Travellers International Hotel Group, Inc. (TIHGI), owner and operator of Resorts World Manila (RWM), says it is targeting 4Q18 for the soft opening of its new Hotel Okura Manila.
The news formed part of a Friday announcement by Travellers that it had formalized an agreement with Hotel Okura Co Ltd that will see the luxury Japanese hotel chain operate a 191-room luxury hotel at RWM.
A signing ceremony was held at the Marriott Hotel Manila to finalize the deal, attended by TIHGI President and CEO Kingson Sian, CFO Bernard Than Boon Teong and Chief Legal and Corporate Services Officer Gina Alvarez plus Okura President Toshihiro Ogita, CEO Hidetoshi Ishimaru and InterAsia Links Co Senior Advisor Yeonhang Chua.
“The Philippines, especially Manila, is a very promising market considering the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) and population size, both of which are growing fast. The local hotel business is benefiting from these and other favorable trends,” said Okura President Ogita.
“Having worked closely with Mr Kingson Sian, we are confident that we will receive their full support as a reliable partner to operate the hotel. We will leverage the group’s expertize in traditional Japanese hospitality to make Hotel Okura Manila a much-beloved hotel among both local and foreign visitors.”
Hotel Okura Co Ltd is the latest big name hotel brand to join the RWM stable, with Sheraton Manila Hotel and Hilton Manila also due to open in 2018. Travellers said that its value hotel, Remington, will soon be rebranded as Holiday Inn Express.
Okura said it planned to expand its global property portfolio to 100 in the near future with a major focus on Asia. It has already announced the upcoming openings of Okura brand hotels in Cappadocia in 2019, Manila, Phnom Penh, Ho Chi Minh City and Yangon in 2020, and Taichung in 2021.
