05/23/2011 [ tribune.net.ph ]
Sy-led conglomerate SM Investments Corp. (SM) said its wholly owned subsidiary, SM Hotels and Conventions Corp., signed a contract with Carlson, a privately held global hospitality and travel company, for the opening of a 200-room Park Inn by Radisson hotel in Davao City’s Lanang district.
The hotel will be the very first Park Inn by Radisson in the Asia Pacific region. Park Inn by Radisson is one of the hotel brands under Carlson and is the largest mid-market brand for hotels under development in Europe.
The 200-room hotel will be located within the 175,000-square meter (sqm) mixed-use complex owned and developed by SM shopping mall subsidiary, SM Prime Holdings Inc. Other projects to rise in the complex are an SM Supermall and a convention center.
SM Hotels and Conventions will construct and own the P750-million building for the Park Inn by Radisson Davao hotel, while management and operations will be handled by Carlson. Construction of the hotel is expected to start in the third quarter of this year and is scheduled to open by 2013.
SM Hotels and Conventions president Elizabeth Sy said the signing of the contract with Carlson to open a Park Inn by Radisson in Davao City is another concrete step toward fulfilling the vision of founder, Henry Sy Sr., to make the Philippines a world-class tourist destination.
“We believe that Davao is an ideal location for such an undertaking because of its robust economy, vibrant population, and excellent infrastructure, including its international airport. In addition, the Park Inn hotel will benefit from the business synergies that will be created with the other upcoming SM projects within its vicinity,” she added.
Park Inn by Radisson will feature bright, bold, and fresh room interiors coupled with fun friendly service. “With the tagline Sleep Well, Live Well, Park Inn by Radisson hotels offer a hassle-free, clean and comfortable stay at a reasonable price,” Carlson Hotels Asia Pacific executive vice president and chief development officer Xerxes Meher-Homji said. The hotel will also offer other amenities such as an all-day dining restaurant, meeting rooms, an outdoor swimming pool and a gym.
In September last year, SM Hotels and Conventions Corp. opened the upper upscale, 400-room Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu, which is also managed by Carlson. It also recently opened the Pico Sands Hotel, a 154-room resort hotel within Pico de Loro, SM’s eco-tourism project at Hamilo Coast, Nasugbu, Batangas. Danessa O. Rivera
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