BIZ BUZZ: Injap’s new focus

Imagine a budget conscious traveler being able to book affordable accommodations in over 100 locations overseas through an app on one’s mobile phone, with the confidence that the baseline experience in one country will be the same in another.

We’re clearly not talking about AirBnB where the experience from one property to another varies, with some being exceptional finds while others can be homes from hell.

We’re talking about the growing Hotel 101 that billionaire Edgar “Injap” Sia II wants to grow into a global chain of hotels that will cater to the needs of value-oriented business travelers and tourists looking for no-frills accommodations.

In fact, we hear that the Hotel 101 Global App will be launched as early as next month (in both Apple iOS and Android versions) so that local users can get the ball rolling on this venture.

With this app, a prospective client can book a room in any of the existing Hotel 101 properties made up of thousands of rooms of Hotel 101 owners who have enrolled their units in the novel scheme.

Incidentally, we’re told that one key advantage for Hotel 101 unit owners is that every single investor gets the same return for his or her property as the total net earnings of a particular hotel are divided evenly among the owners. This is in contrast with an AirBnB unit where one can make tons of cash or lose money depending on the quality of one’s offering.

And unlike AirBnb, Hotel 101 owners will not have to spend for the upkeep of their units as the management takes care of maintaining their properties to a uniform, high standard.

“Think of Hotel 101’s business concept as similar to that of a budget airline. Only instead of flying, it’s a hotel building,” Sia explained.

Hotel 101, he said, meets the traveler’s basic requirements: a comfortable bed, clean linen, a well-maintained bathroom and even a small kitchenette where meals can be prepared.

To this end, Hotel 101 will soon open its 606-room property in Bonifacio Global City, just across C-5 from SM Aura, as well as a similarly sized hotel in Davao City. And soon, its first overseas location in Niseko in Hokkaido, Japan.

Of course, laying down the plans is the easy part for Sia. Raising the funds and executing his vision is his challenge this year. Will prospective investors buy into his vision? Abangan!

—Daxim L. Lucas

Targeting the Indonesian audience

ABS-CBN Corp., which has been operating sans a free TV franchise since 2020, continues to maximize the opportunities in the digital world, showing its determination to remain relevant in the current content-rich media landscape.

Most recently, it inked a content localization partnership with Indonesia-based over-the-top (OTT) video streaming platform PT Vidio Dot Com to air five shows titled “Love Thy Woman,” “Mea Culpa,” “A Mother’s Guilt,” “Maalaala Mo Kaya” and “Wansapanataym.”

“The past couple of years saw a huge boost in the streaming industry. Around this period, ABS-CBN has taken massive steps to dominate the digital landscape through partnerships among the OTT sectors across the globe,” ABS-CBN Global Asia-Pacific managing director Maribel Hernaez.

Vidio managing director Monika Rudijono said this partnership would allow them to have new content offerings for their audience.

“We continuously expand and refresh our content library with new titles from all around the world,” Rudijono said.

Last week, ABS-CBN and GMA Network announced their “historic” collaboration to co-produce the TV series “Unbreak My Heart” starring actors from both media groups.

The romantic-drama series will air on GMA and stream in 15 international territories via OTT video streaming service Viu this year.

The Lopez-led company also recently announced the launch of radio shows MYX Radio, MORe and Teleradyo on SYOK of Astro Radio, a Malaysia-based digital radio platform

—Tyrone Jasper C. Piad INQ

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