ROBINSONS Land Corporation (LRC) is anticipating the initial launch of its second Summit Hotel in Cebu by December, banking on a potential market during the “convention” months.
Lisette Arena, senior marketing manager of Robinsons Hotels and Resorts, said they are on track with the construction of Summit Hotel Galleria Cebu and expect to have a soft opening by the end of 2016.
“During this season, we get a lot of business meetings, conventions, and conferences. We’d really like to have a share of that market when we open,” she said in an interview at the sideline of a Bookers Appreciation Night held at the Summit Circle Hotel in Cebu City last week.
The property is part of the P6-billion master-planned, mixed-use development of RLC which now has Robinsons Galleria Cebu, a mall located at the North Reclamation Area in Cebu City, and will soon house three residential condominium towers.
Arena said the upcoming 11-story hotel has 220 rooms, slightly bigger than the 210-room Summit Circle Hotel, its first hotel here, located near Fuente Osmeña.
Summit Hotel Galeria Cebu will also feature a 500-seater ballroom, which Arena said was built primarily to position the property as a Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibits (MICE) destination.
With a high demand for accommodation and events facilities in Cebu City, Arena said they were very optimistic and excited to launch the new property here.
“Hopefully by December, we’ll be opening our dining facilities on the ground floor and our events facilities, which include a very large ballroom that has a capacity of up to 500,” she said.
Some of the guest floors will also be opened, she added, but did not say how many.
She added that during this time of the year, the number of tourists from mainland China and Japan increases since it is vacation season in those countries.
However, she emphasized that the bulk of the demand still comes from domestic tourists.
Arena said they expected to complete the construction of the property within the first quarter of 2017 and open more guest rooms before the celebration of the Sinulog Festival in Cebu in January.
She said they anticipated an influx of people during the festival, the reason why they were pushing for the hotel to open before 2017.
A development in Punta Engaño, Lapu-Lapu City is also in the works, said Arena, but this won’t be under the Summit brand.
“It’s a hotel. It might be a different brand altogether, perhaps international, but we haven’t awarded it yet,” she added.
Robinsons Hotels and Resorts is a business unit among four owned by RLC, the others being Robinsons Malls, Robinsons Offices, and Robinsons Properties.