MAKATI Shangri-La Hotel has begun its hiring process, according to social media posts announcing an open house recruitment of hotel staff, in time for its reopening in the third quarter of 2023.
Sources said on Wednesday that the Shangri-La group is looking to reopen its luxury hotel located in the central business district amid the return of business and leisure travel this year.
In February 2021, the hotel announced its temporary closure due to financial pressures caused by the pandemic. With no news of a reopening since, many worried that Shangri-La’s accommodation in Makati City would be closed permanently.
Makati Shangri-La, which opened in 1993, had been keeping up with basic maintenance over the past two years despite not accepting guests.
Although the property was leased from the Ayala group, it is unclear if the lease is approaching expiration or will be renewed.
More news on the reopening may come after new staff are hired as a result of the May 5 and 6 job fair at the hotel, according to sources.
The Department of Tourism (DoT) said the Philippines had 2.65 million international arrivals in 2022. The target for 2023 is 4.8-million arrivals.
Recovery for the hotel sector means focusing on meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions, with a mix of business and leisure travel — or “bleisure” — now the prevailing trend, according to the DoT. — Brontë H. Lacsamana