Posted on October 11, 2015 10:39:00 PM [ BusinessWorld Online ]
By Krista A. M. Montealegre, Senior
Reporter
ROCKWELL Land Corp. is partnering with
global hotel chain Marriott International, Inc. to expand its hotel and leisure
business amid upbeat tourism growth prospects.
Rockwell Land President Nestor J.
Padilla told reporters on Friday night the company is acquiring a beachfront
property in Mactan Island, Cebu that may be part of the Autograph Collection
Hotels.
The Autograph Collection is Marriott
International’s chain of independent hotels.
“What’s nice about the Autograph
Collection is you keep your name unlike other arrangements that you have to
call it Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott or Four Seasons. The Autograph Collection
allows us to call it Aruga,” Mr. Padilla said.
The Lopez-owned property developer
operates serviced apartments under the Aruga brand within its Edades Tower and
Garden Villa development in Rockwell Center, marking its maiden foray into the
leisure and hotel business.
“It will be managed by them but we
keep our name so we can build the brand and that’s what we will bring to Cebu
once we finalize our negotiations,” Mr. Padilla said.
Last year, Rockwell Land rolled out
its first venture outside Metro Manila with the launch of 32 Sanson, a
3.2-hectare (ha) development composed of five mid-rise residential towers in
Lahug, Cebu City.
“We’re bullish with Cebu. We’re
bullish with the (new) airport. At this point, we want to make sure we have the
right development,” Mr. Padilla said.
Rockwell Land is also developing an
Aruga hotel in Rockwell Center, he added.
NEW MUSEUM
Meanwhile, the property company
unveiled the fifth and final tower of the Proscenium, a mixed-use project
rising on a 3.6-ha lot previously owned by Colgate-Palmolive Philippines.
Rockwell Land expects nearly P11
billion in sales from the Proscenium Residences, Mr. Padilla said. It is
scheduled for turnover by 2019.
At 59 storeys, the Proscenium
Residences is the tallest of the five luxury residential towers within the
enclave and hosts a mix of 100 studio units, 122 one-bedroom units, 241
two-bedroom units, and 100 three-bedroom units.
Rockwell Land is also bringing the
Lopez Museum -- which has an archive of books, manuscripts and maps -- to the
Proscenium.
The Lopez Museum, currently located at
the Benpres Building in Ortigas, has a collection of paintings by old masters
Juan Luna and Félix Resurrección Hidalgo as well as works by National Artists
including Carlos “Botong” V. Francisco, Vicente S. Manansala, Hernando R.
Ocampo, Cesar T. Legaspi and Arturo R. Luz.
Shares in Rockwell Land added three
centavos or 1.91% to P1.60 apiece on Friday.
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