[ Malaya.com.ph ] May 10, 2011
SM Investments Corp. has signed up Carlson to manage its 200-room hotel in Davao City, carrying Carlson’s "Park Inn" brand under its Radisson hotel group.
The hotel in Lanang district 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 Park Inn hotel will be located in the 175,000-square-meter 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 Corp., the unit handling the SM group’s hotel and leisure business, will build and own the P750 million development for Park Inn, 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.
"The signing of our contract with Carlson to open a Park Inn by Radisson in Davao City is another concrete step towards fulfilling the vision of our founder, Henry Sy Sr., to make the Philippines a world-class tourist destination," said Elizabeth T. Sy, president of SM Hotels and Conventions.
"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," said Sy.
"With the tagline Sleep Well, Live Well, Park Inn by Radisson hotels offer a hassle-free, clean and comfortable stay at a reasonable price," said Xerxes Meher-Homji, executive vice-president and chief development officer, Carlson Hotels Asia Pacific.
In September last year, SM Hotels and Conventions Corp. opened the upscale 400-room Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu, which is managed by Carlson. It also recently opened Pico Sands Hotel, a 154-room resort hotel within Pico de Loro, SM’s eco-tourism project at Hamilo Coast, Nasugbu, Batangas.
SM Hotels and Convention eyes more hotels developed in partnership with Carlson.
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