DUSIT International and Grand Land, Inc. are looking towards the south for one of their next projects.
Grand Land president Ryan Bernard Go said they were considering the resort towns of Oslob, which is famous for its whale shark-watching activities, and Moalboal, which is known for its beach and dive sites.
If this pushes through, Go said this would be the first branded hotel or resort in southern Cebu.
Dusit International wants to make a larger footprint in the Philippine hotel and resort market, said vice president for operations Thierry Douin.
“We would be more than happy to consider each of the opportunities presented to us,” he said in an interview after the signing of a management contract with Grand Land for the management of the first Dusit brand in Cebu.
Dusit brands are Dusit Princess, for the upper mid-income class; Dusit Thani, 5-star luxury; Dusit Devarana, which caters to wellness and sanctuary; and dusitD2, a more modern brand targeting millennials.
Douin said they are planning to open another establishment in Fort Bonifacio, which will be a combination of a hotel school and a dusitD2, and another establishment near the Manila airport. Three other hotel projects are also in the pipeline for Davao, in partnership with Grand Land.
Dusit International is also looking at opening another Dusit Thani in the Philippines as well as several dusitD2 hotels.
Ryan Chen, Dusit director of development in Asia-Pacific, said they were “positive about putting more investments in the Philippines because of the booming tourism.”
He described Cebu in particular as “still relatively undeveloped,” but in the “forefront of the country’s growth as the gateway to southern Philippines.”
“It is a good opportunity to put up different kinds and concepts of hotels,” he said.
Dusit, through its Philippine unit, is renovating its existing hotel in the country, Dusit Thani Manila located in Makati.
Chen said this hotel is the biggest in their global portfolio, with over 550 rooms. They will be introducing a new “theatrical venue” dining concept to the hotel called the Pantry by mid-August this year.
The first Dusit hotel in Cebu, a Dusit Princess, will occupy 11 floors of the 30-story Grand Tower Cebu, a mixed-use development estimated to cost P2 billion that will be managed by Colliers International. It will rise across the SM City Cebu Northwing in the Cebu north reclamation area.
Go said they will break ground within the year and will complete the office units, which will occupy 12 floors, in late 2017. The 295-room hotel will be completed in 2018.