Dusit International rides on the tourism wave in La Union

First 4-star resort complex in Northern Philippines

MANILA, Philippines - Global hospitality firm Dusit International is building a hotel and residences complex where tourists and homeowners alike can enjoy the popular surfing hotspot in San Juan, La Union.

The property, called dusitD2 Resort, will be developed in partnership with RCL Realty and Consulting Services Inc. and Brightbeam Corp. and is envisioned as the first four-star international brand resort in La Union and Northern Philippines.

It will stand at the front of Waves Beach Club and Residences, a 7.1-hectare mixed-use residential resort complex inspired by architecture in Malibu, California.

Components of the dusitD2 Resort project include an eight-story hotel with a beach front, two to three condominium towers, and around 50 villas.

The hotel, with a total allocated area of 7,500 square meters, will have a capacity of 174 rooms--each 41 sqm big--with two levels of basement parking. Facilities will include a gym, spa, swimming pool, two restaurants, two bars and a function room with a 1,000 seating capacity.

Directly in front of the property is dusitD2’s private beach in Urbiztondo, the famed surfing spot in the municipality of San Juan.

Guests and residents staying in the condominium towers and villas inside the complex will also enjoy a clubhouse complete with a swimming pool, children’s playground and a jogger’s lane.

Villas will have floor area ranging from 189  sqm to 261 sqm, while each condominium building will have 88 units each. Units available in the condominium towers will range from studio type rooms to penthouses.

To keep up with the Dusit brand, each property promises to combine cutting edge design, high-tech connectivity and efficient conveniences to meet the needs today’s travelers.

The whole complex is also strategically located, being only 10 to 20 minutes away from a hospital, schools, malls, supermarket and other commercial establishments.

It is three hours away from Clark International Airport and almost four hours from Metro Manila. La Union also has its own airport in San Fernando.

dusitD2 Resort, being an integral part of Waves Beach Club and Residences is also slated to open in 2019.

The development is a part of Dusit International’s aggressive expansion plan in the Philippines.

The bathroom in villa units.

“The arrival of dusitD2 branded properties in La Union signifies positive growth in the real estate and property development industry of Region 1,” said Evelyn Singson, vice chairman and president of Philippine Hoteliers Inc., holding company of the Dusit Thani brand in the country.

“The project is the first of its kind in the area and is expected to bring in more tourists, second-home buyers, and other forms of investments to the area,” she added.

Singson has expressed confidence the development of dusitD2 Resort would attract both local and international tourists to San Juan, La Union.

She said the property seeks to position La Union as the center of the triangular diamond destination of Northern Philippines.

“From San Juan, La Union, one can go up to Vigan City, the heritage capital of the North and then to the mountain summer of Baguio City,” she said.

La Union is also dubbed as the surfing capital of the North, being a surfer’s paradise especially for beginners.

“We can thus see how the development of dusitD2 can be the harbinger of progress, creating livelihood for San Juan and its environs, and opening up the triangular diamond of the North to the international market,” Singson said.

For La Union vice mayor Michael Antonio Magsaysay, the resort would also be a big contributor to the province’s three-year tourism masterplan. He said this roadmap aims to strengthen the province’s tourism industry through partnership with the private sector, among others.

Aside from tourists, real estate investors are also open to acquiring the villas, condo units and even the hotel rooms within the resort.

RCL chairman and CEO Fausto Liriano said owners of villas and condo units can opt to enroll in dusitD2’s Rental Program, while hotel room owners are required to do so.

“(Villa owners) have the option to enroll in the rental program of Dusit, make money and enjoy the unit 30 days a year for your vacation time, or you can live there,” he explained.

“At the same time, if you go into the condominium, we have the same set up. Now once we go to the hotel, it is mandatory to be enrolled to the rental program of Dusit. It’s pure investment. But you can enjoy 30 days a year basically for free,” he added.

Liriano said the company’s target market can range from Class A to C market, including residents of  La Union, overseas Filipino workers, professionals and middle aged citizens.

“We are confident that the dusitD2 Resort, San Juan will be a huge success,” the company official said.

To date, Dusit International operates dusitD2 properties across Thailand, China, Kenya and the US.

About 13 more dusitD2 properties in Bhutan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Oman, the Philippines, Qatar and the UAE are on the pipeline.

Other brands in Dusit International’s international portfolio include Dusit Thani, Dusit Princess and Dusit Devarana.