Grand Regal Hotel, one of Davao’s luxury hotels, has decided to close temporarily due to low occupancy and high operational cost.
“Our hotel is close until now. We decided to close the hotel since occupancy was very low and cannot cope with operational cost. We hope to open when we get back to the new normal and people starts to travel again,” said Ryan Bernard Go, president of Grand Land, Inc. in an email interview.
Owned by the Gaisano Group, the 14-storey Grand Regal Hotel Davao is also home to the largest casino operated by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. in Mindanao.
In an interview with Go in September 2014, the hotel is aiming for five-star status once the improvements are completed in two years. He said Grand Regal has allocated an initial P200 million for the repair of the lobby, coffee shop, other spaces on the ground floor and repainting of some rooms as the first phase of renovation. To follow are the refurbishing and redesign of each of the 217 rooms, the ballrooms, dining areas and the pool.
Grand Regal is not the only hotel that opted to close down amid the pandemic. In May this year, the 22-year-old Marco Polo Davao, which was the first and only five-star hotel in Mindanao, decided to stop operations on June 15, 2020.
Meanwhile, for its condominium project, the Amani Grand Citygate Davao, Go said they continue selling online even during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). He also said Construction continue during the modified general community quarantine (MGCQ).
“And now in full operation while maintaining Covid-19 safety protocols. Sales of condo are gaining back in momentum but we limit office visitation and have closed our showroom during this crisis. Everything was online and virtual. We hope we get the vaccine soon and go back living normally,” he said.
The Amani Grand Citygate Davao is a four nine-storey condominiums for the middle-range market. This mixed-use project covering an 8-hectare area is located within the city’s Buhangin district.
