DISCOVERY Suites Ortigas, the first hotel of the Discovery Leisure Company, Inc. hospitality group, celebrated its 20th anniversary last month, thus commemorating everything else that followed the hotel’s 2000 opening: the various properties located in Makati, Tagaytay, Boracay, and Palawan.

Discovery Suites was founded by Ruben Tiu in 2000, and in 20 years, has managed to develop Discovery Primea, Discovery Country Suites, Discovery Shores in Boracay, and Club Paradise Palawan. During the anniversary dinner, guests were updated on a development in Siargao.

“Kip&Kin is a new brand for the Discovery Group, targeting the market with a millennial lifestyle with a youthful approach to all the amenities and services. It has a hotel and a hostel concept, which started construction two years ago in Siargao. The target opening date is Q1 of 2021,” said Maria Nicola Nievera, Marketing and Communications Manager for Discovery Suites in an interview with BusinessWorld.

While the first hotel boom in the country was prompted in the 1970s by the IMF-World Bank Meeting, a second boom happened in the 2000s, this one dominated by local brands (the previous boom saw more foreign chains). Of these, Discovery Suites was one of the first and proudly stood by its homegrown origins, even to this day.

As it stands too, Discovery Suites was the first serviced apartment in the Ortigas Business District, according to Ms. Nievera. “No other hotels have trailblazed the Filipino brand of hospitality. We have proudly leveraged on that and transformed it into action, having that culture and promise of ‘Service That’s All Heart,’ with the hand in heart gesture. We have started it early on, and have been known for this, making it a distinction of what a Discovery property is,” said Ms. Nievera. “It’s always being true to our promise and commitment in delivering the trailblazing Filipino hospitality — tasteful, memorable, and meaningful experiences that feels like home.”

Since its opening in 2000, it has won several awards, including a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence in consecutive years from 2012-2018, as well as a Conde Nast Readers’ Choice Award for Top 20 Hotels in Asia.

Meanwhile, the dinner at the hotel’s 22 Prime honored various guests and employees of the hotels who have stayed on for the past 20 years. We asked Ms. Nievera why they stayed, and she said, “It is the people that make our guests and employees stay for years, it’s the sense of family and care that we make them feel.”

Promotions to celebrate the hotel’s 20th anniversary were also announced, such as special rates for suites, but also an Anniversary Sharing Platter, a combination of 22 Prime’s bestsellers. For more information on these, visit https://www.discoverysuites.com/. — J.L. Garcia

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