A journey of Discovery

In its journey to become the first homegrown Filipino hospitality brand, what is now known as  Discovery Hospitality Corp. or DHC, owned by the Tiu family, can trace where it all started with its first hotel property in the then Ortigas Center in Pasig City – the Discovery Suites which opened on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, 2000.

The now 25-year-old hotel offered a premium experience in Ortigas, providing a much needed alternative from the then prime hotel location site of  Makati.

Discovery Suites’ long stay, serviced apartment concept sought to provide a temporary sanctuary, offering heartfelt hospitality for the international staff of the Asian Development Bank, the multinational financial institution that had relocated to a new and more spacious headquarters in Mandaluyong City in 1991 after outgrowing its former office complex along Roxas Blvd in Pasay City.

The success and popularity of Discovery Suites emboldened the budding group of investors led by the Tiu family to further expand their hospitality investments in another promising venture outside of Metro Manila and Luzon – this time in a hotel resort in Boracay Island – the Discovery Shores Boracay, which opened on March 20, 2007, and is now known simply as Discovery Boracay.

The gamble turned out to be a game changer in both instances, with more hotels and serviced apartments following Discovery’s pioneering lead, resulting in more hospitality properties sprouting in the Ortigas Business District, and similarly in Boracay Island, attracting more upscale hotel developments such as the Shangri-La Hotels chain brand, thus bringing even more visitors to the island.

With the wild success of its two initial ventures, the Tiu family established the Discovery Leisure Co. in 2011, the predecessor of what would eventually become DHC. The family owned company went on to develop additional properties – in 2013, acquiring the then Club Paradise in Palawan and rebranding it as Discovery Coron, and by 2015, opening its premium hotel brand Discovery Primea in the heart of the Makati Business District, along Ayala Avenue, right in front of the Makati Commercial Center.

Discovery Primea, according to Lynette Quinto Ermac, senior vice president and head of sales and operations, can boast an occupancy rate of between 60 and 70 percent, easily pacing its chain brand competitors – Peninsula and Shangri-La, but with that leading edge of personalized and heartfelt service.

Primea’s prime location right across the Makati Commercial Center also gives it an edge, especially now with direct underground access to the shopping center.

The hotel’s Terazi Spa is also an added attraction that offers a unique Turkish bath or hammam experience aside from its soothing massage treatments in the fast-paced and busy Makati Central Business District.

Historically, the site of Discovery Primea is where the old Hilario family-owned Gilarmi Apartments stood, owned by the late Virgilio Hilario and his Finnish wife, Armi Kuusela  – the first Miss Universe. Gilarmi is the combination of the names of Virgilio and his wife Armi. While Virgilio Hilario has long passed away, Armi is still alive and well in her 90s. Discovery Primea, thus, continues to pay tribute to the Gilarmi brand by naming its lobby bar as the Gilarmi Lounge.

In its journey, DHC has expanded into hotel and property management, with its portfolio now including the Signature Collection Manami Resort in Sipalay, Negros and the Discovery Samal, with negotiations underway for additional properties.

DHC is also venturing into mid-scale properties under the Kip & Kin brand, targeting the digital nomads who prefer flexibility and adventure. Kip is British slang for sleep. The brand’s market, according to Blessy Feliciano-Townes, vice president and head of digital marketing and branding would also include the so-called “henrys,” – high earners, not rich yet.

Another interesting side note. It turns out that Blessy Feliciano, right after college, had actually wanted to pursue a career as a writer and had applied with the PhilStar Group of Publications. Unfortunately, she was not chosen, leading her eventually to the digital marketing sector and to DHC where she has worked for the past 11 years, helping DHC adopt artificial intelligence or AI in its operations and thus allowing the company to be the pioneer in the hospitality field to embrace  AI.

Properties under development under the Kip & Kin brand, include the increasingly popular Siargao, with an eyed completion by 2027, and in the pipeline similar developments in El Nido and San Vicente in Palawan – all of which may be the new Boracays.

Ermac explains that the Discovery hotel brand continues to resonate with the premium market because of its core value of serving its guests from the heart. She particularly cites the popularity of Discovery Boracay, and the loyalty of local guests to the resort – guests who are willing to pay peak season rates during the holidays because they truly appreciate the Discovery group’s consistent focus on customer satisfaction and appreciation.

“Some of our regular guests and their families come with gifts for the long-time staff. One regular guest even hands out cash gifts to staff members, which some other regular guests have also now followed,” Ermac revealed, citing the Tiu family’s own ethos of taking care of their staff, particularly in the family’s holding company Discovery World Corp.

Another factor that contributes to the popularity and high regard for the Discovery brand, specifically for its island resorts, is DWC chairman John Tiu’s concern for the environment, according to Ermac.

Tiu is a scuba diver himself and is thus very protective of the marine environment around its Discovery Coron resort where guests have the chance to see and encounter the endangered Philippine dugong or sea cow.

Tiu, Ermac revealed, has taken on the task of ensuring the continued health of the house reef through the propagation of giant clams and coral seeding.

Perhaps now is the time to discover what the Discovery Hotels group has to offer – a journey of discovery.