Waterfront Cebu issues progress report on lobby renovation project

MANILA, Philippines - The country’s largest first-class hotel operator Waterfront Philippines Inc. (WPI) announced earlier this year that it will be embarking on a multi-million renovation program geared towards improving further its flagship property located in Cebu City, the 560-room Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.

The project is segmented into three phases: the renovation of the grand and lower lobbies of the hotel; the renovation of the function rooms; and eventually the renovation of the larger convention facilities of the hotel. Each phase is expected to cost around P100 million, of which all the funds allocated for the said project will be sourced from internally generated funds.

Waterfront assistant to the president Weslie Gatchalian confirms that the hotel is now halfway through the entire lobby renovation project. “I am proud to announce that 50 percent of the first phase has now been completed. The project is progressing as planned – even better than we imagined, as we are even ahead of schedule.”

Gatchalian said the hotel should be able to finish the entire program by the end of the year.

At the moment, two out of four phases of the lobby renovation projet (phases A and B) have reached completion.

In phase A, the renovation covered part of the lobby’s right wing, closer to the casino facility and the hotel’s anchor restaurant, Uno, where new marble flooring was installed, and a new canopy was constructed to serve as the casino entrance.

Phase B consisted of renovating a portion of the west wing of the lobby, the section closer to the convention center, where new marble flooring was also installed, and a canopy was likewise built; which will later serve as the convention center entrance.

Gatchalian said the group is “extremely excited to embark on this multi-million renovation project and welcomes the new face of Waterfront Cebu City Hotel, this will surely enhance our present product and service offerings that will eventually yield to better guest experience and revenues.”

He further expresses that a part of the entire renovation plan was allocated to the expansion of the casino, resulting in an additional 2,305 sqm of gaming area.

WCCH is home to the largest Pagcor-operated casino in the Visayas-Mindanao region in terms of floor area. This, Gatchalian says, “will surely bring positive signal to both local and foreign tourist alike. It has always been the aim of Waterfront Cebu City Hotel to be the premier integrated entertainment complex of the Visayas-Mindanao region.”

The renovation period of the first phase is expected to reach completion this December, while the succeeding phases will start taking place during the first quarter of 2012.

WPI, through its Waterfront Hotels and Casinos brand name, is currently the largest Filipino-owned hotel chain in the country today. It operates five first class hotel-casino properties located in the major cities of Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Davao.

In Manila, it operates the Manila Pavilion Hotel & Casino and G-Hotel by Waterfront, its latest venture in the boutique hotel category.

In Cebu, it runs the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino and the Waterfront Airport Hotel & Casino Mactan.

In Davao, it operates the Waterfront Insular Hotel Davao.

Cumulatively, the group runs close to 1,600 guest rooms, employ 1,670 employees, and has over 13,500 square meters of convention and gaming space. Audited financial statements of the company for 2010 shows the company registering P1.9 billion in gross revenues, with a gross operating profit of for 2010 P389 million. The flagship Cebu City hotel contributed 40 percent of gross revenues.