Shangri-La Mactan Resort and Spa has added recreational amenities,like this zipline for companies holding teambuilding activities in the hotel. (CDN PHOTO/AILEEN GARCIA)
SHANGRI-LA’S Mactan Resort and Spa has invested on additional recreational amenities to penetrate the growing MICE or meetings, incentives, convention and exhibition market in Cebu.
The hotel management is focusing on the growing corporate activities in Cebu which include team building sessions of companies for their employees.
“We have been offering the ‘Adventures in Paradise’ package and now we are promoting it more with the addition of our Jogging Trail and Zipline Park at the Ocean Terraces,” said Tommy Kennigton, Shangri-La’s director of sports and recreation, said last week.
The Jogging Trail is 400 meters long and is free for use by in-house guests while the 40-feet above the ground and 80-meter long zipline is offered for a fee.
The resort also recently hired their Fun Manager who has been working with them to design more packages for their guests and corporate clients who will be holding team building activities in the property.
“Our packages can be designed specifically to what they prefer. Now, we are also creating another package that will feature traditional Filipino games as well as those who wants more of the ‘health and wellness’ activities and other sports activities,” he said.
The “Cultural Games” package will be offered by third quarter this year according to Kennington.
More Investments
The property has set a huge amount of investment for more additional amenities in the next two years to complement their thrust now which may include an amusement park that features waterslides just like what they have in Kota Kinabalu.
“We’ll maybe incorporate something like that here hopefully within the next three years since the last time we upgraded our pools here was about three years ago.”
Kennigton believes that tourists nowadays wants to see something that they can offer within the property more than just the rooms and the food.
“That is why we think that designing more activities for them to do while they’re here is a key strategy to keep tourists interested. The trends now in travel and tourism has already evolved the availability of activities that they can do here already matter especially to the younger ones who are now traveling a lot.”
According to Shangri-La’s director of communications Mildred Amon, they ended last year with average occupancy of 70 percent despite the two major calamities that hit the region.
Korea, Japan and domestic travellers are the top three markets of the property.
“The first months of 2014 also registered high average occupancy of 70 percent to 80 percent. We are looking at another high level during the Holy Week.”