Cebu APEC delegates “complain”: Hotel rates too high

CEBU, Philippines - An official of the Department of Foreign Affairs has expressed concerns that hotels in Cebu may be taking advantage of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation events to jack up their rates.

This after delegates from APEC member economies complained of “inflated” hotel room rates in Cebu.

In a media briefing yesterday, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for International Economic Relations

Laura del Rosario, also chairwoman of the APEC 2015 Senior Officials’ Meeting, said her office has received complaints from delegates that some hotels in Cebu raised the prices of hotel rooms by as much as 120 percent from earlier published rates.

In one case, a nightly room rate published online at P5,800 as of August 5 this year has reportedly been inflated to P13,350.

“And they (delegates) were upset. Why is Cebu doing this? It will give a bad image to Cebu. Instead of saying it’s more fun in the Philippines, (they would say) it’s more expensive in Cebu,” she cautioned.

She said the hotel management attributed the increase to peak season.

“Be reasonable, 120 percent is too much. How much you raise during peak season, that should be the rates. Remember, not all delegates are rich… We’re spending government money; you cannot abuse our government. We are not CEOs (Chief Executive Officers),” she suggested.

She added that delegates are left with no choice but to choose the hotels near the venues of the APEC meetings and urged local officials and concerned agencies to look into the issue.

“I am just expressing the frustrations of delegates, and I have no facts except their complaints… They can spread about this. It can destroy the reputation of Cebu,” she said.

When asked if the same problem was raised in other APEC venues outside Cebu, such as Boracay, Del Rosario said she received no complaints from the delegates.

Boracay, touted as the “Summer Capital of the Philippines,” hosted the second APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting in May. Cebu will host the third APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting from August 22 to September 6 this year.

APEC Cebu Organizing Committee overall coordinator Lito Maderazo said inflation of room rates is a “natural phenomenon” in business, especially when the demand hikes up. He made it clear that they have no control over the hotel operators, but he appealed to them to be more understanding.

“Don’t treat them (delegates) as tourists because these are officials from 21 member economies who are here to participate in an important conference that will provide economic growth, not only in the Philippines but also to other member economies,” he said.

The Cebu Organizing Committee had a meeting with hotel officials and Department of Tourism last night to discuss the issue, “among others.” Provincial Information Officer Ethel Natera said hotel operators gave their response to the National Organizing Committee regarding the matter, but she refused to give any details.

RATES REASONABLE

Shangri-La Mactan Resort and Spa said through their director of sales and marketing, Albert La Fuente, that the room rates they extended to the National Organizing Committee are reasonable and based on demand and their rate structure.

“In fact, what we offered them are shoulder season rates which we believe are fair,  given the quality of our product and the level of service we deliver,” the statement said.

It added that their team is the most experienced in handling high-level government and international meetings, such as the last APEC hosted here in Cebu.

Earlier, Nishan Silva, board of trustee of the Hotels, Resorts and Restaurants Association of Cebu, said that considering that its now peak season, hotels and resorts rates may increase room rates by 100 percent. Silva explained that Koreans, Chinese and Japanese tourists mostly arrive in Cebu in August.

Lapu-Lapu City tourism officer Hembler Mendoza said hotels and resorts in the city did not increase prices and provided corporate rates for APEC delegates.

Around 3,200 delegates are expected for the senior ministers’ meeting, excluding their spouses and staff.

Sought for his comment on the alleged pricey hotel rates, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said he will call for a meeting with the representatives of the hotels where the APEC meetings will be held.

City Councilor Margarita Osmeña chairwoman of the City Council’s Committee on Tourism, Local and International Relations, Arts, and Culture, said that the city’s tourism commission will also discuss the issue on August 10.

“I will bring it up this Monday when the tourism commission meets and we can decide what action to take,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Cebu City Police Coordinating and Advisory Council asked for at least 10 barangay tanods from each of the 80 barangays in the city to augment the number of police personnel in the city for the security of the delegates.

During the PCAC’s regular meeting yesterday, Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella, who is also PCAC chairman, said that the city should see to it that all venues of the meetings will be provided with security.

“In our meeting with (Cebu City Police Office officer-in-charge Senior Superintendent Marciano) Batiancela, he feels that there is a need to augment. And one of the things we decided as an augmentation and as a multiplier force we will tap the services of the barangay tanods in the 80 barangays,” Labella said.

Labella said that Association of Barangay Councils president and Tisa barangay captain Phillip Zafra will take up the cudgel in directing all barangays to provide the tanods.

“It will now depend on Batiancela on how they are going to be assigned to assist the CCPO and the 600 augmentation by the Region 7 police,” Labella said.

However, he said Batiancela told him the city needs an additional police force of 500 policemen from Police Regional Office-8 in Eastern Visayas.

“And if necessary, we will still be discussing again the request for additional force also from Region 8. Of course we will make proper representation to the chief PNP on this regard because we feel that there is a need to ask for some kind of augmentation,” Labella said. — with Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon and Jean Marvette A. Demecillo/BRP (BANAT NEWS)