Park Lane International Hotel Cebu set to open 100 rooms by October

International hotel chain, Park Lane International Hotel Cebu will open up 100 rooms this coming October, as the construction of the P700 million hotel project of Cebu-based Five Power Venture Development is nearing completion.

The entry of Park Lane Cebu has brought good news to the tourism industry player in the province, as it is currently suffering from room shortage that hold off volume of tourists arrivals both foreign and domestic visitors.

Park Lane Cebu is the fourth international hotel chain to enter in Cebu, joining international names operating here, like Cebu City Marriott Hotel, ShangriLa Mactan Island Resort, and Cebu Hilton Resort and Spa.

Park Lane International Hotel Cebu general manager Mars Benitez said the hotel has to hasten the initial commercial operation of the 100 rooms before the holding of Advertising Congress this coming November.

The 26-story Park Lane Cebu is scheduled to be in full operation, and open up the total 220 business class hotel rooms early next year, Benitez said.

The four-star Park Lane Cebu is built in a 2,950 square meter area right across the Cebu Business Park. Benitez said the hotel building would be built to have a total room capacity of 400. However, it will initially operate 220 rooms in the next few years.

"Our long term plan is to open the 400 rooms, as the building is built to this capacity. But, in the meantime, we will be opening first the 220 rooms," he said.

Currently, he said the construction is already touching off the interior finishing, so that it could already accept guests by October this year. Tentatively, he added that soft opening is set on the first or second week of October.

Park Lane Hotel in Cebu, will be the first hotel to be built in the last few years, after Hilton Resort in Mactan Island started its construction in 1998.

Tourism players welcome this development saying this is good news for Cebu, as the province is currently suffering from hotel room shortage amid the growing tourists.

Several efforts were initiated both by the private and government sectors to invite capitalists to invest in hotel project in Cebu, as business potential is very promising.

To date, Cebu can only offer a little over 6,000 hotel room accommodations. The room shortage is one of the barriers why Cebu can't take off to achieve its target of 5 million arrivals in the next five years.

International tourism experts recently told Cebu tourism players that the five million tourist arrival target in the next five years is unrealistic and too ambitious considering that the province is facing room shortage problem.

"Five Power Ventures Development Corporation, has considerably contemplated on its purpose of constructing a Hotel and making sure that it shall provide a venue and facility that will make Cebu as another Hotel and Convention destination both for local and international markets. This is where the emergence of Parklane International Hotel Cebu," Benitez said.