Apec delegates share rooms to cut on Cebu hotel costs

CEBU CITY—Delegates of the ongoing meetings in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) have found a way to cut cost on accommodation amid the expensive rates imposed by hotels here.

Foreign Undersecretary Laura del Rosario said some delegates shared rooms either in twin sharing or triple sharing to afford the hotels with high rates.

Del Rosario, chair of the Apec Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM), said some Cebu hotels also gave “very friendly rates” so they were able to attract a lot of Apec delegates.

“It’s as though we were given a choice now of the possible hotels they could stay,” said Del Rosario, who chose to stay in a four-star hotel that gave her the best rate.

Del Rosario earlier disclosed that some delegates complained that the hotels that served as venues for the Apec meetings had jacked up their rates more than 120 percent of their published rates.

She identified them as Radisson Blu Hotel, Marco Polo Plaza Cebu and Cebu City Marriott Hotel.

Radisson Blu Hotel, where 90 percent of the Apec SOM 3 meetings are being held, increased the rate for its superior room from P5,800, the published rate as of Aug. 5, to P13,350 per night.

A deluxe accommodation at Marco Polo Plaza Cebu costs only P4,530 as of August but would cost P11,000 per night during the Apec meetings.

The deluxe accommodation at Cebu City Marriott Hotel costs P13,800, almost three times the Aug. 5 published rate of P5,000.

The hotel industry here needs to benchmark itself against those in other destinations as far as cost of accommodations is concerned so it could be more competitive, Del Rosario said.

“They (hotels) have to look at the market to see how others are pricing themselves,” Del Rosario said in an interview following the briefing held at the International Media Center in Bayfront Hotel Cebu.

She cited as example Thailand where one could get a room at a good four-star hotel there for only $80 (or around P3,680). “Every city will realize that they have to be competitive,” she said.

Del Rosario stressed the importance of differentiation, of coming up with a different brand for a destination.

When asked if she would recommend Cebu as a venue for future conferences, she said she would recommend all cities, including Cebu.

The more than 80 Apec meetings would bring to Cebu around 6,000 delegates, their staff and family members.

The holding of Apec meetings in Cebu has been considered an opportunity for the tourism stakeholders to promote Cebu as a destination for international conferences.

At a briefing held on Thursday, Apec spokesperson and Foreign assistant secretary Charles Jose said the holding of Apec meetings here would generate increases in tourist arrivals. Irene R. Sino Cruz, Inquirer Visayas