By Gerard S. Ramos / Lifestyle & Entertainment editor
THE Department of Tourism (DOT) last month reported that in the first seven months of 2015, the number of tourist arrivals increased by 8.66 percent compared to the numbers pulled in over the same period last year. According to the DOT, inbound visitors from January to July totalled 3,109,349, a not-inconsiderable bump up from the 2,861,572 arrivals in 2014 over the same period.
According to the DOT, the biggest chunk of arrivals came from Asia, with Korea topping the list overall with 762,277 arrivals, or a 24.52-percent share, generating P5.520 billion in receipts. The US came in second with 481,167 visitors that contributed P4.176 billion to the economy, followed by Japan with a total of 278,884 visitors that pumped P1.003 billion into the country.
Meanwhile, China may have finished fourth in terms of arrivals at 257,014 visitors, but they generated more receipts at P1.334 billion. Rounding out the top 5 markets in terms of arrivals was Australia, recording 137,242 arrivals that spent P969 million while exploring the things that are so-called more fun in the Philippines.
The other visitor markets that spurred growth in tourist arrivals around these parts include Singapore at 107,402 arrivals; Taiwan at 104,233 arrivals; Canada at 93,403 arrivals; the United Kingdom with 91,239 arrivals; and Malaysia with 90,947 arrivals.
The tourist arrival numbers may not bode well for the government’s target of 10 million arrivals by next year, but the figures are obviously healthy enough for the players in the hotel industry into developing new properties targeted at specific segments of the transient market, foreign or otherwise.
Bellevue Hotels & Resorts, the company behind the award-winning The Bellevue Manila in Alabang (2014 TripAdvisor Travelers Choice Award winner as one of the Top 25 Luxury Hotels in the Philippines), has opened the second iteration of B Hotel, its midscale boutique hotel brand, in one of the busiest pockets in Quezon City. (The first B Hotel is located not far from the company’s flagship property in Alabang.) It is targeted at the market that wants to get the best value for their money without having to spend their business trip, mini-break or full-on vacation in Trappist simplicity.
Situated on 14 Scout Rallos Street in the Timog/Tomas Morato area, with the country’s two biggest networks (GMA and ABS-CBN) mere minutes away, B Hotel (thebellevue.com/b-hotel-qc/), designed by the multiawarded Architect Edward Co Tan, rises 11 storys and looks unassuming, even nondescript from the outside, a block of cement bearing little else but the brand logo on the top side. Once inside, however, the visual tale goes from inconspicuous to a sleek industrial aesthetic with generous doses of steampunk dash, the cement walls left bare and treated only with the faintest hint of gloss, the glass windows almost reaching the height of the high ceiling, Edison bulbs and pendant lights providing soft and stylish illumination, the furnishings and embellishments plush in texture and bold in color—style statements that are repeated in the generously sized rooms in which you could shut away the rest of the world on your mini-break.
In keeping with the standards of excellence that the Bellevue brand has established, B Hotel Managing Director Ryan Chan said, “A great business hotel should go beyond the basics. We believe that focus on guest experience and satisfaction is the new business amenity.”
To that end, the new B Hotel—which had its soft opening in late August—offers a complete roster of in-house amenities: there’s an al-fresco pool with a stunning view of the northern parts of the metropolis, a modern gym for your workout fix, the Pastry Corner for decadent delights, the Lobby Café where local and international cuisines are served, the retro Mezzanine Bar for unwinding with friends in handsome leather chairs, and a Jing Monis salon for your beauty and pampering needs. And, yes, the hotel also has a business center and a conference room, plus a ballroom with a 200-seating capacity and the AV features you would expect from such a venue.
Of course, given that the hotel is still on its soft opening, our recent overnighter there turned up a few wrinkles (a glass of water with lots of ice delivered to our table by hand and not on a tray; a shower head that apparently was not properly installed) that could—and would—be easily ironed out. All things considered, however, B Hotel in Quezon City should easily become the preferred temporary residence of transients and tourists who don’t need all the bells and whistles of a luxury hotel but still expect value for their money as they come in on a quick business trip or to sample what’s more fun in the Philippines. The brand, according to Chan, will soon make its presence also felt in Santa Rosa in Laguna, General Santos City, and Cagayan de Oro in due course, with the company’s sights also eyeing possibilities in other pockets of Asia such as Myanmar.
