The Ayala group is investing around P15 billion to scale up the hotel portfolio under homegrown brand Seda within the next three years.
In a press briefing on Wednesday, Seda group director of sales and marketing Melissa Carlos said the hotel group would add more than 2,400 rooms in eight new destinations in the next three years. This expansion program will bring Seda’s total hotel portfolio to 3,281 rooms by 2019.
“Our goal is to be the leading Filipino hotel brand catering to global travelers in the Philippines,” Carlos said in a press briefing on Wednesday.
Established in 2012, Seda – which is under Ayala Land Hotels and Resorts Corp. – has so far built an inventory of 817 rooms spread over five hotel properties broken down by room count as follows: Seda BGC (179), Seda Centrio in Cagayan de Oro City (150), Seda Abreeza in Davao City (186), Seda Nuvali in Laguna (150) and Seda Atria in Iloilo City (152).
Carlos said the brand’s flagship Seda BGC had been so successful that expansion is now underway. To be built adjacent to Seda BGC is a new tower that will offer 342 rooms, including 48 serviced apartments to cater to long-stay guests many of whom are project consultants and remain in the country from three to six months.
The new stand-alone Seda BGC tower will be completed in 2018 at an estimated cost of around P2 billion and seamlessly interconnect with the current tower at three levels. It will have an all-day dining outlet to seat 300 persons and function rooms that can seat up to 450 persons.
But prior to the opening of BGC hotel extension, Seda will open three new hotel properties this year in three new locations- Quezon City, El Nido (Palawan) and Bacolod.
In Quezon City, the 438-room Seda Vertis North is set to open by April this year. This will be Seda’s first large-format hotel, which is strategically located in a bustling retail area beside Trinoma Mall and the upcoming Vertis North Mall.
Carlos said the group was likewise set to open in the last quarter of the year Seda Lio, its first venture into resort development. This beachfront resort-hotel in El Nido, Palawan will have 153 rooms as well as an expansive pool and deck.
In July this year, the group is also set to open Seda Capitol Central in Bacolod City, which will have 154 rooms.
Next year, apart from the BGC expansion, Seda is opening new hotels in two new locations: Circuit Makati (255 rooms) and Arca South or formerly FTI complex (265 rooms).
Other new Seda hotels under development and slated to open by 2019 are as follows:
– Seda Suites at Citygate beside Makati Medical Center, which will have 293 rooms, all of which will be serviced apartments ;
– Seda Bay Area at Aseana estate in Paranaque, which will have 350 hotel rooms; and,
– Seda Central block Cebu IT Park, with 240 rooms.