Aicila Suites partners with travel operators

CEBU, Philippines - Capitalizing on its pioneering strategy of providing Cebu with a wide range of options in terms of accommodation, such as a “neighborhood hotel” category, Aicila Suites has tapped travel agency players to help push its positioning.

Aicila Suites, located in Talamban, Cebu City is bent on addressing Cebu’s need for more affordable accommodation facilities, targeting the budget-conscious market and banking on its location, which is near residential villages and subdivisions.

The 30-room neighborhood hotel, owned and managed by the Ty Family who also owns the Park n’ Go bakeshop chain, was established to make Cebu a versatile tourist destination. The facility has accommodation rates and positioning that is directed towards being an extension of huge residential owners in the area as a second-home in hosting their visitors.

Initially, the hotel is touching base with travel operators in Cebu like the Cebu Travel and Tours Association (CTTA), and the Cebu Association of Travel Operators (CATO) in promoting the availability of this facility in Cebu, which is regarded as the center for tourism at least in the Southern Philippine area.

Already, Cebuano travel agents and players in the tourism sector have expressed the lack of affordable and decent accommodation facilities here, to cater the increasing demand for young generation travelers, budget-conscious visitors, as well as the small MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conference and Exhibit) events.

The hotel, which was opened early this year, boasts of its fresh and new facilities, while it maintained to make its room (plus breakfast) rate at a very affordable level.

The hotel boasts of its affordable suite rooms, standard and deluxe accommodations, and a dormitory type of accommodation to serve the group or “barkada” travelers.

The hotel also has a function room that can accommodate up to 200 people and two KTV rooms.

In an earlier interview with hotel owner Alicia Rama-Ty, she said that aside from partnering with the travel operators in pushing the unique positioning of the hotel as home-extension or neighborhood hotel, the company will also make use of the over 200 Park n’ Go Bakeshop outlets  mostly located in Visayas and Mindanao.

In an interview earlier with CATO past president Alice Queblatin, she said that the increasing demand for “roadtrip” and “day-trip” packages availed of by the younger generation groups has pushed the need for Cebu to offer pocket-friendly hotel accommodation, which also include the need for formalization of “home-stay” program, especially in the outskirts destinations in the province.

In Metro Cebu however, while the availability of three to four-star hotels, and business hotels have grown tremendously in recent years, the introduction of affordable accommodation such as the kind of “neighborhood hotel” facilities is seen to rise in the next few months. —/JOB (FREEMAN)