Ayala Hospitality earmarks $500M for hotels expansion

Ayala Land Hospitality (ALH), the hospitality arm of Ayala Land Inc. (ALI), is allocating $500 million in capital expenditures over the next five years to expand its hotel portfolio.

At a media briefing on Tuesday, ALH president and CEO George Aquino said the expansion will involve developing new hotels and enhancing existing properties, incorporating both homegrown and international brands.

Despite market volatility, Aquino said the company sees reinvesting in flagship properties as timely, with travel rebounding.

By the end of the decade, ALH aims to double its current 4,000-room capacity to 8,000 rooms, aligning with the country’s target of 12 million tourist arrivals by 2028.

Combining different hotel types

“What we plan to do is a combination of different types of hotels — expanding on our homegrown products but also looking at other brands. What differentiates us is the depth of our portfolio. We would start from either premium economy to a luxury product,” Aquino said.

ALH is also developing two new homegrown hotel and resort destinations under “Project Vodka” in Batangas and Cebu, which will add up to 600 rooms to its portfolio.

Homegrown brands, luxury properties

ALH’s portfolio includes homegrown brands such as Seda Hotels, El Nido Resorts and Huni, Lio, alongside international luxury properties like Raffles Makati, Fairmont Makati and the upcoming Mandarin Oriental Makati.

The company plans to modernize Seda’s business hotels, upgrade El Nido Resorts and enhance guest experiences with a distinctive sense of place.