BIZ BUZZ: Solaire North opening countdown

Seven months.

That’s the time remaining that the management of Bloomberry Resorts has given itself to fully finish its Solaire Resort North project in Quezon City before its doors are opened to the public.

A ranking company official told Biz Buzz that no effort and no expense is being spared to launch what will be Quezon City’s largest hotel—with a total of 526 rooms planned—by March 2024.

This will be exactly 11 years to the month since billionaire Enrique Razon Jr.’s flagship Solaire Casino and Resort was opened in what was then a bare Pagcor Entertainment City (that has since grown into one of the metropolis’ busiest spots).Apart from the casino, Solaire North will have several high-end shops as locators including a Rolex dealer which, as part of the deal, will be required to have actual luxury watches for sale and not just display units as has become the frustrating practice in recent years.

Of course, with the new establishment sure to be mobbed by excited patrons, the next challenge will be to manage vehicular traffic around the North Triangle-Edsa area. Can it be done? We’ll know my March of next year.

—Daxim L. Lucas

Toyota: 35 years in PH

The local unit of automotive giant Toyota celebrated its 35th year in the Philippines on Tuesday as the Japanese brand continues to maintain its wide market lead in the Southeast Asian country.

The anniversary theme of Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. (TMPC) this year is “Creating Happiness in Mobility,” in line with the company’s push toward what it called “leveling up the joy of driving.”

“We dedicate this celebration to the generations of Filipino Toyota customers who have embraced the Toyota brand and became Toyota’s brand ambassadors,” TMPC president Atsuhiro Okamoto said.

The company also highlighted its push toward electrification this year, with the recently unveiled new Toyota nameplate, the Toyota Yaris Cross hybrid electric vehicle.

To date, Toyota is the dominant car brand in the country, with nearly a 46-percent share of the local automotive market.

—Alden Monzon

Best in annual reports

The Sy family conglomerate SM Group is an industry leader in real estate, banks and… annual reports, too?

The company said it bagged the Stevie Award for best annual report during the recent 20th Annual International Business Awards.

SM Group was recognized for its 2022 integrated report with the theme “Serving Communities,” which detailed the group’s financial accomplishments and climate road map goals.

SM president and CEO Frederic DyBuncio said the report also highlighted the corporate giant’s transparent reporting and sustainability programs. “We are mindful that with transparent reporting, we can demonstrate that our business performance and sustainability efforts continue to create value for all our stakeholders,” he said. The business awards are open to all organizations, whether public or private, for-profit and nonprofit entities of all sizes. The recent awards saw entires from 61 countries and territories.

—Miguel R. Camus