Setting up shop in an upcoming business district
bai Hotel towers above other structures at Mandaue’s North Reclamation Area.
A year after its soft operations, bai Hotel Cebu has formally opened its doors to the public.
Priding itself as the biggest hotel outside Manila, bai Hotel now offers all of its 668 rooms in its 23-floor property at the North Reclamation Area in Mandaue City.
Alfred Reyes, vice president for operations and general manager of bai Hotel, said they were positioning themselves to be at the center of an up and coming business district in Mandaue City.
“We are not in Cebu City, but Mandaue City is an upcoming business district. Hong Kong Land has invested here, Ayala is putting up another mall, everyone is starting to come in, BPOs are also coming in. In front of bai Hotel will be a huge casino and convention center. In the next five years, Mandaue will be the new city (center),” he said during the hotel’s grand launching yesterday.
Since 2017, bai Hotel has been on soft opening although not all of the floors and rooms were available yet.
According to Reyes, they had already noted unprecedented success with their operations so far.
Normally, he said, it would take at least a year, or less if you’re lucky, for hotels to break even in terms of cashflow.
But for bai Hotel, Reyes said it only took them two months to break even in their cashflow.
The hotel has also enjoyed average occupancy rates of as high as 79 percent.
The hotel’s rooms range from deluxe, premier, and executive rooms to the executive one-bedroom and two-bedroom suites, penthouse, and presidential suite.
The property also has a fully equipped fitness center with steam rooms, an infinity outdoor lap pool, spa services, kids’ room, business center, and serviced offices.
It also offers 12 event venues ideal for business conferences, galas, corporate events, and other celebrations. The function and seminar rooms can accommodate parties of up to 200 persons while the ballroom can cater to up to 450 guests.
“For a 668-room hotel, why do we only have a ballroom that can accommodate 400 people? It’s because when we put the blueprint of the hotel, we were already anticipating what was gonna happen around us. There are plans of putting a bigger convention center in the area. We did not want to compete. We made sure we can work with them closely,” Reyes said.
In their past year of operation, bai Hotel has enjoyed a good mix of foreign and domestic tourists.
Reyes said their position the hotel as a four-star hotel for both business and leisure.
Based on their guest records, 61 percent of the hotel’s guests are foreigners who are mostly in the Asian market led by the Chinese, Koreans, and Japanese. They also have a share of other markets like the European tourists.
The remaining 39 percent of their guests are domestic tourists and corporate guests.
bai Hotel is a member of WorldHotels, an exclusive group of independent hotels and resorts all over the world.
WorldHotels Asia Pacific President Roland Jegge said that when Reyes approached them three years ago with their plans to construct bai Hotel, they immediately agreed with the partnership.
He said that one of the best assets of Filipino hotels are their people, with their signature hospitality and warmth.
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