This luxury hotel in Cebu is 100% Filipino
By Angelo Garcia
GMA Lifestyle
June 23, 2024
Filipinos are known to be hospitable and friendly people that is why tourists love visiting the Philippines. But when it comes to a luxury hospitality brand, there is no homegrown brand that comes to mind.
A new local hotel brand aims to change this and envisions itself to be the Philippines' premier hospitality company like Raffles Hotels & Resorts of Singapore and the Dusit brand of Thailand.
Its name is Fili Hotel, a name derived from the word “Filipino”.
“We call ourselves Fili hotel coming from the word 'Filipino' because we want to imbibe the Filipino culture and values, from the time you check in, the dining experience, and the stay experience,” explained Cristina Ong-Cruz, cluster director of marketing and sales of Fili Hotel, during a special media familiarization tour.
The 5-star hotel is under Robinsons Hotels and Resorts of Robinsons Land Corporation. It recently opened its first property in Cebu City, at the NUSTAR Resort and Casino complex, an integrated resort that has luxury hotels, a high-end mall, several premium restaurants, and a casino.
“I think one of the unique selling points of the property is we are fully Filipino owned. It's the first Filipino luxury hotel brand,” Cristina said.
Filipino hospitality
NUSTAR is situated on the Cebu South Road Properties fronting the Cebu Strait with views of Cebu City, Mactan Island, and the new Cebu-Cordova Bridge.
The lobby of the hotel is modern with Filipino touches like the solihiya wall dividers, which separate the check-in counters from the whole lobby. The geometric marble slabs flooring add an interesting pattern to the space. The counters are also made of marble in white and gray.
Just across the check-in counters is the Fili Lobby Lounge, a space that features furniture by Vito Selma and artworks by Jef Albea and Fidel Sarmiento.
What makes this hotel truly five-star is the 379 spacious rooms. From its deluxe rooms to the suites, the hotel is very generous with space. The deluxe seaview king room, for instance, is a one bedroom space with a living room, a dining area, a bedroom, a powder room, and a bathroom with a bathtub.
According to the hotel, the size of this type of room ranges from 41 to 47 square meters, which is very spacious in hotel room standards.
The room is modern and has that luxe feel and it features neutral colors with splashes of yellow and teal. The room also features Filipino paintings and banig-like wall panels. The bathroom is mostly white marble and features a white freestanding bathtub.
Aside from the deluxe rooms, the hotel also has the premier, suite, and villas. The suites can be rented for no less than six figures a night. The suite has a bedroom, a very spacious living and dining area, an office, a powder room, a kitchen, a walk-in closet, just to name a few.For the amenities, the hotel has the Hagod Spa, a gym, the Fili Cafe, which is considered as the most extensive buffet restaurant in Cebu City.
“Fili Hotel stands as the first authentic Filipino five-star hotel in the country, offering guests the opportunity to immerse themselves in the luxury and warmth of Filipino hospitality,” says Alan Teo, CEO of NUSTAR Resort and Casino.
Food, casino, cruise
As mentioned above, Fili Cafe is the hotel's all-day dining restaurant. Many guests have considered its breakfast spread as one of the best in Cebu. It has a Filipino section that serves freshly cooked favorites like turon, kamote fries, and various kakanin. Of course, there's Pinoy breakfast staples like tocino, longganisa, dangit, just to name a few. There's also freshly made sikwate or Filipino hot chocolate.
The restaurant also has a Korean chef and there are quite a few Korean dishes from kimchi jjigae (kimchi stew) to gyeran mari (rolled omelette). The kimchi in particular is a must try. There are also Chinese dishes like dimsum and Western favorites like waffles, bacon, and sausages.
There's a cheese and fruit section that also has a variety of cheeses, yogurt, cereal, and in-season fruits.
Aside from Fili Cafe and Fili Lobby Lounge there are a lot of food choices to choose from located within the integrated resort. There's the world-famous Mott 32 from Hong Kong, the only branch here in the Philippines. This high end restaurant is widely regarded for serving “the best Peking Duck in Hong Kong” and it also serves various premium dishes like the barbecue Iberico pork with yellow mountain honey, lobster mapo tofu, black truffle siu mai, and crab meat fried rice with flying fish roe.
The casino is one of the many areas in the complex where guests can explore and even play and test their luck. The premium mall is where guests can splurge, shopping at luxury shops like Louis Vuitton, Dior, Loewe, Off-White, Burberry, Diagold, Tory Burch, Univers, among others.
The hotel also offers the Crucero sunset cruise which sails along the Mactan Channel and passes under the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX). It offers cocktails and a relaxing cruise with views of Cebu City and Mactan Island.
