Ayala Land to operate own hotel brand

MANILA, Philippines - Ayala Land Hotels and Resorts Corp., the tourism and hospitality unit of property giant Ayala Land Inc., will soon be operating its first wholly-owned hotel brand with the soft opening of the 179-room Seda Bonifacio Global City.

Seda is an urban lifestyle hotel brand envisioned to offer travellers the advantages of location, excellent service and great value.

A second Seda hotel will also rise in Cagayan de Oro before the end of the year.

AHRC chief operating officer Al Legaspi, said the company would add within the next 14 months a total of 665 rooms spread out among four Seda properties, each within an ALI mixed-use community.

Seda Bonifacio Global City is within easy access of the restaurants and shops of Bonifacio High Street and Serendra within the emerging business district.

Seda Centrio Cagayan de Oro, on the other hand, will house 150 rooms located within the Centrio ALI mixed-use development which includes offices and retail. The Abreeza, Davao and Nuvali projects are scheduled to open in the first and last quarters of 2013, respectively.

Legaspi said Seda was conceptualized to capture opportunities presented by the booming tourism industry. “There is such tremendous opportunity in the country’s flourishing foreign and domestic tourist industries. Our Seda hotel line is well positioned to capture more than its fair market share across various regions with our superior product and strategic location within Ayala Land’s mixed use developments,” he said.

Andrea Mastellone, Seda group general manager, observed that because each Seda hotel is easily accessible to an Ayala mall and office spaces, it is destined to be a destination in each of the cities it is located. Moreover, the hotelier with 25 years experience in the global hospitality industry hopes to provide each visitor an “optimal guest experience” through state-of-the-art technology and the personable service that has distinguished the work of Filipinos in the hospitality industry worldwide.

“Seda will offer the convenience and security of a high-energy, central location on top of innate Filipino hospitality combined with global best practices,” he noted.

A Seda guest room and facilities will further be distinguished by contemporary design associated with boutique hotels. “Because AHRC is both the developer and operator of the Seda brand, we can be more flexible in giving our clients what they want at best values,” explained Mastellone.

AHRC has tapped well-known Filipino architect Conrad Onglao to design all the interiors, including guestrooms and public areas. Onglao initially established his practice in the US West Coast where he worked with or was exposed to the best designers in the global hospitality industry.

Legaspi  said the name “Seda,” which means silk, was chosen to capture the “new and fluid hospitality experience” that represents the best today’s Filipino has to offer.