International hotel brands seek local partners in Cebu

International hotel brand and management companies are eyeing at least three hotel properties in Cebu as potential partners in their bid to take advantage of the vibrant tourism sector here.

Hotel brand Best Western International, and global player in hotel management Agon Hotel and Resorts have expressed their interest to enter Cebu in the next two to three years, as executives of the two firms visited here recently to look for local partners in the hotel business.

Country representative for Agon Hotels and Resorts Ltd. Fay Paras said top executives of the two companies made its ocular inspection early this month for a possible entry in Cebu.

Paras said the executives eyed at least three existing hotel properties within Cebu City, as possible partner, while there is also a possibility that a partnership with a local hotel developer may be made.

Best Western, one of the world's largest hotel brand chains, already entered the Manila market, in partnership with Agon, to manage the Best Western Astor Hotel in Makati, which is owned by Manoling Morato.

Morato's business hotel in Makati City, has just been rebranded into one of the over 4,100 hotels of Best Western International and is operating in 80 countries.

Paras, who is also the general manager for Best Western Astor Hotel in Makati, said that Cebu is the company's top priority for its expansion in the Philippines.

According to Paras, the executives were astounded to know that amid the shortage of hotel and resort rooms in Cebu, there are several hotel properties that have remained idle, such as the Cebu Plaza Hotel, Garwood Hotel, the unfinished Cebu Sheraton Hotel, as well as the Imsu Hotel property in Osmeña Boulevard that are all feasible for commercial operations.

Paras however, declined to divulge the identities of the potential hotel properties in Cebu that attracted the international hoteliers, saying nothing has been made official yet.

"They [foreign hoteliers] like Cebu very much. They are interested to make presence in Cebu," said Paras who is also a Cebuana.

Recently, Best Western announced its interest to penetrate the Philippine market, through opening its affiliation membership program to invite local hotels in the country be member of the worldwide chain.

With over 4,000 hotels in over 80 countries, Best Western allows each of the hotels to be independently owned and operated.

As a membership association, it will provide hotel owners an attractive alternative to restrictive forms of management and marketing of other hotel chains.

In addition to having an internationally recognized brand name, its hotel members benefit from worldwide reservations and marketing services, the mass purchasing power of thousands of hoteliers and the experience and services of professional headquarter staff, Paras said.

David Kong, senior vice president for Global Strategy and Development of Best Western said that while hotel branding is still a relatively new trend in Asia, the company has identified strategic markets that would benefit from a value-priced global brand, including the Philippines.