Islands Stay redefines the hotel experience

MANILA, Philippines - A new generation of independent-minded travelers is beginning to redefine the hotel industry. Described as “digital natives,” today’s travelers have grown up using the Internet, mobile technology, and social media.

According to Jay Aldeguer, the president and CEO of the Islands Group, the new-generation no-fuss travelers put weight on connectivity, which manifests in how they plan and book their trips. He added that these next-generation travelers opt to trade the so-called “hotel frills” like breakfast package with the room, elaborate check-in processes, and rooms with a view for comfortable, convenient, and affordable room rates.

Aldeguer, who transformed the souvenir business into a multi-million enterprise, now offers the “value-chic” Islands Stay Hotels. Islands Stay Hotels is the newest brand in the tourism-oriented Islands Group that offers attractive interiors, strategic hotel locations and of course, free WiFi and flatscreen TVs.

The first two properties were launched in 2011 in Cebu — one near the Mactan International Airport and the other near the Ayala Center in Cebu Business Park. Four more Islands Stay Hotels will open in 2013 — Palawan, Makati, and two more in Cebu.

Booking in an Islands Stay hotel room can be done online and offers several convenient modes of payment. The rooms are labeled as small, medium, large and extra Large.

“Why call them “deluxe” and “superior” when few people know what those mean,” smiles Aldeguer.

The comfortable bed covered with a cotton duvet and not the usual synthetic blanket allows full view of a flatscreen TV equipped with a USB port. The USB port is essential to its target market who uses it to plug in the devices that carry their digital games, photographs of their journeys, music or a season of popular episodes made for television.

“The fact that they can indulge in their preferred forms of entertainment and social media in an Islands Stay Hotel room matters to this generation,” says Aldeguer. “Our hotels focus on providing our clients their essential needs — connectivity, a comfortable well-designed room and location. We prioritized our spending on what matters the most to them and what delights them. We did away with the non-essentials.”

Islands Stay Hotels offers function, convenience, and excellent customer-service. These basic essentials are true to the Islands brand and are non-negotiable in any Islands Stay hotel.