Montebello Villa Hotel eyes expansion to boost operations

Aiming to attract more international tourists and locals as Cebu’s tourism continues to be bullish, Montebello Villa Hotel is adding more rooms as part of the hotel’s expansion plans.

At the sidelines of the hotel’s ceremonial Christmas tree lighting celebration, Montebello Villa Hotel general manager and president of Alvarez-Borromeo Development Corp. Luis Martin Alvarez revealed that they are planning to construct a fifth wing of the hotel which will have 50 to 70 hotel rooms.


With the hotel’s stellar performance this year attributed to its highest revenue in years, Alvarez is optimistic that the planned expansion will usher in more opportunities for the hotel in 2018.

Alvares tagged 2017 as Montebello’s “banner year” and a fruitful one for all tourism-related businesses including the resorts and restaurants.

“[The year] 2016 was good, 2017 was even better and we foresee 2018 to be even better. That is why I am really pushing for the expansion to the board because I can see the potential and I can see the possibilities for Montebello to grow,” Alvarez said.
The proposed fifth wing will be a five- to six-story building and is estimated to cost around P150 million to P160 million. If the plan pushes through before 2017 ends, Alvarez hopes to have the construction started right away by January 2018. At the end of the construction, Montebello will soon have a total of 220 rooms.

With the entry of new players in the hospitality industry, Montebello remains undisturbed by the looming competition as the hotel pins its confidence in its strength as a long-established garden hotel.

“We always pride ourselves on being a resort in the city. Of all the hotels in Cebu, nobody can boast the kind of atmosphere that Montebello has, a sprawling garden hotel, an old charm,” Alvarez said. “We have our own strengths. So we rely on our own strengths and we capitalize on them.”

Established in mid-1970’s, Montebello has been known to be one of the pioneering hotels in Cebu City. It has always distinguished itself as a homey garden hotel accentuated with their rustic interior designs and custom-made furniture pieces. For the past years, the hotel has been accommodating a diverse mix of tourists hugely composed of Koreans, Japanese, Chinese, and Americans.



(Dominic D. Yasay)