ARANETA City, branded as the City of Firsts, aims to regain its old grandeur enjoyed in the ’60s and the early ’70s by beefing up its facilities and infrastructure.
“With the completion of Gateway Mall, we are going to be competitive as far as the critical mass is concerned. It is the same with hotels as we are also going to have a critical mass as far as hotel rooms are concerned,” Araneta City Senior Management Consultant Rowell Recinto told reporters in an interview on the sidelines of the ceremonial topping of ibis Styles Hotel on January 20.
Recinto said the ongoing and future developments of Araneta City will give them the critical mass not only for shoppers and hotel goers, but also for people going to the Araneta Coliseum and dining aficionados. “As you know, Araneta City is not known to be a place for late dining activities,” he said.
“But we are trying to establish that by pairing that with the roof-deck bar Ibism” he added.
He said they will be inspired by the hangout bars in Bangkok and New York. By introducing those innovations, Recinto said they hope Araneta City can bring in the crowd that can compete with major business districts in the area.
Recinto admitted getting the critical mass is going to be a huge challenge for Araneta City as it has to compete with the property titans SMDC and Ayala, which has SM City North and Vertis North, respectively. “I think we are going to be competitive because we span two market segments that of Novotel and ibis,” he said.
Developed by the international hospitality company Accor, the French-based ibis Hotel brand is going to be positioned as an affordable yet creative brand for both leisure and business travelers. The Araneta group brings the brand to the Philippines via a P1.5-billion 15-story hotel along General Roxas Avenue, one of the latest additions to Araneta City’s growing offerings.
Recinto said the ibis Styles Hotel will offer an eclectic atmosphere with warm service in a unique design environment that will match the fast-paced and demanding lifestyle of an on-the-go traveler.
The ibis Styles Hotel will house 286 comfortable and spacious rooms, with 22 guest rooms available per floor. Each of these rooms will treat travelers with ibis Styles’ signature and relaxing Sweet Bed, a trademark of the ibis brand.
Consistent with its design philosophy, the ibis Styles Hotel in Araneta City will display individuality and stylish comfort reflecting the soul, and heritage, of its location.
A stone’s throw away from the historic Smart Araneta Coliseum, the property will showcase the legacy of the country’s sports and entertainment mecca. Interiors of the hotel will feature designs based on historical events in the coliseum, such as the 1975 Thrilla in Manila, Binibining Pilipinas pageants, and some unforgettable sports and music events.
The ibis Styles Hotel will be constructed above the much-awaited expansion of the Gateway Mall, the New Gateway.
It will be conveniently accessible from the metropolis’s main road arteries Edsa, Aurora Boulevard and P. Tuazon Boulevard in Quezon City.
Recinto stressed the ibis Styles Hotel will be an exciting addition to the reinvigoration of the Araneta City. Together with the New Gateway, it is the latest addition to the Gateway area that currently features the Novotel Hotel, the Smart Araneta Coliseum, the Gateway Tower Building and the Parking Garage South Building.