The growth of Seda Hotels over almost past seven years from a homegrown boutique chain to a dynamic nationwide brand is best captured by the expansion of its flagship hotel in BGC, Taguig.
With the addition of its second tower that just opened, the hotel which first launched the Seda name in 2012 now offers a ballroom that can seat 300, a restaurant that can accommodate 220, and a chic lobby with contemporary lines that would be right at home in any global capital. When completed in the next few months, the hotel will have increased its room inventory to 521, consisting of guestrooms, suites and serviced residences.
Once the lone hotel targeted towards business executives in what was then an emerging Metro Manila business district, “Seda BGC was expanded to keep pace with the surging demand for premier accommodations and facilities in the area,” according to Andrea Mastellone, senior group general manager who opened the hotel in 2012.
Now with two towers joined together by the expansive ground floor lobby, the hotel has retained its contemporary design theme and added accent colors and pops of greenery to infuse warmth and a welcoming vibe. Overall, Seda BGC’s look is uncomplicated chic, a highly appropriate backdrop for contemporary art pieces by Filipino artists such as Ayala chairman emeritus and photographer Jaime Zobel de Ayala whose mural animates the Front Desk. Ann Pamintuan’s familiar art pieces also adorn the lobby.
Guests, as well as BGC denizens and visitors, are also expected to converge at the adjoining Misto, which means “mixed” in Italian and indicates the restaurant’s international selection which can be enjoyed on its daily breakfast and lunch buffets. Its focal points are a show kitchen plus a private dining room for 10 persons and a semi-private area for up to 30 persons.
“Misto is one of the new building’s highlights,” beams Mastellone, who states that the restaurant can accommodate more than 200 persons or six times the original. The new Misto offers a more sophisticated selection of dishes and will continuously showcase creative innovations to its offerings.
One floor up is the ballroom, a likely venue for important business meetings and social events owing to the hotel’s strategic location at the heart of BGC. It can accommodate up to 420 persons, theater-style, with a spacious pre-function area, and is divisible into three smaller function rooms. Nearby are four meeting rooms that can accommodate from 12 up to 50 persons. All these have increased the number of function spaces to a total of 11 from the two towers combined.
The Seda BGC client, nevertheless, will most appreciate the hotel’s bright and airy deluxe guest rooms furnished with modern pieces in warm tones. He may first notice the absence of the usual rectangular desk only to realize that this has been replaced by a more functional glass-topped round table flanked by an executive chair for serious work and a banquette for dining or lounging.
Mastellone explains that soon, some facilities and amenities will be transferred from the original to the new tower. These include the Club Rooms and Club Lounge, Straight Up roof deck bar, the gym and pool. “All will be bigger than the original,” says the Italian hotelier. He adds that new room categories will be the Executive Suite and the top-of-the-line Seda Suite, as well as studios and one-bedroom serviced residences which will open within the next few months.
Over and above its rooms and amenities, the expanded Seda BGC is expected to remain an institution for decades to come in this vibrant business community because of its topnotch service. Staffed by locals, the Seda name has become synonymous with genuine Filipino hospitality that meets global standards as exemplified by its high rate of repeat and satisfied guests that average a high 42%, surpassing the industry standard.
Seda Hotels owned by Ayala Land now has 10 properties in key capitals of the country, including Bacolod; Cagayan de Oro; Cebu; Davao; Iloilo; Nuvali, Laguna; Makati; Lio, El Nido, Palawan; Quezon City, and BGC, Taguig.
