Costing P50 million, the newly refurbished Cebu International Convention Center, conveniently located within the premises of the hotel, now boasts of the latest state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment as well as a redesigned exhibition hall dubbed as the Grand Atlantic Hall.
In the new design, the 3,063-square-meter Atlantic Hall, one of the largest in the Philippines, can now be further subdivided into multiple function rooms that can accommodate a maximum of 1,000 people each.
The hall, like the hotel’s other function rooms and the Pacific Grand Ballroom, has also been retrofitted with the latest audiovisual equipment.
"Being the country’s premier convention-hotel, our group wanted to bring our facilities a notch higher than what our guests have gotten used to, that’s why we spent P50 million to renovate the Cebu International Convention Center despite the lingering slump in the tourism sector," explains Rex Gatchalian, EVP for hotel operations of the group.
Waterfront Cebu City Hotel is the largest and only convention-hotel in the country. It has been the site of many prestigious events such as the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) and the Advertising Congress.
With the renovation of its convention site, Waterfront aims to get a bigger chunk of the convention market not only in the country but also in the region as well.
"In line with our government’s thrusts to make our country a tourism haven, Waterfront is working hard to become a major convention player in Southeast Asia, so the public can expect more innovations coming from our side within the coming months," reports Shella Laxa, group director for sales and marketing.
The convention center renovation project comprises the first phase of the group’s P150-million hotel refurbishment project. The next phases will include the upgrading of the hotel’s numerous food outlets and the main lobby.