SHANGRI-LA Hotels & Resorts is looking to expand its mid-market Jen brand in the Philippines beyond Manila, as the group yesterday unveiled the rebranding of Traders Hotel Manil to Hotel Jen Manila.
Golden Whitehead, director – special projects for the Hotel Jen brand, told TTG Asia e-Daily that the company is exploring opportunities to launch Jen hotels in Bohol and Bacolod in Visayas, and Davao in Mindanao.
There are currently five Shangri-La properties but only one Hotel Jen in the Philippines, he noted. “Shangri-La hotels dominate the luxury market in Manila so there’s a mid-market gap. We’re trying to bridge the gap between the luxury and mid-market hotels.”
Whitehead said the brand’s focus in Asia includes the Philippines and countries without a Hotel Jen yet such as Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and Cambodia. The group would like to manage rather than own the Jen hotels.
His comments to TTG Asia e-Daily came yesterday on the sidelines of Hotel Jen Manila’s rebranding from Traders Hotel Manila.
Apart from the six Traders hotels that were rebranded into Jen hotels this year and a further four next year, the company is also working on 18 different projects, including signed management agreements for Hotel Jen in Beijing and Kuala Lumpur.
Each hotel will have about 550 rooms, he said.
Separately, Shangri-La at The Fort will open in Manila in 2016.
