PROPERTY firm Megaworld Corp. is spending P8 billion within the next seven years for the construction and development of five luxury hotels in its 28.8-hectare Mactan Newtown project in Lapu-Lapu City, top officials announced yesterday.
The five hotels are expected to provide an additional 2,000 hotel rooms in the island, said Noli Hernandez, president of Megaworld Cebu Properties Inc.
The company will first erect two 18-storey hotels- the Mactan Belmont Luxury Hotel and the Savoy Hotel Mactan Newtown along Newtown Boulevard. These hotels will be managed by Megaworld’s hotel arm management company, Prestige Hotels and Resorts Inc. (PHRI).
The first two hotels are scheduled for construction next year and will be completed by 2018.
Hernandez added they will also develop two beachfront hotels in the area which was formerly the Portofino Beach Resort. Another international luxury hotel chain is also expected to rise in the township.
“One of our primary concepts of building a township here in Central Visayas is to make it a destination, not just for the locals, but also to foreign visitors who love coming here to Cebu. We are committed to help boost tourism in Cebu, specifically in Mactan Island,” said Hernandez in a media briefing.
Data from the Department of Tourism showed that Mactan Island welcomed 900,000 tourists in 2013. Seventy percent of these flew from 63 different countries across the globe.
Central Visayas logged a total of 3,292,606 visitor arrivals in 2013, surpassing the year’s original target of 3.03 million. Arrivals in Cebu stood at 2,462,794. It grew by 10.42 percent compared to 2012’s record of 2,230,323 arrivals.
Carmen Fernando, managing director of PHRI, said the two hotels will provide travelers a good option to stay while in the township or in Mactan.
“We are well aware of the hospitality and fun-loving nature of Cebuanos, which will complement the hospitality we will extend,” said Fernando.
She noted the two hotels will have complete hotel amenities but with distinct features. Each will have more than 500 rooms.
“The Mactan Belmont Luxury Hotel will cater to those who seek elegance. It will be a mix of contemporary and classic. The Savoy Hotel Mactan Newtown, on the other hand, is chic and trendy. It will attract the young vibrant market,” said Fernandez.
The officials also said they are studying the opportunities in the Meetings, Incentive, Convention and Exhibition (Mice) market.
To further boost tourism, Hernandez announced they will also be constructing a three-level lifestyle mall called Plaza Magellan, which is poised to become a major landmark of The Mactan Newtown.
The mall will have an “iconic entrance plaza” facing the famous Lapu-Lapu Shrine.
The plaza’s main feature will be the life-sized Spanish Galleon Victoria, a replica of the first vessel that circumnavigated the globe used by Magellan and his men, and the Spanish Steps which will lead visitor’s to the mall’s main entrance.
Plaza Magellan will also feature a museum, which will highlight the life and expeditions of Magellan.
According to Hernandez, the mall’s design will be inspired by the hilltop towns of Portugal and Spain. The architecture will feature courtyards and arcaded walkways, ornately framed doors and windows as well as cupolas and towers.
“Plaza Magellan will be an iconic landmark not just for The Mactan Newtown, but also for the entire Central Visayas region and the Philippines,” said Hernandez.
Megaworld is already coordinating with the National Historical Commission of the Philippines on how they can integrate this landmark with Mactan Shrine. They also pledged to help the government in the rehabilitation and improvement of the historic national shrine.
The mall is scheduled for completion by 2016.
Aside from the mall and the hotels, the company is also building the Hawker’s Gazebo, a covered food strip similar to the famous hawkers in Singapore. This will be strategically located near the main entrance of the township.
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