Mövenpick focuses on Asia
Mövenpick Mactan Island Cebu
MANILA, Philippines — THE “MOST DYNAMIC AND FAST-GROWING tourism market in the world” has caught the attention of the Executive Committee of Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, who recently paid a visit to their key partners in the Phil- ippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia, with a view of strengthening their presence in Asia.
“We’ve been present in Asia since 2007. We opened our first hotel in Phuket in 2007. So we’ve been present in the region for a while, but it’s just recently started to turn into a more significant region for us,” says senior vice president for human resources Craig Cochrane. “What we’ve wanted to do is bring the executive team here, spend time with owning companies, seeing the properties, seeing hotels that are under construction, meeting potential owning companies, just to get a very personalized feeling for the area and to become familiar with the various different markets.”
Andrew Langdon, chief development officer and senior vice president for Asia, adds that the company has taken notice of Asia because of its great market potential.
In the Philippines, Mövenpick has been operating in Mactan, Cebu since 2011. The contemporary five-star beachfront resort features 245 rooms and suites. “It is out- performing the actual market,” Langdon reports.
The executive team is also excited to be opening a second property in Boracay before the end of the year. Mövenpick Resort & Spa Boracay will open on the island’s idyllic Punta Bunga Beach and is set to become one of the destination’s leading resorts.
The five-star resort boasts of 333 rooms and suites. Located at a more private part of the popular tourist island, the resort’s beach has Bora- cay’s famed fine sand. “It’s gorgeous, it’s amazing,” says senior vice president- commercial Paul Mulcahy. “There’s something for every- body, from a romantic holiday to a family trip,” he adds, highlighting the wide array of food choices with seven different food and beverage outlets; a Little Birds Club for young guests; the Mövenpick world-famous beach club; Chocolate Hour, among other attractions. The resort will also feature the largest swimming pool on the island and the only casino in Boracay.
“We think with the Swiss DNA of our brand and that consistency and focus on detail married with the Philippine or Asian culture really is a great plan,” says Mulcahy.
The executive committee has worked with many Filipinos in the hotel industry abroad, says Cochrane, who says that the Philippine properties embody “a combination of the ‘Swissness’ of the company and the natural warmth of the Philippine people.”
He adds, “Quality and pre- cision are two of the hallmarks of Switzerland. Usually when people think of Switzerland, they think of banks, fancy watches, the best chocolate in the world. That’s very important in our hotel setting, because if you say to our guest, ‘We’ll deliver your laundry within two hours,’ then you should deliver it in two hours. We find that our Filipino col- leagues understand that very well, they take it very seriously and they seem to want to always strive and learn and get better at what they do. So I think that combination has been very successful for us.”
Mövenpick president and CEO Olivier Chavy likewise has taken notice of the country’s potential in the tourism market. “The Philippines presents strong development potential for Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts... It is one of Asia’s fastest-growing tourism markets and offers a wide range of destination possibilities that are currently untapped by upscale hospitality brands. With two properties under our management al- ready, we are now seeking further opportunities to grow our footprint in key locations across the country including the capital, Manila.”
With growing interest in the Asian market, the company now operates 10 hotels and resorts in several Asian destinations, with five hotels and resorts in Thailand and one property in each of the following countries – the Philippines, China, Indonesia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka.
The executive team adds their long-term goal is to further build on the company’s Asian portfolio by 2020. There are already 17 new projects signed, all of which are on track to open by 2020, growing the Asia portfolio to 27 properties in the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Bangladesh, China and the Maldives.
Talks are also ongoing with potential potential owning companies in Palawan and Manila. Cochrane says, “We’re very optimistic about our future here in the Philippines and we look forward to growing it.”
