By Beatriz Marie D. Cruz, Reporter
AYALA LAND HOSPITALITY (ALH) is on track to open its 276-room Mandarin Oriental Makati this year, despite subdued tourism arrivals, a company official said.
“Mandarin [will open] for sure this year, depending on market conditions,” ALH Head of Marketing and Commercial Roshan Nandwani told reporters on the sidelines of an event on Wednesday.
The hotel, developed through a partnership between Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI) and international hospitality company Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, is located within Ayala Triangle Gardens at the corner of Paseo de Roxas and Makati Avenue.
The upcoming Mandarin Oriental Makati will cater to business and corporate guests while offering leisure-related amenities, Ms. Nandwani said.
“Mandarin will be more leisure, but we’re expecting a heavy global business traveler as well, like the big corporates and multinationals,” she added.
The hotel’s opening marks the return of the Mandarin Oriental brand to the Philippine market, following the closure of the original Makati property in 2014.
Tourism arrivals reached 6.48 million in 2025, according to the Bureau of Immigration, significantly below neighboring Southeast Asian markets such as Malaysia (38.2 million), Thailand (32.9 million), and Vietnam (21.1 million).
Other hotels in ALH’s pipeline include a 400-room Canopy by Hilton and a 260-room Moxy Hotel in partnership with Marriott International.
Ms. Nandwani said ALI’s Seda Hotels, including its properties in Cebu, Iloilo, and Bacolod, are performing well.
ALH has said it plans to invest $500 million (around P28.63 billion) over the next five years to double its room portfolio to 8,000 by 2030.
The company currently has over 4,000 rooms across its homegrown brands, such as Seda Hotels, El Nido Resorts, and Huni Lio, as well as foreign luxury brands like Raffles and Fairmont.
Meanwhile, ALI is eyeing two government assets set for auction by the Department of Finance’s Privatization and Management Office, according to ALI Chief Financial Officer Jose Eduardo A. Quimpo II.
These include a portion of the Food Terminal, Inc. complex in Taguig City and The Atrium condominium in Makati City.
Mr. Quimpo added that ALI has raised a billion dollars in sustainability-linked financing, noting strong demand from investors and clients.
“[Our] sustainability program is good for us. We’re starting to see that there’s really tangible benefits for us, especially when we do financing,” he said.
The company has about P20 billion in maturities due this year. ALI posted P21.4 billion in nine-month earnings, with revenues from its leasing and hospitality portfolio contributing P35.1 billion.
At the local bourse on Wednesday, ALI shares fell 0.92% or 20 centavos to close at P21.60 apiece.