By Beatriz Marie D. Cruz, Reporter
AMERICAN hospitality group Marriott International, Inc. is set to add three properties to its Philippine portfolio this November, with openings in Mandaluyong, Batangas, and Cebu.
“We have three additions to the portfolio in the month of November, taking us to 13 open and operating hotels,” Bruce Winton, area general manager – Philippines at Marriott International, told BusinessWorld on the sidelines of the Arangkada Forum last week.
Mr. Winton was referring to AC Hotel Ortigas in Pasig City, which will have 150 rooms, and Fairfield by Marriott Cebu Mactan, with 196 rooms.
AC Hotels, Marriott’s upscale business hotel brand, has over 150 hotels worldwide. Fairfield by Marriott, in the upper-midscale segment, has more than 1,000 properties globally.
Marriott is also scheduled to reopen The Farm at San Benito this November, rebranding the property as the Philippines’ first Autograph Collection resort.
The relaunch of the eco-luxury medical wellness resort was formalized through a partnership between Marriott and Nepal-based CG Hospitality Global, the companies announced in May.
The Autograph Collection, Marriott’s premium hotel brand, has a portfolio of over 100 upscale hotels globally.
Mr. Winton remains optimistic about Marriott’s performance in the Philippine market, noting year-on-year growth in revenue per available room.
He also cited strong demand at Marriott properties in key tourist hubs such as Metro Manila, Clark, Pampanga, and Cebu.
The company expects robust growth in the fourth quarter through January next year, amid the holiday season.
“Filipinos do everything in the fourth quarter, right? So, we’re looking forward to a very robust three-month period for us,” Mr. Winton said.
“We’d like to capitalize on the high occupancy that we have and capture more share and more bookings in our restaurants.”
Marriott has a portfolio of over 1.7 million rooms across 9,500 properties worldwide.
In the Philippines, it operates hotels and resorts under brands including Sheraton, Westin, JW Marriott, Courtyard by Marriott, and Four Points.