Max’s set to start maiden hotel venture

MANILA, Philippines - Max’s Group Inc., the combined entity of Pancake House Inc. and the Max’s Group of Companies, is preparing to start early next year its foray into the hotel business.

In an interview, Max’s Group director and chief marketing officer Jim T. Fuentebella told The STAR that the company is opening within the first half of next year its first hotel called the Meranti in Quezon City.

The Meranti is a 60-room, 12-story hotel to rise across the first Max’s Restaurant branch along Scout Tuazon.

“We’re in the service industry. It’s a reflection of the group’s appetite for innovation to extend the service platform that we know — not to replicate the service platform in Max’s, but a service platform fit for a hotel,” Fuentebella said.

He said the hotel is aimed at catering mostly to the “balikbayans” whom he noted “are used to having their own space” and are  not inclined to live with their relatives.

Max’s Group director and chief finance officer Dave T. Fuentebella, however, said there is no immediate plan at the moment to diversify the company’s business to hotel.

“We want to capitalize on the growth of tourism but no concrete plans for expansion yet. It is really meant to complement our branch in QC because it’s big and that’s our main branch,” he said.

“Moving forward, we want to have that development concept via franchise more than changing our core to hotel operations. We are just going to leave that hotel for now and if for example, our larger franchise in provincial area have a footprint and they have a place to build a hotel, then that’s the model we are looking at,” Fuentebella added.

The Max’s Group is country’s leading chained full service restaurant group with a network of over 500 stores locally and 27 outlets abroad.

The company operates local brands such Max’s Restaurant, Pancake House, Yellow Cab, Dencio’s, Kabisera ng Dencio’s, Teriyaki Boy, Max’s Corner Bakery, Maple, Sizzlin’ Steak and Le Coeur de France as well as international food brands such as Krispy Kreme and Jamba Juice.