Icon hotel to rise in Davao City

DAVAO CITY — A P300-million boutique hotel is being developed in the same complex housing the Apo View Hotel, according to the Global Comfort Group Corp.

Global Comfort Group Managing Director Edmundo G. Las said the planned Icon Hotel will target travelers looking for more “affordable rooms that can offer better amenities” while the Apo View, now under the company’s management, would remain for the higher-end market.

“(Icon Hotel) will cater to a different clientele,” said Mr. Las at a press conference last week.

Construction for the six-floor Icon Hotel is targeted to start by next year.

“Normally when we open up (a new hotel), it is usually 120 rooms,” said Mr. Las, but added that the building’s foundation would be ready for a possible expansion to 200 rooms based on a 10-year demand projection.

The company is looking at a capital expenditure of about P300 million.

Meanwhile, the 69-year-old Apo View Hotel, considered one of the city’s landmarks, is undergoing a face-lift.

Located in the center of the downtown area, the hotel will renovate 156 rooms, while its facade will undergo a restoration.

Mr. Las said they are about halfway through the work, having spent about P150 million of the P280-million budget.

He noted Apo View managed to sustain a 60% occupancy rate despite the declaration of martial law in Mindanao last May and the ongoing renovation.

Since then, Mr. Las said the hotel’s occupancy rate has gone up to 75% in September, making the company optimistic it can hit 85% by the end of 2017.

Davao Region Tourism Director Roberto P. Alabado III, meanwhile, said the opening of more hotels is a welcome development, particularly for the hosting of meetings, incentives, conference and expositions (MICE).

“The city needs more rooms,” he said, noting that there are currently about 10,000 in Davao, including the smaller inns and guest houses that cater to leisure tourists rather than the MICE market.

Mr. Alabado said it is difficult to host MICE events simultaneously in Davao City because of the scarcity of rooms.

“When there is enough supply of rooms, the tourism industry will grow massively as big events can be brought to the city,” he said.” — Carmelito Q. Francisco