Close
 


New Westin Manila aims to become top 5-star hotel in Mandaluyong CBD | ANC
Hide Subtitles
Click any subtitle word to view Tagalog.com dictionary results.
Computer Shortcuts: Left / Right arrows to jump 2 seconds back or forward. +Enter or Space to toggle Play/Pause button. Full Screen Mode
Westin Manila aims to become the top 5 star hotel in the Mandaluyong central business district as the brand returns to the Philippines, its General Manager Alexander Dietzsch said on Tuesday. For more ANC Interviews, click the link below: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLm34qRgqWBU4AT2G3LWF27_RErcz0GVd9 For more Market Edge videos, click the link below: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLm34qRgqWBU7VaY264uHZjj0gPNUXcw-q For more ANC Highlights videos, click the link below: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLm34qRgqWBU43K1JtKfSzAzho2UExmS3G Subscribe to the ANC YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/user/ANCalerts Visit our website at https://news.abs-cbn.com/anc Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ancalerts Twitter: https://twitter.com/ancalerts #ANCNews #ANCHighlights #MarketEdge
ABS-CBN News
  Mute  
Run time: 07:08
Has AI Subtitles



Video Transcript / Subtitles:( AI generated. About AI subtitles » )
00:00.0
Alex, I'm very curious. It's been about a week since you launched. How quickly has occupancy picked up since your opening? And what are bookings looking like in the next two to three months?
00:19.0
Well, we opened on March 6 and that's been now the third week of operation. It is very promising. We're very happy that the business has picked up very quickly and it looks promising over the next couple of weeks.
00:32.0
We have lots of inquiries. The team is working very hard to answer and respond to all of them. And we're very optimistic that the next weeks and months will look very good.
00:44.0
Okay, looking very good. Why don't you give us the long-term view though, your outlook for the year in terms of occupancy rate of your property, maybe versus the other properties of the same brand in other parts of the world.
00:58.0
I mean, people are keen to get back to traveling, get out there and enjoy themselves. So what is your fearless forecast in terms of occupancy rates for this year?
01:08.0
Well, our rates are picking up. Without going too much into detail, we are gaining market share within the Ortigas area. Obviously, our target is to become the leader within Ortigas amongst the five-star hotels.
01:23.0
Rate-wise, we are getting to get comparable with our other Marriott sister hotels within the Philippines, but also with Marriott on an international scale within Asia Pacific.
01:36.0
So the business pickup obviously for events, we're looking at a three to six months lead. So we have more inquiries that are bookings towards the end of the year. But in terms of room bookings, these are actually picking up quite quickly with the lead time from between three to six or eight weeks.
01:54.0
All right. That's good to know. You did say that you want to be the leader in the area where you're at. You're actually based in a central business district in the heart of Mandaluyong, Ortigas. I imagine you're going to be targeting business travelers, correct?
02:12.0
Yes, that's right. So we're targeting business travelers. Our focus is wellness and travel, and we're featuring six wellness pillars to make sure that our guests are the best version of themselves while they're traveling and working. So that's a niche for us with our brand that we're defending and that we're trying to still develop along the way with more initiatives coming.
02:39.0
Because I imagine the corporate and mice segment of this industry will be coming back progressively but slowly. How do you think business travel has changed? Do you see people more willing to spend on business travel and maybe top up the number of days they stay here for a few days of leisure? What are you seeing when it comes to trends and spending patterns, preferences, and behavior of the business travelers you're targeting?
03:09.0
I would say that the expectations have definitely increased versus pre-pandemic. So travelers have high expectations obviously on cleanliness, hygiene, but also on service level and appreciation of the loyalty. Our loyalty program, the Merit Bonvoy program, is very strong. We have millions of members in Asia Pacific, and our guests are happy now to be able to use these benefits and their program benefits here in our hotel.
03:38.0
So driving loyalty and appreciating the guests' loyalty has become very important and that's one of our key focus areas.
03:47.0
Speaking of loyalty, the crown jewel of many high-end hotels in the Philippines would be the loyalty discount and membership cards and the big discounts you get when you eat in their buffet spreads, the grand spreads of buffet. How are you competing in that space?
04:04.0
We're certainly also offering that. We started offering a lunch buffet seven days a week and we're starting to offer dinner buffet on Fridays and Saturdays. And of course, we're also giving preferred rates to our Merit Bonvoy members but also to other groups. So everybody's invited to inquire with us and we'll be able to give preferred rates and benefits.
04:29.0
Alex, are you going to target more local domestic tourists versus international travelers? Which one would be your focus or would you say it's 50-50?
04:41.0
We are targeting both markets. The domestic market is strong as well, specifically for meetings and events and social events. Corporate travel is probably more on an international scale. At least it's growing now more internationally since travel restrictions are easing. But both markets are equally important for us.
05:04.0
Would you say that because everyone's bracing for a looming recession or an economic slowdown, how resilient is this industry when people have to start tightening their belts and cut costs? Even companies who are sponsoring these business trips might cut back.
05:24.0
We definitely see that our guests are more cost-conscious and of course, they are careful with their spending. For us, it's important to make sure that we offer value for money and that we do not cut any costs on our ends in any areas that are impacting our guests and our guests' experience.
05:46.0
Final question, Alex. The Westin brand, of course, is an American brand, upscale hotel chain that's owned by Marriott International, essentially the biggest chain in the world. How does the pipeline of new properties or projects look like? There's one in Mandaluyong. Are we expecting any more to rise maybe in our resort island destinations in the next few years? What do we know?
06:13.0
For the Westin brand, there's still a couple of hotels in the pipeline. Nothing, I believe, in writing as of this point for the Philippines. However, the brand is expanding fast and of course, we also have a responsibility to show what a fantastic brand this is which will hopefully also reflect in having more Westin hotels in the next couple of years.
06:38.0
Alright. On that note, Alex, thank you so much for joining us and for sharing the Westin story as it returns to Manila. Congratulations again.
06:47.0
Thank you, Amy.
07:07.0
Thank you.