Marco Polo Hotel: A leading hotel brand in Asia Pacific

The Marco Polo Group, a dominant hotel brand in Asia Pacific is revving up to expand with around five to seven more properties in the next few years to further intensify its regional status.

Among the key cities being tapped to beef up its roster of hotels and match its existing network are Manila, Sydney, Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur.

It has been the Marco Polo standard to build a property in major gateway cities or important secondary commercial districts of a targeted area. This was revealed during the Marco Polo Davao gathering held recently at the Temple Bar in Greenbelt, Makati City.

In a fete to honor its top producers, the Marco Polo Davao held the "Chill Out in Style" party that kicked off with a life-size video presentation of the Marco Polo Group’s chain of hotels in the region.

The get together was initiated by the Marco Polo Davao’s sales and marketing team led by assistant director of sales Claire del Rosario-Bernabe. It also featured the group in a cool but modified denim fashion number with their jeans and shirts festooned with brass novelty accessories, patches of vibrant hand-woven cloths and classic trinkets, to flatter Davao’s multi-faceted culture.

Graced by top travel and tourism officials and members of the media, the appreciation party took off with a life-size video presentation on Marco Polo Hotel Group’s assets in various exotic Asian destinations – the Philippines, Beijing, Hong Kong and Vietnam.

Marco Polo is a topnotch hospitality brand that excels amid the Philippines’ dynamic East-West fusion, China’s oldworld charm, Hong Kong’s uber-cosmopolitan set-up and Vietnam’s traditional milieu.

In the Philippines, the Marco Polo Davao has become a high-status corporate address and a crucial travel trade hub in Mindanao.

As a gateway to Southeast Asia, Davao’s topnotch attractions are the country’s highest peak Mt. Apo, its diverse flora and fauna including the rare pink-and-crimson Waling-Waling orchid and the endangered Philippine monkey-eating eagle, stunning extensive seascapes and lush underwater museums, to name a few.

Complementing its natural setting, the 18-floor Marco Polo Davao along C.M. Recto St., aptly became the region’s tallest skyscraper that can be easily reached in 20 minutes from Davao International Airport. Davao City is an hour-and-a-half flight from Manila.

The multi-awarded property has 245 chicly tailored rooms and suites overlooking the pristine Davao Gulf and the majestic Mt. Apo. It also has non-smoking floors and disabled-friendly rooms.

As a businessman’s hotel, its European-inspired Continental Club offers detailed corporate services backed-up with high-tech convenience and first-rate service.

The Continental Club has well-equipped meeting facilities, library and ultra-comfy private lounge that serves complimentary breakfast, afternoon tea and cocktails, plus butler service. It also has a business center that provides all inclusive secretarial services.

Guests can choose from the hotel’s five food outlets such as the 228-seater Lotus Court on the third floor specializing in Cantonese cuisine, the 138-seater Café Marco on the second floor for Asian, Mediterranean and international dishes, the 48-seater Lobby Lounge for live piano entertainment, the 55-seater Eagles’ Bar in the main lobby, and the Pool Terrace on the fourth floor for quick drinks and bites.

Health and leisure facilities such as the 25-meter outdoor lap pool and a highend gym can also be found within the property. The two-floor fitness center houses aerobics room, male and female saunas, massage rooms and a well-supplied Juice Bar.

After the presentation, prizes were raffled off to make some of the guests experience the Marco Polo brand of hospitality and its luxurious facilities. Early birds were given gift certificates for an overnight stay in Marco Polo Davao’s superior room for two persons each, with round-trip air tickets via Cebu Pacific.

Among the prizes given away were a gift certificate from The Marco Polo Beijing for two-nights stay for two persons in a superior room; a gift certificate from The Marco Polo Gateway Hong Kong for two nights stay for two in a deluxe room with breakfast; a gift certificate from the Marco Polo Omni Saigon Hotel Vietnam for two nights stay for two persons at the Continental Club Floor; and golf umbrellas from Marco Polo Davao.