Blu, blu, My world is blu

MANILA, Philippines - All roads led to Ce-Blu earlier this month when the Queen City of the South unveiled another one of its gems, one that – truly like a precious gem – took years to see the glorious light of day.

In the late 1980’s Henry Sy Sr., founder and chairman of the SM group of companies, saw the great potential of Cebu City as a commercial and business hub and consequently decided to build an SM mall and a hotel along Sergio Osmeña Boulevard on Cebu’s North Reclamation area. The construction of the mall went on as scheduled and it was inaugurated in 1993 as SM City Cebu. The hotel’s basic structure was finished but due to the Asian financial crisis of 1997, the project was mothballed for better times.

In 2008 when things looked brighter for Cebu and the country, SM decided to resume the hotel project. By that time, SM City Cebu had evolved into one of the city’s principal commercial and retail complexes and it was logical to open the hotel for the growing number of business and leisure travelers. The task fell on the lap of one of the six Sy siblings, youngest daughter Elizabeth, president of SM Hotels and Conventions Corp.

Not very many people know that SM is now into the hotel, resort and convention business. Its venture into the hotel industry started with the acquisition of the Taal Vista Lodge in Tagaytay in 1989. Elizabeth’s involvement in this facet of SM’s operations came later and, by her account, quite accidentally.

The Radisson Blu boasts of an imposing façade

“My Dad was meeting with a group of businessmen regarding Taal Vista Lodge and I happened to pass by the room. He called me to sit in the meeting and when his business partners asked who in SM would be in charge, my Dad pointed to me. I was of course quite surprised but after listening to the discussions, I told them that I would only get involved if the hotel could be renovated and redesigned the way I think it should be,” Elizabeth reveals.

Since then, she has transformed Tall Vista Hotel into Tagaytay’s prime hotel, developed Pico de Loro as the country’s biggest resort, opened the SMX as the country’s largest and busiest convention center, and just recently, inaugurated the latest project of the SM Hotel and Conventions Corporation, the Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu, now considered one of the best hotels in the Philippines.

“It took us one and a half years to conceptualize, design and finish construction of the hotel. From the start, following the vision of my father, we wanted it to be a world-class hotel, something that SM and Cebu could be proud of,” Elizabeth says. They decided to partner with the Carlson Group which manages the Radisson group of hotels around the world. Thus the hotel earned the distinction of being the first Radisson hotel in the Asia Pacific region.

The location of the 20-storey hotel is ideal and to the business traveler, convenient – only 8 kilometers from the Mactan airport and adjacent to Cebu’s biggest shopping complex and international port. It is also in the vicinity of the city’s business district and is easily accessible to Cebu’s social set. The hotel facilities are impressive even for someone who has already stayed in numerous 5-star hotels all over the world. There are 400 guest rooms including 50 business class and executive rooms and suites that are spacious, elegant and functional.

The rooms have all the amenities one would like to enjoy in a hotel – memory foam beds, goose feather pillows and duvets, 37-inch flat screen TV, complimentary high-speed Internet and Wi-fi access, a convenient iPod-iPhone docking system and alarm clock, electronic safety deposit box large enough for a laptop, iron and ironing board, and coffee and tea making facilities.

Even the bathroom facilities and amenities are top of the line. Developed exclusively for the Radisson Hotels and Resorts, the Asira Body Care line of products manufactured in Thailand are made of natural ingredients and essences that will delight environmentalists.

Impressive interiors – the expansive bar-lounge at the main lobby

But what is truly impressive about the hotel is the interior design. Upon going through the main entrance, one is immediately impressed by the majestic lobby with cathedral-high ceilings and floor to ceiling glass windows. On the left and front is a spacious lounge-bar that serves the best frozen margarita in the country. Walking further to the right we find the reception desk and the grand marble staircase that leads to the second floor grand ballroom. The lobby is sparsely furnished compared to other five-star hotels but visual delight is created by the design accents on the marble floors and the walls.

“In light of our optimism about the prospects of Philippine tourism and the resurgence of the economy, we exerted our utmost efforts to ensure that the highest quality in the hotel’s design, functionality, detail, and artwork are firmly in place for its opening,” Elizabeth says. “We also aim to be the showcase of the best of Cebu, and have started this by acquiring the artworks of Cebu’s most noted abstractionists Tito Cuevas, Sio Montera and Karl Roque which are now prominently displayed in the hotel’s lobbies. All of our furniture are also manufactured in Cebu,” she proudly adds.

Indeed one could find gems in interior design strategically located in nooks and crannies of the hotel – the hallway to the elevators with dramatic black marble and wooden finish, the entrance wall of the ballroom inlaid with mother of pearl, the second floor onyx wall of the business center and the beautiful metallic lamps in the ballroom foyer. The interior of the coffee shop Feria is also tastefully done in contemporary style that provides good setting for its sumptuous breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets.

The hotel had its soft opening last Sept. 27 but the grand opening was held on Nov. 10 with no less than President Aquino as guest of honor. The opening ceremonies began at noon with the President cutting the ceremonial ribbon and delivering the inaugural address. He lauded the Cebuanos’ contribution to national economic development and commended the Sy family, who were present in full force, for being at the forefront in the commercial, retail, banking and land development in the country.

President Aquino graced the hotel’s opening, shown here with members of the Sy family and hotel executives.

In the evening, Cebu’s social and political elite trooped to the hotel for the grand opening reception. The event started with cocktails at the main lobby followed by a reception and program in the Santa Maria ballroom. It was easily the hottest ticket in town and invitations were much sought after by Cebu’s who’s who.

The buffet was excellent and abundant, the champagne and wines flowed and the ballroom’s lounge set-up created a nice and cozy ambience.

The entertainment program was no less impressive. Young tenor Collins Gutierrez sang classical and popular favorites backed up by the Serenata band. The CompanY belted out popular period songs to the delight of the crowd. The evening was capped by the raffle of an Audi worth P3 million, won by young Cebu socialite June Alegrado. Guests stayed on after the program enjoying the saxophone music of Vince Lahorra who played until near midnight.

Former DOT undersecretary Edu Jarque, who hails from Cebu City, rightfully sums it up, “The opening of Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu is much anticipated and most welcome by discerning Cebuanos. It is an ideal partnership between the Carlson Group, known for their industry knowledge and expertise, and the Sy family who are leaders in all the businesses they are involved in. The hotel’s hardware (facilities and amenities) and software (staff and service) will certainly set new benchmarks of excellence.”

“We are confident that the Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu will be the tourist destination of choice and the leading events venue in Cebu City and nearby regions,” Elizabeth says with justifiable pride. From the looks of it, the hotel will indeed gradually become an important part of Cebu’s social and tourism life, an establishment that is set to become one of the city’s – and perhaps even the country’s — many tourism gems.