Travellers bringing in Japanese hospitality chain

Integrated gaming resort operator Travellers International Hotel Group Inc. has firmed up a deal to bring luxury Japanese hospitality chain Hotel Okura to Resorts World Manila (RWM) this year.

Travellers—a joint venture between tycoon Andrew Tan-led Alliance Global Group Inc. and Genting group of Malaysia— signed the agreement with Hotel Okura Co. Ltd. (Okura) to open a 191-room hotel in RWM, with the soft opening set for the fourth quarter of this year.

Okura is thus seen to join the roster of RWM’s current portfolio of international hotel brands that include Marriott Hotel Manila, the soon-to-open 390-room Sheraton Manila Hotel and 355-room Hilton Manila. Remington Hotel, RWM’s value-for-money offering, will be rebranded as Holiday Inn Express.

“The Philippines, especially Manila, is a very promising market considering the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) and population size, which are both growing fast. The local hotel business is benefiting from these and other favorable trends,” said Okura president Toshihiro Ogita.

“We will leverage the group’s expertise in traditional Japanese hospitality to make Hotel Okura Manila a much-beloved hotel among both local and foreign visitors,” he added.

Setting a footprint in Metro Manila is part of Hotel Okura’s plan to expand its portfolio to 100 properties worldwide, with focus on Asia. Hotel Okura Macau opened in 2011, followed by the opening of The Okura Prestige Bangkok and The Okura Prestige Taipei in 2012. The group is also set to open hotels in Cappadocia in 2019; Manila, Phnom Penh, Ho Chi Minh City and Yangon in 2020 and Taichung in 2021.

The disclosure added that Hotel Okura had made a donation of $100,000 to the Philippine Red Cross for natural disaster recovery in 2013.

For its part, Travellers has invested around P65 billion in the development of the integrated resort since 2008. It plans to launch its second integrated gaming resort along Manila Bay, Westside City Resorts World, by 2020.