Waterfront facilities to undergo facelift

On top of the P60 million room and suite enhancement project of the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casinos (WCCHC), the hotel is spending more for special preparations for the upcoming ASEAN Summit in December.

The hotel will have to re-do and improve its two Presidential Suits, one Penthouse, and the public comfort rooms, as well as the façade landscaping, in order to impress international dignitaries and their entourage that Cebu is an international destination.

WCCHC corporate communications manager Renee Y. Villasin said the hotel will have to spend separately for the ASEAN preparation and it should all be finished by next month.

As part of the company's refurbishing program, 179 superior rooms as well as 16 junior suites will be renovated and revamped. Twenty of the existing Standard Rooms will be upgraded into Superior Rooms and 36 existing suite rooms will be transformed into 29 executive suites, three bridal suites and four family suites.

"Our customers are more sophisticated and they expect more than just a place to sleep. So we're rising to demands for value for money and aim to exceed expectation. We intend to deliver great style, design and functionality, all at an affordable room rate, with a high comfort quotient. Management is very excited with this opportunity to upgrade our product," said WCCHC general manager Marco Protacio.

Simultaneously, the hotel will have to do these construction projects, Villasin said all are scheduled to be completed in October.

At least 17 head of states will need Presidential Suite accommodation each. Earlier, hotels and resorts were encouraged to prepare Presidential Accommodation facilities, and improve room and service quality as Cebu will be the world's foremost attention in the first week of December for the ASEAN Summit.

Early this year, Cebuano Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) undersecretary Francisco Benedicto called for a meeting with the hotel and resort operators to encourage hoteliers to embark facelift and improve of rooms and physical fixtures of the hotels and room, as well as extensive customer service training for hotel, especially the front liners.

About US$10 million is expected to be generated by Cebu's hotels and resorts in the upcoming ASEAN Summit that will be held on December 9 to 13, 2006.

This estimated amount that will benefit Cebu's economy, is based on a conservative calculation of over 10,000 guests that will arrive to Cebu, not only in the proper five-day event, but including already the previous meetings that will be held in Cebu in the preparation for the Summit.

The ASEAN was established in Bangkok on Aug. 8, 1967 by the five original member-countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

Brunei Darussalam joined on Jan. 8, 1984; Vietnam on July 28, 1995; Laos and Myanmar on July 23, 1997; and Cambodia on April 30 1999.