Kukun emerges

MANILA, Philippines - Although there was a heavy downpour the night before, the sun was out and shining brightly that early morning. It was a special day. The structural component of the 11-storey Kukun Davao Hotel, a joint project between Ayala Land Hotels and Resorts Corp. (AHRC) and Anflo Management & Investment Corporation (Anflocor), had just been completed, and the topping out ceremony was held that morning to commemorate the event.

Ayala Land Inc. president and CEO Tony Aquino and Anflocor senior vice president Ricardo Floirendo led the ceremony by shoveling fresh cement into a bucket, which was hoisted by a crane to the top of the building. Aside from the top officials and representatives of Ayala Land and Anflocor, also present were the engineers and construction workers who came to witness the joyful event.

“This marks another major milestone in the partnership between Ayala Land and Anflocor,” Aquino remarked. “This beautiful building will enliven the cityscape in Davao. We offer nothing but the very best for the people of Davao.”

Kukun Davao is located within the Abreeza master-planned mixed-use development, which includes the Abreeza Residences and Abreeza Place, residential as well as office buildings in the emerging premier lifestyle and business district in the city. It is just a stone’s throw away from Abreeza Mall, which incidentally was also celebrating its first anniversary that same day.

The construction of the 11-storey building on what used to be idle swampland many years ago was not without its challenges. “We had our geotechnical engineer do the necessary inspection and analysis of the site before proceeding with the construction,” Richard Yap, AHRC construction director, relates. This was to ensure the soundness and stability of the foundation and the building itself. With the structural component completed, they can now proceed with the architectural component, engaging the architecture firm of Conrad Onglao, who is well-known for his ‘oriental vision with European flair.’”

Anflocor SVP Ricardo Floirendo shovels fresh cement at topping out ceremony of Kukun Davao hotel

Kukun, spelled in Filipino, gives an Asian twist to the Filipino brand. The word cocoon suggests shelter, protection, warmth, and even transformation, AHRC chief operating officer Al Legaspi explained.

The hotel has 186 guest rooms with 167 standard rooms and nine suites, which are corner rooms, each with a balcony. Aside from the executive lounge, there are 10 function rooms, two of which can accommodate 150 people each. All the rooms have the latest technology, Wi-Fi, and the latest generation high-definition TV, with built-in digi-box.

The three-in-one lobby with restaurant and bar follows the latest trend in hotel layout, “which encourages socializing,” Legaspi remarked. The interior design will have touches of the local color, such as T’boli products as well as art pieces by Ann Pamintuan, a native of Davao. Ann Pamintuan also did the metal sculpture in front of Abreeza Mall, a triple pyramid, perhaps symbolizing Davao’s Mt. Apo, the country’s tallest mountain.

 “Kukun brings together the best of western technology and eastern hospitality,” Legaspi said. Checking in can be done by remote control, through your iPad. The hotel will have a “lifestyle manager” who will serve like a shopping concierge for hotel guests who may want to know the latest trends and happenings in the mall and the city. An Internet Protocol TV will present guests with a menu of what is available at the mall, with its shopping and dining options. The hotel will bring guests to the mall and vise versa. “One product enhances the value of the other,” Aquino observed.

Construction is expected to finish in November this year, and the hotel is scheduled to open in February next year. “The development is proceeding at a good pace,” Aquino remarked, “faster than anticipated. It’s a nice feeling when you see the improvement in the quality of the city and participate in its economic development.”

It also helps promote local tourism. It has provided and will continue to provide employment for the local people, not only during construction but even after.

View of 11-story Kukun Davao hotel with Ann Pamintuan sculpture in foreground fronting Abreeza Mall

 “It gives an opportunity for Dabawenyos in Manila and also in other countries to come back and work here,” Kukun Hotels group general manager Andrea Mastellone remarked. Kukun Davao is just one in the chain of Kukun hotels to rise in emerging prime areas of the country, among them Cagayan de Oro City; Bacolod; Nuvali in Sta. Rosa, Laguna; and in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.

 “Filipinos are well-known in the hospitality business — working at the front desk, in housekeeping, as chefs, in cruise ships,” says Mastellone, who was formerly with the Shangri-La group. He believes the Filipino brand of hospitality is unique and can be honed, even without the influence of foreign chains. If in the fast food industry, there is the local brand Jollibee that has attained world-class and recognition, it is not far-fetched to think that in the hospitality business, a Filipino brand can gain the same success. If genuine Filipino hospitality should be branded, its name would be Kukun.