FAIRMONT Hotels & Resorts is considering three seaside destinations as possible locations for a new hotel or resort in the Philippines.
In an email to the BusinessMirror, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts CEO Mark Willis said, “We look forward to expanding our Fairmont Hotels & Resorts footprint in the Philippines. The country is a unique global destination which features incredible nature through its wonderful beach and resort locations, including Boracay, Mactan or Palawan, which would make great locations to consider for introducing a second Fairmont hotel and a first Fairmont resort, should the opportunity arise.”
Acquired in 2016 by France-based AccorHotels, the international luxury hospitality chain manages the 280-room Fairmont Makati, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary along with its sister properties—the 32-all suite Raffles Makati and 237 Raffles Residences—owned by the Ayala Land Hotels and Resorts Corp., the hospitality arm of Ayala Land Inc.
What makes the Philippines an ideal location for Fairmont Hotels, and Accor, said Willis, is “the beautiful nature…. The Philippines is a wonderful destination filled with natural wonders, from the bustling cities to stunning beaches and mountains, the destination benefits from both leisure and business travelers alike.”
He added the country also attracts a tourist market that Fairmont in which it is particularly dominates. “When looking at the strongest markets traveling to Philippines, we notice a strong inflow from regional travelers, for which the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts brand resonates, due to our latest openings in Asia including the Fairmont in Seoul, South Korea and China. The US also appears to be a key market for the country and for which the brand currently resonates the most.”
The famed hospitality of Filipinos also makes the country a welcome addition to Fairmont Hotels’ expanding network. “Indeed, the hospitality and welcoming traits of Filipinos forms an inherent part of the culture. Visitors to this incredible country are welcomed and treated as long-time friends. Fairmont Hotels & Resorts are a place where we turn moments into memories, and this is definitely how I felt during my last visit in the Philippines,” said Willis.
Like most hotels in the country, Fairmont Makati has also regained its stride, post-pandemic, although Willis declined to disclose the property’s current occupancy rate and financial health, pending Accor’s disclosure of its 2022 bottomline to investors.
Despite the widely-reported labor shortage in the local hospitality industry, Willis contends that “the labor market is fairly strong and resilient, therefore the hotel has been able to select potential ambassadors from a pool of qualified and skilled applicants. The hospitality industry in general was able to cope with manning requirements as the hotel industry bounced back after the pandemic.”
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts operates more than 80 hotels across the globe, and is the luxury segment of Accor, a world leading hospitality group with over 5,300 properties in more than 110 countries. Accor currently operates eight hotels with 2,500 rooms in the Philippines, with 13 new properties (2,588 rooms) scheduled to open over the next five years. These include Sofitel Cebu City (194 keys), Novotel Cebu Mactan Resort (195 keys), Mercure Clark (228 keys), and ibis Styles Manila Araneta Center (286 keys).