The pending opening of JW Marriott Panglao Island Resort & Spa, which is poised to be the first five-star hotel in the province, is expected to generate “hundreds” of job opportunities for Boholanos, a company official said.
Javier Marcalain, vice president for marketing of AppleOne which is behind the development of the luxury hotel, told the Chronicle that the firm has employed over a thousand locals for their existing properties in Cebu and is expected to do the same for their upcoming project in Panglao.
He noted that 98 percent of the personnel roster of the Sheraton Cebu Mactan Resort, one of the firm’s newest developments which opened in September last year, are locals.
“With our Sheraton development here in Cebu, we’ve generated over 300 jobs since its opening. We’ve employed over a thousand locals, for Sheraton,Mahi Center and our other developments. And we are expecting to do the same with JW Marriott Panglao Island,” Marcalain said.
AppleOne’s latest development in Panglao, which will be the first JW Marriot in the country, is expected to be one of the largest resorts in the province.
“This will be the first five-star hotel in Panglao, and given that it will be the first JW Marriott in the country, under Marriott International which is by far one of the biggest hotel brands worldwide, we can expect that it is going to be significant in terms of room quantity,” Marcalain said.
The company official also expressed optimism that the both size and luxury accommodations offered by the establishment will help draw more tourists to the province.
“With this type of development, we endeavor to help boost local tourism for Bohol and help elevate local industry standards when it comes to luxury hospitality in the island,” he added.
The project however is still in its planning stages.
There is now definite timeline yet as to the start of the resort’s construction but Marcalain noted that the company has started to coordinate with various experts to ensure that the project upholds environmental standards.
“We aim to develop the project in a manner that respects and preserves Bohol’s natural beauty and resources while benefiting the community,” he said.
Last month, AppleOne president and chief executive officer Ray Manigsaca together with his wife and AppleOne co-founder and Chairman Venus Manigsaca personally signed a deal with JW Marriott in Singapore.
In choosing Bohol to be the site of the first JW Marriott in the country, the Managsiacas, in a previous statement, said they saw the future of the tourism industry of the province.
“The province boasts of endless nature-charged experiences in the tropical island life from chasing waterfalls, soaking in cave pools, swimming next to aquatic creatures, to getting lost in the beauty of the Chocolate Hills,” they said.