Megaworld hotel arm joins Trip.com travel network

Megaworld Hotels and Resorts has signed a memorandum of understanding with global travel website Trip.com to boost the hotel brand’s online presence and attract more foreign tourists. —MEG J. ADONIS

SHANGHAI, CHINA—Megaworld Hotels and Resorts (MHR), the country’s largest hotel operator in terms of rooms, has partnered with global travel website Trip.com in hopes of boosting international foot traffic through better online presence.

Pebbles Caramat, MHR head of distribution, told reporters on Tuesday that the memorandum of understanding with Trip.com would allow the hotel chain to be included in the list of preferred partners in the Philippines.

This means MHR’s hotels and promos will be prioritized for promotions on Trip.com website for local and international tourists looking for accommodations within the country.

Boon Sian Chai, managing director at Singapore-based Trip.com, said MHR’s hotels would soon be featured in the livestreaming projects of the travel website under the preferred partner program.

“We have a very extensive marketing machine that’s able to actually feature different aspects, different offerings of MHR,” Chai said.

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According to Caramat, Trip.com will help in increasing “the visibility of MHR, not only in the China market but as well as globally.”

“[Trip.com] is able to provide the system, the tools, and, at the same time, digital marketing … We will be able to reach further and tap [other] markets,” she said during a press conference following the signing ceremony here.

Caramat added that they would likewise utilize data analytics from Trip.com to assess emerging markets and consumer behavior in the country.

MHR currently operates 12 hotels across the Philippines, with a total of more than 8,500 room keys.

Its brands include Savoy Hotel and Belmont Hotel in Pasay City and Boracay Island, as well as other facilities in Cebu and Iloilo cities.

Newest MHR hotel to open soon

MHR’s 13th hotel, the 1,530-room Grand Westside Hotel, is set to open within the second quarter in Entertainment City, further expanding the portfolio of the Megaworld Group’s hospitality arm.

Trip.com, which launched its Philippine website in 2016, said hotel bookings in the country through its online platform surged by 54 percent in the first quarter on higher consumer demand postpandemic.

Bookings in April alone more than doubled versus the previous year, according to Trip.com.

Chai pointed out that MHR’s wide local presence would help bring in more international customers to the Philippines.

Currently, tourists from China, South Korea, the United States, and Hong Kong are the top markets for Philippine tourism, Chai added.

For its part, MHR offers the so-called Sampaguita brand of hospitality that localizes the overall hotel experience.

“Megaworld Hotels and Resorts, as a Trip.com partner, now provides the availability for hotels that will be needed every time we encourage inbound tourism in the country,” Caramat said.

Foreign tourist arrivals in the country reached 1.66 million in the January to March period, an 18-percent jump, data from real estate brokerage firm Leechiu Properties show.

This year, the Department of Tourism is aiming for 7.7 million tourist arrivals. This is expected to grow by up to 10 percent annually until 2028. INQ