites including Marco Polo’s signature Continental Club Floor, extensive meeting facilities with a ballroom and eight function rooms. Dining options include an all-day dining restaurant, a Chinese restaurant, a lobby lounge and a Sky Bar. The recreation area will feature an indoor swimming pool, health club and spa.
Hans Hauri, general manager of Marco Polo Plaza Cebu and head of Marco Polo’s operations in the Philippines, said the upcoming hotel would be near the Union Bank building along Meralco Avenue and a stone’s throw away from the Asian Development Bank. Targeted opening is the last quarter of 2013.
The developer of the hotel is Xin Tian Ti (XTT), a corporation established by Po’s First SLP Holdings to manage hotel and tourism-related businesses.
Hauri said 16 stories of the building would be devoted to hotel rooms while the other 16 would be earmarked for commercial space. “There will be the same driveway but there will be separate lifts to the commercial side and the hotel side,” Hauri said.
The developer has finished with all the excavation and has started laying the foundations for the high-rise tower, Hauri added.
Marco Polo Hotels is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Wharf (Holdings) Ltd., a Hong Kong-listed company with core business interests in property and investments in communications and container-terminal operations. The group has been doing business in Asia since 1886.