IRENE SINO-CRUZ
The Grand Land Inc. plans to build more hotels carrying its two home-grown brands โ Noble and Regal.
Ryan Bernard Go, president of Grand Land Inc., made this disclosure during the media launch during the soft opening of the Noble Cebu held Sunday, June 12, 2022.
โThe Noble brand is part of our expansion plan for our Grand Regal Hotel and Resorts portfolio,โ says Ryan Bernard Go, president of Grand Land Inc.
According to Mr. Go, home-grown brands like Noble and Regal would have difficulty penetrating Metro Manila. Regal brand is part of our 5-star category while the Noble brand will come in on the limited-service lifestyle brand.
He explained that not all areas in the Philippines are ready to accommodate local brand but the company is looking at the smaller cities where the Regal and Noble brands can be introduced.
However, he said, they are looking at other urban areas that might be a good location for home-grown brands.
The groupโs first venture into the accommodations sector is the 217-room Grand Regal Hotel in Davao City, which started operations in August 1998. Then the Grand Regal Hotel Bacolod with its 91 rooms and suites opened in 2012.
Two projects under the Dusit brands โ the Dusit Princess and Dusit D2 Residences โ are also ongoing.
The 30-storey, 270-room Dusit Princess located at the North Reclamation Area in Cebu City is projected to start operations in 2023. On the other hand, Dusit D2, a 160-serviced-residences located within the Grand Residences complex in Cebu City, is scheduled for completion in 2024.
Meanwhile, the Grand Groupโs deal with Dusit International on the construction of three Asai brand hotels in Cebu is put on hold and the resumption of the project would depend on the recovery of the tourism sector post-COVID-19.
Meanwhile, Mr. Go explained that as a limited-service lifestyle brand, Noble is a new generation of affordable luxury with a focus to the local lifestyle experience.
โWe have seen the growth of Airbnb in our projects with travelers blending business, leisure and seeking the local experience in their place of stay.โ
According to Mr. Go, they saw the potential in this kind of market so the company decided to develop the Noble brand.
Having a management company operate the hotel also addressed the need for their real estate buyers who are looking for someone to manage their units to gain their potential, he added.
The Grand Group has tapped the Quantum Makati Residences & Hotels to manage the Noble Cebu Hotel. The management company is a leading serviced apartment (condominium hotel) management company established in 2000 that provides high quality services to its managed Philippine properties. It has been managing service apartments in Makati and other areas in the Philippines.
John Cole, chairman of Quantum Makati Residences & Hotels, noted that bookings for Noble are already coming in. โWe are surprised there is positive demand for the property. So, weโre looking forward to a successful operations here,โ Mr. Cole said.
Owned by the Grand Group of Companies, the 38-floor property has 100 rooms, with two room categories – the Studio Superior Room and the One Bedroom Deluxe Room.
