A tale of two Sedas
It’s worth recalling that Cebu was double-hit by disasters in recent years: the COVID crisis starting in 2020, followed by typhoon Odette in December 2021. In typical fashion, Cebu canceled its lockdowns and got back on its feet earlier than Metro Manila, and used its skills and resilience to get over power outages and crippling damages quicker than most.
Two Seda properties now straddle Cebu City — Seda Central Bloc Cebu in its I.T. Park and Seda Ayala Center Cebu located within the Business Park area.
With more to come in the future, these two hotels tell part of the story of how Seda brings out the best in this City of the South.
Seda Ayala Center Cebu: ‘Every patron feels valued’
When the Ayala-owned Marriott here was rebranded as Seda Ayala Center Cebu in 2018, it took sharp management to guide the transition. Not to mention protecting the new Seda when Odette hit. Enter general manager Gwen Dela Cruz.
Gwen mentions her past experience helped when Odette came. Managing another storm-hit hotel (Shangri-La) had taught her to place the pool furniture “in the pool” during the typhoon so it would be weighed down, not tossed around in the air; it worked; “not a single window or glass door” was smashed during the height of Odette.
They even won an award for it at last year’s Singapore Employee Experience Awards, where Seda Ayala Central Cebu won for Best Crisis Leadership and Management.
Sustainability is another factor for this hotel. They use Japanese GUUN company “reverse osmosis” technology to recycle the hotel’s water — even sharing it with neighbors during the typhoon power outages.
Seda Ayala Center Cebu sits in the hub of Cebu Business Park, alongside the massive Ayala Center Cebu. With 232 Deluxe rooms (king and twin beds), 50 Club rooms (king and twin), 16 Junior Suites, two Club Suites and one Seda Suite, it’s got all the conference space you’d need (its 300-pax halls were fully booked on our arrival), plus the signature Misto buffet and a Club Lounge on the 12th floor serving breakfast, cocktails (5-7:30 p.m.) and snacks for Club guests.
Some changes took place when it became Seda. The lobby chandeliers, maroon tones and curtains of Marriott were replaced with Filipino touches: lobby furniture, lanterns and local art pieces (Kenneth Cobonpue and other local designers have outfitted Seda properties).
Then there’s “Mayumi,” the stuffed eagle representing the real one that Seda Hotels adopted from Philippine Eagle Foundation. “Sometimes the eagles are shot by poachers or injured,” explains Gwen. “The PEF recovers them, and each Seda hotel gives a portion of its revenues to sustain Mayumi, paying for food, habitat, medicines.” It’s another local touch for this very local brand.
You might think that two Sedas across town from each other would be competing, but Gwen says it’s the opposite. “Basically, the two Sedas are not here to compete, but to uplift one another by cross-selling. Say someone needs conference rooms for so many people; our space might work better for their event, so they’ll be referred to us. If someone needs a serviced residence, we will refer the guest to them.” That way, “we make sure we can make accommodations across the two hotels.” A win-win for Seda hotels and Ayala Land Inc.
Seda Central Bloc Cebu: ‘Versatile accommodations, memorable meals, and eco-friendly practices’
When COVID hit in 2020, new general manager Ron Manalang had just opened Seda Central Bloc Cebu in 2020. Due to the pandemic, “I decided to stay here,” eventually bringing his family. It was tough in Cebu, because “Odette happened at the peak of Omicron.” But Cebu, it goes without saying, is different. “We were on total return of operations by 2022. We had already reopened our doors to anyone. No restrictions.”
Set inside Cebu I.T. Park and adjacent to Ayala Malls Central Bloc, this 214-room, 17-story hotel takes advantage of its location: it’s a home for BPO, tech workers and business travelers needing a short-term residence with all the mod-cons.
For that, Seda Central Bloc offers serviced apartments — 41 units with kitchenette, full cooking utensils, washer and dryer and all the amenities, from studios (30 sqm) and one-bedrooms (55 sqm) to two- and three-bedroom apartments (ranging from 63-90 sqms) that are ideal for families and business residents, “especially for executives who want bigger rooms with a kitchen for more than three days, where they can cook and do laundry.” For weekends, “it’s the same as the vacation market, the serviced apartments mainly serving families.”
In addition to 150 Deluxe rooms with the usual features — king or twin beds, safety box, WiFi and mini-bar — the serviced apartments allow guests to spread out with the vibe of a condo suite. Another touch: no plastic bottles. Instead, Seda provides large glass water bottles with the hotel name on them; even the bathroom amenity bottles — shampoo, conditioner, body wash, body lotion — come from wall dispensers.
At the 17th floor, Straight Up Bar offers a great view of the skyline, and Ron points out the solar panels: a cutting-edge 53 KWP (kilowatt peak) solar heating system, using Japanese technology. It covers 100 square meters of the roof space and provides power for at least the top three floors of the hotel. He notes it’s a first for Cebu, and Seda; there will probably be more like it in coming locations.
The conference rooms fit 90-100 pax, plus there’s a 24-hour gym and in-room massage service. All 40 minutes away from the airport.
Back down on the fifth floor there’s Misto, Seda’s signature buffet restaurant for all its locations: there senior sous chef Crisanto Palang Jr. shows off his kitchen’s reimagined sinuglaw and lemongrass chicken lollipops that earned Seda Central Bloc gold and silver awards at last year’s Cebu Goes Culinary competition. The fifth floor also attaches by walkway to Ayala Malls Central Bloc for more dining choices.
Ayala Land has been canny in its “hub” style of development: building its hotels to service attached malls and business areas, and vice versa. Ron says, “nothing beats our location, in the middle of the I.T. Park. The competition is in the hills; we are here, in the middle of the market.”
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Book your stay at Seda Ayala Center Cebu and Seda Central Bloc Cebu through https://www.sedahotels.com/location/hotels/cebu-city.
