THE Chinese New Year is a great time to usher in prosperity and goodwill for all.
The Chinese-Filipino owners of Amelie Hotel Manila in Malate—led by lawyer Roberto “Bobby” Uy of Ruygroup Hotel Corp.—certainly thought so and decided to formally open the hotel’s doors to the public on that auspicious day.
Amelie Hotel (www.ameliehotelmanila.com), along J. Bocobo Street, stands on what was once the site of the Uy ancestral home.
Managed by the Paramount Hotel and Facilities Management Co. Inc., the 70-room hotel is designed in the modern minimalist style, painted in splashes of bold red and black, with touches of art deco-inspired accents, framed black and white photos of Manila’s iconic Filipino buildings, and graphic representations of Manila’s cultural scene.
On the ground floor, for instance, hotel guests are welcomed by an illustrated oversized map of Metro Manila on the wall beside the elevators. The same map is replicated in several rooms, which serves not only as a design element but actually helps hotel guests navigate the streets of Malate and point them to the direction of Manila’s interesting landmarks and attractions.
In an interview with select media, Paramount COO Dean Y. Cid said Amelie Hotel echoes the once-Bohemian vibe of Malate. “We wanted to feature more of the arts and the culture of Metro Manila. As such, our marketing approach also is to make people aware of the events around the area, like if there’s an art exhibit or a cultural event, then we highlight that and not just focus on the hotel.”
Paramount is the sister company of Microtel Development Corp. which manages the Microtel hotels in the Philippines. “Paramount manages independently owned hotels,” he explained, “unlike Microtel, which puts up hotels from the ground up.”
He said Amelie is targeting the “upper leisure market” in Metro Manila. “We’d like to have a good mix of corporate, as well as government clients because we see a lot of shipping companies around, a lot of government agencies, pharmaceutical firms and medical institutions—so there’s a healthy mix. Even if we’re a little bit far from convention areas, we still have a good location because we’re in the entertainment area.”
While the hotel is not focusing specifically on any nationality in terms of tourists, he said, “We’d like to have more foreign guests as well because the Malate area has been attracting a really good share of the foreign market. There are Europeans and Japanese here, as well as foreign residents.” So far, Amelie’s guests have been composed of mostly Filipino individual leisure travelers or couples since it soft-opened last October.
“We were 100-percent full during the papal visit,” Cid noted, “because we are just walking distance to the Quirino Grandstand [where Pope Francis said Mass].”
The hotel also recently had, as long-staying guests, the foreign staff of the H&M Group, which recently opened a branch at Robinsons Place, just a few steps away. “So our occupancy was about 50 percent—during the soft-opening period. Now we’re gearing up for the second half of the year. We’re slowly improving our occupancy, and getting more online business. Our hotel is listed in Agoda, Booking.com, and Expedia—most of the big online hotel-reservation sites,” he said.
Aside from the refined and luxurious guest rooms, there is a function room on the 12th floor that can accommodate 130 people “theater-style,” a gym on the roof deck, as well as a swimming pool currently under construction. “You can still see a portion of Manila Bay and the iconic sunset [from the roof deck],” he added.
On the ground floor is a restaurant and bar called Galleon that features global and fusion culinary delights. It is managed by Mario’s Kitchen, which also operates the Mario’s restaurants in Baguio and Tomas Morato, Quezon City.
“We’re also a stone’s throw away from the entertainment scene, with many restaurants around, convenience stores, and the tourist areas like Binondo [Chinatown]. We have shuttle services to these tourist areas and important Manila landmarks,” Cid said, pointing out the hotel’s pluses.
Aside from the hotel’s strategic location and pleasant design, he underscored the high standard of service Amelie’s staff offers, as well as the cleanliness of its facilities. “This is what sets us apart from other hotels in the area. We pride ourselves for our high cleaning standards—which is what the Microtel/Paramount group is known for—and which are reflected in the guests’ comment cards.”
Added Amelie General Manager Jose Antonio Sacluti: “There are many structures like Amelie Hotel in the Malate area, but none offers the kind of service we give. We are a boutique hotel giving four-star service to our guests. This will be carried out through our professional, efficient, but extremely warm service. It is the small details and gestures given with sincerity that set Amelie Hotel apart from the rest.”
The hotel is owned by the Ruygroup Hotel Corp. which was established in 2012, and is affiliated with the Uy Group of Companies. The latter is into real-estate development, specifically commercial and residential leasing. Amelie Hotel Manila is the first project of Ruygroup.
Paramount also manages Cintai Corito’s Garden in Balete, Batangas; the Phinma Training Center in Tagaytay; San Tomas Suites at the First Industrial Park in Santo Tomas, Batangas; Salcedo Suites in Makati City; Millie’s Restaurants at the Microtel Hotels in the Mall of Asia Complex, Santo Tomas, Batangas, and Ayala Technohub; and the Te Quiero Tapas Bar and Restaurant in Microtel Baguio; as well as the Phinma Plaza in Rockwell, Makati.
Special to the Businessmirror