Ayala unit charting course as premier hotel company

MANILA, Philippines — Ayala Land Inc. (ALI)’s hospitality arm is charting a course to become a premier hotel company under the leadership of president and CEO George Aquino.

Aquino, who earlier this year was tapped to lead Ayala Land Hospitality, said ALI is working to bolster its hospitality business in the coming years.

“Our goal is to really be a premier hotel company in the country. We’re definitely going to grow and we’re going to focus on the quality and the experiences of our guests and also our employees,” he told The STAR.

A seasoned executive with more than 35 years of experience in the hospitality business, Aquino previously served as the vice president and managing director of hotel and resorts management company AHC Hospitality.

“We’re very fortunate to have a diverse group of hospitality talent right here in the country. It is very important that we know how to maximize that,” Aquino said.

“My mission coming back here is how will I retain them and also how do I attract those Filipino hospitality professionals from abroad to come back home,” he said.

ALI has set aside P7 billion for the reinvention of Seda Hotels and El Nido Resorts over two to three years.

The company is targeting to double its room inventory across its hotels and resorts portfolio to 8,000 by 2028.

Lagen, one of the resorts offered by the El Nido brand in Palawan, is currently undergoing renovation.

“Lagen is being renovated right now. We’re very excited to reopen next year,” Aquino said.

He said that Seda BGC is also under renovation.

“In the next couple of months we will be releasing some of our plans. We’re planning it right now since I just started. We’re very excited to share some of our plans for the future,” Aquino said.

Among the portfolio of hotels and resorts under Ayala Land Hospitality are the El Nido Resorts in Palawan and the Seda Hotel brand.

ALI’s major malls including Glorietta and Greenbelt in Makati, Trinoma in Quezon City and Ayala Center Cebu, are also being redeveloped through a P13-billion program.

The redevelopment, which is being undertaken to cater to the evolving consumer preference, is expected to be completed by 2028.