TRUE to its monicker, the Queen City of the South is a “royalty” insofar as economic development is concerned.
It is the epicenter of trade and commerce, particularly in the Visayas and Mindanao regions.
Various industries thrive here with the entry of business players, from homegrown small and medium enterprises to conglomerates and even multinationals.
Dubbed as the “Oldest City” when it was first discovered and conquered by the Spanish conquistadors in the 1500s primarily to spread Christianity and, eventually the entire Philippines as a colony for more than 300 years, Cebu is now a progressive cosmopolitan area, teeming with economic zones, high-rise corporate buildings, and mix-used properties comprised of office and retail spaces, as well as residential communities.
As developments constantly extend to different parts of the city province, however, the downtown area is said to have been left behind its neighbors. But not until now, when a new landmark hospitality project rises—the One Central Hotel. This premier business hotel not only offers affordable luxury accommodations and a 360-degree panoramic view of the city, but also brings back the old glory of the once economic hub.
“Downtown Cebu is far from being sleepy,” One Central Hotel CEO Steven Yu told the members of the local and national media who graced the property’s grand launch on October 4. “It’s actually still very vibrant here.”
Historical property
ASKING any of the locals about the exact location of One Central Hotel would, more often than not, yield this unanimous answer: It’s on the site of an old wood store at the corner of Leon Kilat and Sanciangko streets.
“This used to be a landmark area—it’s a lumber yard,” the owner noted of the whereabouts of their family business, which was built from the grounds just a stone’s throw away from the place where Cebu’s Central Train Station once stood.
Down memory lane, the rail terminal was established in the early 1900s. The 57-mile railway, which is where the Development Bank of the Philippines and Cebu City Medical Center now abound, stretched all the way from Danao up north to Argao down south. There was, likewise, a short railroad that led up to the port along Leon Kilat Street.
The train served as the main mode of transportation during the time. Horse-drawn carriages, or tartanillas, also played a role in transporting the passengers to and from the train stations.
The inception of the railway system indeed paved the way for the emergence of businesses and witnessed Cebu’s modernization. But when World War II broke in the 1940s, operations of the Central Train Station ended, so as the progress and development of the city province.
Shortly after the devastating war, Cebu stood on its feet and recovered. Local and foreign investments poured in various parts, thus changing their respective landscapes. Yet, downtown, any major face-lift seemed wanting. There remain old commercial buildings, narrow roads, congested streets, night pubs, dilapidated motels and transients, among others reminiscent of Manila’s Escolta.
“We will create here another landmark thing that offers services to the public, making people feel at home,” Yu said.
Intermarriage of city resort feel
ONE Central Hotel is a humble accommodation facility that guests and even passersby wouldn’t dare imagine worthy of their stay in a day or two.
From the ground level, adjacent to dining and retail tenants of the building, visitors are merely few steps away from the elevator to lift them to the hotel’s unpretentious lobby seated on the ninth floor. They will be greeted with a warm welcome by staff members who will assist them for check-in.
The hotel offers 157 rooms with panoramic views of the city. Meeting rooms and a grand ballroom can accommodate about 350 persons for gatherings and grand celebrations. Internet connection is so fast to let guests easily access their e-mails and social network accounts, or simply browse their favorite online sites.
One can plunge into the cool waters of the hotel’s pool or flex his or her muscle at the fitness gym. Not to be missed is Café Tartanilla, which offers delectable buffet spread and downtown’s longest happy hour. This all-day dining restaurant is fronting the reception area.
“Right now, it’s really a mixture of a lot of things. So it’s a good marriage of a resort feel in the middle of the city, wherein you can swim in the pool and yet you can smell the sea from the roof deck, you can see a panoramic view, or you can see vessels passing by,” the top executive said. “The intention really is to make it something like an oasis in the middle of downtown.”
‘Amuma’ hospitality
MANAGED by Bluewater Hospitality Management Inc., One Central Hotel extends to guests their uniquely Cebuano approach to hospitality called amuma, which means “to pamper” in Visayan language.
“We pride ourselves in giving sincere and really warm service,” Bluewater Hospitality CEO Julie Alegrado-Vergara said. “So that’s an edge, hopefully, why people would want to stay here.”
Delivering amuma with excellence, the hotel’s team wants to make sure that it gives everyone a luxurious stay at an affordable price. This is a differentiating factor that makes it a standout among other accommodation facilities within and outside the downtown area.
“We cannot compete in terms of money, but we can compete in terms of service,” said Rhyz Buac, VP for finance at Bluewater Resort. “We have this ‘People is our Brand.’ So we’re banking on that.”
Robust business
SIX months since its soft launch in mid-April 2018, One Central Hotel has already received patronage from guests here and abroad.
“Actually, we’re surprised by the customers here. We get plenty of nationalities, both locals and foreigners,” Yu said.
The impressive turnout mainly comes from corporate and government accounts that conduct seminars in the hotel’s function rooms and ballroom. For the international market, it accommodates Americans, Europeans, Chinese and Japanese visitors.
“When we first opened, it was 30 percent,” Bluewater Resorts VP for Sales and Marketing Margie F. Munsayac bared. “But when July and August came, we shoot up to 70 percent.”
The management attributed this to the hotel’s strategic location being close to most of Cebu’s tourist destinations. One Central Hotel is 100 meters away from the south bus terminal, where guests can hop on and take a bus going to “must-visit” places, such as Oslob for whale watching activity, Kawasan Falls, Osmeña Peak, etc. It’s a 10-minute walk to the Santo Niño Basilica Church and the Magellan Cross—the birthplace of Christianity in the Philippines—as well as Fort San Pedro, Casa Gorordo Museum, and all key historical sites that define the Cebuano culture.
Other emerging developments are seen helpful to downtown’s reemergence to the tourism map of Cebu. One of which is the upcoming third bridge—the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway. This, according to Yu “is a game changer” that will make Cordova just maybe 30 minutes away from downtown. He also cited the peace and order situation, which is “very good.”
Seeing the continued positive business performance of the hotel, following its recent official kick off and operations, the owner expressed elation on their foray into the hospitality industry. The Yu family has been involved in trading, textile and lumber businesses.
“Upon looking at the prospects of the economy in general, I think this area is really fine for hotel and tourism,” he said. “This is our first venture [in the hotel business], but I think we are on the right track because we have a good partner, and Cebu is really a fast-rising tourism destination.”
Driving future developments
WHILE putting up a hotel is a business per se to manage and operate, the Yu clan has developed the 70-year-old property into a top-notch hotel in its class at reasonable cost for the “price-driven” market with a noble cause in mind, that is to keep its legacy and historical value and, at the same time, spur economic activities across downtown.
“We’re making this as a premier tourism destination that will sprout future developments in the area, and on top of that make Cebu really shine in the global community and the whole country become really a tourism destination so that we will not rely on only OFWs and BPO remittances, but we also have tourism and we can contribute to nation-building,” the CEO explained.
It can be observed that most of the hotels in the area are more or less a “mom and pop” type of operations, with a few rooms to accommodate the growing tourism market. Contrary to this, One Central Hotel was conceptualized to be an engine driver of the economy, while aiming to become completely different from other facilities available today.
“We hope with One Central Hotel, more and more investors will look into their properties, renovate, innovate maybe, and give this old town a new look,” Munsayac said.