Swiss resort hotel to open in Palawan

MANILA, Philippines - Swiss hotel group Møvenpick Hotels and Resorts is set to open its $25-million resort hotel in Coron, Palawan in June, a top hotel executive said yesterday.

The Møvenpick Resort and Spa Huma Island is expected to boost local tourism and provide employment to at least 260 locals, said Møvenpick Hotels and Resorts-Middle East and Asia chief operating officer Andreas Mattmuller. 

“We would like to hire 75 to 80 percent of the employees from the neighboring villages and give them job opportunity,” Muttmuller told The STAR. 

The resort hotel is located in Huma Island, accessible from the mainland via seaplane and speedboat.

Muttmuller said the resort hotel has a total investment of over $25 million and will feature 84 over-water bungalows with private jacuzzis.

It also has six restaurants offering Lebanese, Italian, Asian and seafood dishes as well as an entertainment room, a library, a fitness center and a spa with six treatment rooms. 

“Because our company started on food and beverage we believe that food and beverage is the heartbeat of a hotel, that is where people socialize,” Muttmuller said.

One of the attractions in the resort hotel is its diving package, which the hotel offers in partnership with a German company.

“The idea is wherever we build hotel the local culture is reflected. I think this is very important for us, a sense of place,” Muttmuller added. 

Møvenpick aims to operate 25 hotels in Asia by 2015. Last year, the company opened its first resort hotel in Cebu.

The firm also plans to build two hotels in Makati City. The Møvenpick Hotel and Residences Makati is set to open in 2016. It will feature 304 rooms and suites as well as 250 residences.