SOMETHING NEW. Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu general manager Nishan Silva talks about new programs of the hotel to upgrade its service and facilities. (Contributed foto)

RADISSON Blu Hotel Cebu said it will be introducing innovations in anticipation of the continued growth of tourism in Cebu.

General manager Nishan Silva said the 400-room hotel will implement new programs starting next month, including a membership club for kids, opening of the first Dilmah tea bar in the country and spending P5 million to upgrade the hotel ballroom.

Before the year ends, Silva said they will be launching a comprehensive and educational program for kids, where they will have various activities including cooking sessions with the chefs, sports and recreation, among others.

“We are keen on bringing this to the market because we believe that this is a real need today,” said Silva. He said the hotel is not only a venue for big conferences but is also a leisure facility that is ideal for family bonding.

Tea bar

In January, the hotel will be setting up a Dilmah Tea Bar at the hotel lobby, which is the first in the country. The bar will serve tea-based hot and cold beverages as well as tea-based food. It will feature 31 single-origin teas or unblended teas from Sri Lanka and other parts of the world.

Silva said the hotel sent Food and Beverage director Ramon Makilan to a week-long training in Sri Lanka to finish a certificate course in the Dilmah School of Tea.

“Innovation is in our DNA. We are bringing in something that the country has never seen, something that has the potential to grow big in the market,” said Silva.

He noted that while the tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world today, it is the least understood drink.

“By introducing tea to the market, we will be able to raise awareness especially that teas have unmatched health benefits,” he said.

“The Philippines is traditionally a coffee market but we are making this bold move because we believe that tea is the future and that we are already seeing a gradual shift to this kind of beverage,” he said.

Silva said the addition of the Dilmah Tea Bar to the hotel’s offering will further strengthen the hotel’s food and beverage (F&B) segment, which currently contributes 40 percent of the hotel’s revenues.

“A good business hotel should have 60 percent room and 40 percent F&B mix in its revenues. At the moment, we have a good combination of 60-40,” said Silva. He said its F&B revenues alone is growing as a result of the increased investments they made to improve taste and service quality.

Last Nov. 8, the hotel re-introduced Feria by highlighting the stories of their chefs who brought a vast array of fresh local and international dishes.

The restaurant added Mediterranean and Indian interactive stations and improved its dessert station with a Ferris wheel display, a finger food tree and other decadent confections.

Other additions include the 36-inch paella pan, traditional Cocotte and Tajine pots, roller grill rotisserie and smoke machine, wheat grass as centerpiece and organic herb garden at the Japanese station, as well as a great selection of wines at the wine buffet.

According to Silva, Feria, which logs 300 guests a day is “by far the most successful dining buffet in the city.” It serves about 300 dishes during lunch and dinner.

Mice market

To sustain its leadership in the Mice market, Silva also said the hotel will invest P5 million to upgrade the hotel to attract more Mice organizers to Cebu.

He said they are looking at improving the look and feel as well as the food offerings for this lucrative market. The hotel’s ballroom can accommodate 1,000 to 1,500 guests.

Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu reported occupancy of 80 percent.

“With these innovations in place, next year, you will see a great hotel, that is absolutely unmatched,” said Silva.

The five-star hotel owned by SM Hotels and Conventions Corporation and managed by the Carlzon Rezidor Hotel Group was recently named the first city hotel in the Philippines to bag the Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific Sustainable Hotel Awards for Sustainable Operations.