Additional details:Our Cover: Seda Hotels risingSeda is the Filipino word for silk, and its luster and strength are the two words that embody the homegrown hotel brand’s emergence in the Philippines. “Five years have gone fast and gone well, too. The group expanded quickly while delivering the brand promises that we envisioned, from service excellence to our hotels’ central locations and value-for-money proposition,” states Andrea Mastellone, Senior Group General Manager of Seda Hotels, owned and operated by Ayala Land Hotels and Resorts.Now on its fifth year, Seda Hotels will be expanding in the next two years to fifteen hotels around the Philippines. “We opened our hotels in BGC, Cagayan de Oro, and Davao in quick succession, only within three months of each other. This was followed by Nuvali the following year and Iloilo in 2016,” recalls Mastellone. “Seda BGC was our first property. Our hotel format filled the opportunity gap between luxury and budget hotels and offered a modern facility with swift and efficient service at competitive rates,” he relates. The concept was a success and received enthusiastically by business travelers who were excited at this smart new option that offered quality at a good price. Since then, there has been a solid demand which has grown steadily up to the present. Location is always an advantage of Seda. It is designed to be part of an Ayala Land mixed-use development which inevitably becomes an emerging CBD because of the extraordinary reputation of the brand as a high-end real-estate developer. Where Ayala builds, the market follows. In Seda’s 4th year, all its hotels had become the market leader in their respective destinations, reinforcing the brand reputation and making Seda among the top choices when traveling around the country. In addition, the efficient and linear operations style combined with re-engineered facilities, gave it a competitive advantage, allowing the company to achieve a satisfactory bottom line. “It was a challenge in some provinces where we were first to market because we confidently went in armed with the latest technology, then discovered that the method of booking, distribution channels and most of all, market segments and customer behavior were quite different from that of major international cities. In some provinces, we learned that more than the technology, understanding the market gave you the advantage. And so we did extensive research, analyzed their habits, patterns and preferences and made the necessary adjustments until we nailed the appropriate strategies for each,” Mastellone states. “The market has also evolved and it is heartwarming to see how our customers have embraced the modern practices we introduced and are now enjoying the technology in our hotels. Riding high on its consistent growth, Seda was ready to take on new challenges and started developing plans for new formats – bigger hotels putting its radar at the MICE market (Seda’s previous average was 150 rooms), serviced apartments and resorts. It then opened Seda Vertis North, 438 rooms with a ballroom fit for 700 persons in Quezon City in April this year, the first in a series of hotel launches in various locations in the country in the next two years.QUESTION:What are the risksthreats, and opportunities that can come along with Seda's bold expansion? Title: Filipino asits Finest: TheCase of AyalaLand Hotels andResortsCorporation'sHotel Chain SedaCase Background:As emphasized by HospitalityNews Philippines (2018),training with Filipino Values isa winning combination. Itelaborated that thebenchmark borne of Filipinovalues and the serviceculture of taking care of thepeople's need, together withSeda Hotels' corporatetraining proves to be thecutting edge.Given this a mantra for anemerging true Filipino brandof hospitality and consideringthe socioeconomic, andpolitical landscape of thePhilippines, including thetourism performance vis-à-vis with the worldwide andAsia-Pacific positive trends oftourism arrivals andrevenues.

Question

Additional details:Our Cover: Seda Hotels risingSeda is the Filipino word for silk, and its luster and strength are the two words that embody the homegrown hotel brand’s emergence in the Philippines. “Five years have gone fast and gone well, too. The group expanded quickly while delivering the brand promises that we envisioned, from service excellence to our hotels’ central locations and value-for-money proposition,” states Andrea Mastellone, Senior Group General Manager of Seda Hotels, owned and operated by Ayala Land Hotels and Resorts.Now on its fifth year, Seda Hotels will be expanding in the next two years to fifteen hotels around the Philippines. “We opened our hotels in BGC, Cagayan de Oro, and Davao in quick succession, only within three months of each other. This was followed by Nuvali the following year and Iloilo in 2016,” recalls Mastellone. “Seda BGC was our first property. Our hotel format filled the opportunity gap between luxury and budget hotels and offered a modern facility with swift and efficient service at competitive rates,” he relates. The concept was a success and received enthusiastically by business travelers who were excited at this smart new option that offered quality at a good price.  Since then, there has been a solid demand which has grown steadily up to the present. Location is always an advantage of Seda. It is designed to be part of an Ayala Land mixed-use development which inevitably becomes an emerging CBD because of the extraordinary reputation of the brand as a high-end real-estate developer. Where Ayala builds, the market follows. In Seda’s 4th year, all its hotels had become the market leader in their respective destinations, reinforcing the brand reputation and making Seda among the top choices when traveling around the country.  In addition, the efficient and linear operations style combined with re-engineered facilities, gave it a competitive advantage, allowing the company to achieve a satisfactory bottom line.  “It was a challenge in some provinces where we were first to market because we confidently went in armed with the latest technology, then discovered that the method of booking, distribution channels and most of all, market segments and customer behavior were quite different from that of major international cities. In some provinces, we learned that more than the technology, understanding the market gave you the advantage. And so we did extensive research, analyzed their habits, patterns and preferences and made the necessary adjustments until we nailed the appropriate strategies for each,” Mastellone states. “The market has also evolved and it is heartwarming to see how our customers have embraced the modern practices we introduced and are now enjoying the technology in our hotels. Riding high on its consistent growth, Seda was ready to take on new challenges and started developing plans for new formats – bigger hotels putting its radar at the MICE market (Seda’s previous average was 150 rooms), serviced apartments and resorts. It then opened Seda Vertis North, 438 rooms with a ballroom fit for 700 persons in Quezon City in April this year, the first in a series of hotel launches in various locations in the country in the next two years.QUESTION:What are the risksthreats, and opportunities that can come along with Seda's bold expansion? Title: Filipino asits Finest: TheCase of AyalaLand Hotels andResortsCorporation'sHotel Chain SedaCase Background:As emphasized by HospitalityNews Philippines (2018),training with Filipino Values isa winning combination. Itelaborated that thebenchmark borne of Filipinovalues and the serviceculture of taking care of thepeople's need, together withSeda Hotels' corporatetraining proves to be thecutting edge.Given this a mantra for anemerging true Filipino brandof hospitality and consideringthe socioeconomic, andpolitical landscape of thePhilippines, including thetourism performance vis-à-vis with the worldwide andAsia-Pacific positive trends oftourism arrivals andrevenues.

Accepted Answer

Numerous risks, threats, and opportunities are being posed by Seda’s bold expansion plans. The…