SM taps Carlson to manage Davao hotel

MANILA, Philippines - Retail magnate Henry Sy’s SM Hotels and Conventions Corp. said yesterday it has tapped global hospitality and travel group Carlson to manage its proposed P750-million hotel in Lanang, Davao City under the latter’s mid-scale brand, Park Inn by Radisson.

The 200-room hotel, which will rise within the 175,000-square meter mixed-use complex owned and developed by shopping mall giant SM Prime Holdings, will be the very first Park Inn by Radisson in the Asia Pacific region. Construction of the project is slated in the third quarter of the year and is expected to open by 2013.

“The signing of our contract with Carlson to open a Park Inn by Radisson in Davao City is another concrete step towards fulfilling the vision of our founder, Henry Sy, Sr., to make the Philippines a world-class tourist destination. We believe that Davao is an ideal location for such an undertaking because of its robust economy, vibrant population, and excellent infrastructure including its international airport. In addition, the Park Inn hotel will benefit from the business synergies that will be created with the other upcoming SM projects within its vicinity,” said Elizabeth T. Sy, president of SM Hotels and Conventions.

Park Inn is the largest mid-market brand for hotels in Europe. Its scalability and moderate costs make it an ideal brand for conversions and new builds. It has more than 114 hotels in operation throughout the world and 50 hotels in the contracted pipeline. The group’s strategy is to continue the growth in key emerging economies such as Brazil, Russia, India and China.

In September last year, the SM Group opened the upper scale 400-room Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu, which is also managed by Carlson. It also recently opened the Pico Sands Hotel, a 154-room resort hotel within Pico de Loro, SM’s eco-tourism project at Hamilo Coast, in Nasugbu, Batangas.