City hotels enjoy full bookings on Sinulog

Despite the projected decline in tourists' arrivals this year due to the impact of the looming global recession, Cebu's major festival—Sinulog still draws significant number of visitors both from domestic and foreign markets.

 Major city hotels here like Cebu City Marriott Hotel, Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino, and Marco Polo Plaza Cebu, registered high occupancy rates starting January, specifically in the third week of the month, wherein Sinulog Festivities will be held.

Ayala-developed Cebu City Marriott Hotel, which is now operating with 265 rooms, from a total of 301 rooms, due to renovations, reported a 100 percent booking rate from January 18. The weeks after Sinulog, the hotel is looking at 65 percent to 70 percent occupancy rate.

Marriott's corporate communications officer Joan Danao told The Freeman yesterday that although the occupancy rate is high this year, the hotel noted a slowdown of booking performance compared to the other year.

"Today a lot of guests booked in the 11th hour. Whereas, in the past, by the start of January or late December room bookings were already full for the entire month of January," Danao said.

According to Danao, majority of guests during the Sinulog period are not just the traditional balikbayan, but also visitors from other areas in the country, like Metro Manila and some expatriates.

Metrobank-developed Marco Polo Plaza Cebu, announced a 90 percent booking rate from January 14 to January 18. It is still looking at posting as high as 99 percent by next week, said hotel's events and promotions manager Carlo Borromeo.

Borromeo said that the hotel which has a total of 329 rooms, has not yet observed the effect of the projected travel slowdown, as it had been performing very well since December last year, posting an average of 90 percent occupancy rate, especially in the New Year's eve.

"We are lucky because after the Christmas and New Year, Sinulog Festival follows, and after Sinulog, we still have Chinese New Year," Borromeo said adding that these important events will push high occupancy rate of the hotels, despite the perceived tourism slowdown.

"We have not feel it [slowdown] yet," Borromeo said adding that occupancy rate and booking performance for Marco Polo is still in a healthy shape.

Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino, the largest City Hotel in Cebu, in terms of room accommodation with over 500 rooms, also posted high booking rate on the Sinulog period with 95 percent and 97 percent occupancy rate on January 16 and 18, respectively.

However, resorts in Cebu have registered lower booking or occupancy rate within the period, as tourists, or visitors prefer to stay near the City to witness the main Sinulog Festival on January 18, 2009.

Plantation Bay Resort and Spa general manager Efren Belarmino said unlike City hotels, resorts on the other hand are not as busy.

"Unlike City hotels, during Sinulog time mababa kami," Belarmino said.

Belarmino noted that the global economic meltdown has already hit the traveling market, as the resort has experienced a slowdown of international guest arrivals.

The largest five-star resort property in Cebu, Shangri-La's Mactan Island Resort, reported a 70 percent to 80 percent booking rate on the Sinulog weekend period.— Ehda M. Dagooc