To reopen under new management, Garwood Park Hotel undergoes facelift

A group of Cebuano businessmen pooled together a multi-million-peso investment to reopen Garwood Park Hotel, which will now be known as Cebu Rajah Park Hotel, by end of October this year.

The Cebu Rajah Park Hotel Ventures Inc. started the renovation of the idle hotel infrastructure, located at the Fuente Osmeña last May this year, and full completion of the project is expected by November.

According to Greg Perral, assistant manager for administration, the hotel will initially open for commercial operation hopefully by last week of October, as some construction projects, especially the rooms and the lobby are now 90 percent completed.

The hotel, formerly the Park Place Hotel, was renamed Garwood Hotel from 2001 to 2005. The Garwood management declared bankruptcy and closed down the property early this year.

Perral said the hotel would have a brand new look, as the old lobby will be totally remodeled, as well as the room furnishing, bathroom fixtures, among others.

"We would like to open the hotel in time for the upcoming Advertising Congress on November, down to peak Christmas season, and Sinulog on January," Perral said in an interview with The Freeman.

Repair and face-lifting of the hotel facility also include a brand new elevator and all air-conditioning units, over-all repainting inside and outside the building, installation of new tiles, plumbing fittings, and total renovation of the ground floor, lobby, with the installation of a cascading waterfalls at the entrance.

The new hotel is also restoring the famous "Fuente O" resto-bar, Perral said.

In the first year of operation, the company is planning to run with very lean personnel, and may hire about 40 to 50 support staff.

The entry of three-star Cebu Rajah Park Hotel would help the room shortage problem faced currently by Cebu, especially for business hotel category.

The original structure of the hotel facility was built in a 150-hotel room capacity, but after the Casino Filipino leased part of the hotel building, the capacity for number of rooms was reduced to 87.

Other facilities that are now being constructed are the sauna and massage clinic, business center at the lobby to be equipped with complete communication facilities, and five function rooms-the main hall of which can accommodate 300 guests.

Perral added that the company would be coordinating with the Cebu City government to rehabilitate the Fuente Osmeña Park and the surrounding areas like the sidewalks to make the Fuente environment more pedestrian and tourist friendly.