Cancelled bookings in Cebu hotels minimal

CEBU, Philippines - Despite continuous tremors, Cebu hotels and resorts report lesser cancellations of bookings and functions, although there are noticeable movements of scheduled dates.

"There were no cancellations but there are some who opted to move their event dates to next month, hoping there will be no tremors by then," said Hotel, Resorts and Restaurant Association of Cebu (HRRAC) President Cenelyn Manguilimotan in an interview yesterday.

Manguilimotan said almost all of HRRAC members are back in normal operations, as authorities have declared hotel and resort buildings to be safe after the 7.2-magnitude earthquake last week, which was made even worse by the occasional strong aftershocks.

Plantation Bay Resort and Spa public relations officer Johannah Patalinghug said that aside from Japanese visitors, some bookings from other countries, like Korea, have moved to a month or two.

"But we have cancellations as well, mostly by Koreans," Patalinghug said. At present, the resort is registering over 50 percent occupancy rate, which is considered to be the normal average rate for October.

Most cancellations are not group visitors, but mostly foreign individual tourists (FITs), Patalinghug said.

About 50 to 60 rooms for two to three nights set bookings are being moved to other dates. Ninety-five percent of the rebookings are made by Koreans.

There were no reported cancellations for scheduled group functions, MICE-related events for the resort. Local bookings likewise were not affected.

Plantation Bay's top three visitors are Koreans, Japanese and Filipinos. "Japanese are not afraid (of the earthquake); they’re used to shaking already," Patalinghug said.

Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu also reported movement of scheduled functions, “although minimal.”

"The Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu has received requests for big conventions and groups to change dates. Notably, the World Eco-Tourism Conference originally scheduled for mid-November is postponed to the first quarter of next year,” said Radisson Blu Cebu director for sales and marketing Ann Olalo.

Olalo said for the past week, the hotel has moved some of their rooms’ business to other Cebu City hotels as they expedite repairs for cosmetic damage that the hotel has sustained.

"Radisson Blu continues to welcome guests at this time; all facilities are operational," Olalo added. /JMD (FREEMAN)