Raising the bar in Phl hotel and resort industry

MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos have made a name for themselves as some of the best employees in hotels and resorts around the world for their genuine and innate hospitality. 

Despite this, Santiago Elizalde, Roxaco Land Corp. president and chief executive officer, said Filipinos have yet to see a local hotel and resort brand that they can truly call world-class.

“People always talk about Filipino hospitality. If you look at the top hotel brands around the world, more of the staff are Filipino. What the Filipino has to offer is recognized. But unfortunately, we don’t really have a high-end Filipino hotel resort brand that we can talk about,” Elizalde said. 

Anya – from a Sanskrit term which means boundless and extraordinary – is envisioned to become the Philippines’ first world-class resort brand that meets international standards, making it worthy of representing the Filipino brand of hospitality in the global arena. 

“Our vision is simple: to make Anya Resort and Residences the number one Filipino resort brand. We want to represent the Filipino hospitality and plant the Philippine flag in the global hotel and resort industry. This is what we have to offer. Anya is a truly Filipino resort brand,” Elizalde said.

First conceptualized in 2012, Anya Resort and Residences opened it first resort in a 7.2-hectare property in Tagaytay. 

Elizalde said Roxaco is already mulling the possibility of putting up a second resort in Palawan within the next two years.

He said the brand also seeks to expand into other prime locations in the country.

“The idea would be to get this first property up and running. Once we feel that we have it right, then we can move on to the second property,” he said.

Roxaco is also considering the possibility of bringing the Anya brand to other countries when the right opportunity comes, according to Elizalde. 

“We’ll get there. But obviously we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. We want to identify and be present in local destinations and then maybe eventually look beyond the country,” he said.

Industry leader

Elizalde said Tagaytay is the perfect location for Anya’s pioneer branch. Located just 90-minutes away from Metro Manila, Tagaytay is a favorite getaway spot for tourists —both local and foreign — as well as a retirement haven. 

“It’s important that we make it accessible so people can get a taste of what the Anya brand has to offer,” Elizalde said.

“And obviously, there are now a lot of activities that are available in Tagaytay. The weather is   fantastic. You can go down the lake, see the volcano, go to the beaches in Batangas. I think for our first property it’s the ideal location,” he added.

Aside from raising the bar in  the local hospitality industry, Elizalde said the property also provides investors the opportunity to grow their money. 

“The development is made up of three phases. The initial phase involved open lots, which were sold out over a period of two years,” Elizalde said. 

He said these lots served as a good investment for owners who may have plans to resell the lots in the future.

“We started off selling the lots at about P6,000 per square meter. And I believe now, five years later, the original owners are now selling their properties for about P18,000 to P20,000 per square meter. So over a period of five years, the original investors have been able to triple the value of their investment,” he said.

Alternatively, these lots can also be used by owners to construct their second homes. Now, there are 54 personally designed resort estates sitting in the property.

The second phase of the development is the Anya Resort, which consists of 88 hotel units. Elizalde said these rooms were also sold to investors who are looking for fast and high-earning investments.

“The owners will receive 45 percent of the total room revenue, not including the revenue from food and beverage. All units are part of a pool so everybody receives the same amount whether their particular unit is used or not,” he said.

“As an owner, you also get free nights a year,” he added.

The last phase, meanwhile, involves nine low-rise buildings comprised of 134 fully furnished residences, which are expected to be sold over the next 12 months.

Families looking for second homes can choose within a range of oversized, one, two, or three-bedroom homes with their own private gardens and terraces.

“I think Anya is a fairly unique concept for the area. We offer many things, many different options for those that are interested in becoming part of the Anya family,” Elizalde said.