CEBU, Philippines - Having won the Carlson Rezidor Hotels and Resorts Asia Pacific Hotel of the Year 2012, Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu not only brings prestige to the property but likewise helps promote Cebu as a destination.
In an interview with Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu general manager Lyle Lewis, he said the award shows the exemplary hospitable Cebuano nature, through the customer service the employees are giving to its customers.
Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu, developed by the SM Group, bested other 58 hotel properties of Carlson Rezidor Hotels and Resorts in the Asia Pacific, despite the fact that it is the youngest property among the group.
According to Lewis, the award will not only give mileage to the property but will also help promote Cebu as a destination marked by hospitality and warmth from the people.
The award is significant because it takes about five years for a new property to stabilize operations and become profitable, Lewis emphasized.
“The award is a recognition of the past 12 months considering a whole range of criteria set by the group,” said Lewis.
The criteria include profitability, customer and employee satisfaction and feedback posted in social media.
The hotel scored very high in all areas like profitability versus budget and customer satisfaction, which was among the highest rates in Southeast Asia, he said.
With the award, Radisson Blu management aims to be the top hotel in Cebu in a wide range of markets from leisure to corporate and MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions.
Lewis said physical infrastructure must be matched with the best service which is only possible by having the best staff.
“I believe that we are the newest in Cebu. Our meeting facilities are larger which is what the corporate market will be looking for to hold their events,” said Lewis.
He noted that the Cebu market continued to be supply-driven, with more new hotels being established.
According to Lewis the market has not really grown at the same rate as the number of hotels opening.
“Our plan is to strengthen further our position over the next couple of years. With the recent recognition, we are ever more positive that we can do it,” he said.
A stronger collaboration between the private sector players and the government both national and local government units (LGUs) in promoting Cebu is very vital to maximize the beauty of Cebu, as a destination.
He specifically mentioned the problem of air access from Cebu to other destinations abroad, as one of the important channels to achieve high growth in tourism in the province.
“We are attracting the North American and Australian markets, but our feeder markets remain majority domestic travelers then followed by Korea and Japan, USA and Europe,” he said.
“We usually get European guests from Singapore and Hong Kong. These markets could further be developed through access like more direct flights,” he emphasized. —(FREEMAN)