The Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) is eyeing for a standardization of five-star hotels in the country to meet the level of excellence that Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is known of.
Resorts World Manila
According to Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) chief operating officer, Domingo Ramon “Chicoy” Enerio III, in an interview, the DOT wanted this to make sure that the Philippines is not left behind from its neighboring countries.
“We have to implement an accreditation process,” Enerio said, explaining that it was going to take time as it would also involve hotels in the provinces aside from the city.
“When you say five-star hotel in Manila, it has to be the same as a five-star hotel in Singapore, Malaysia or Thailand,” he further said.
He explained that the Philippines cannot claim to have five-star hotels when all amenities are actually that of three-star hotels in other countries.
“We cannot allow ourselves to fall behind when it comes to the basic requirement,” he said.
“We have to offer the same type of service being offered in the region—we have to be competitive,” he added.
Among the established five-star hotels in the country include The Peninsula Manila, Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila, Mandarin Oriental Manila, Edsa Shangri-La Manila and InterContinental Manila among others.