Fili Hotel Eyes Regional Expansion as Proud Filipino Five-Star Brand

MANILA, Philippines — Robinsons Hotels and Resorts (RHR), the hospitality arm of the Gokongwei family’s Robinsons Land Corp., is setting its sights on expanding its five-star Fili Hotel and establishing it as a major regional hospitality brand. “We opened one in Cebu already. We’re opening one in Bridgetown next year in Manila, and the ambition is to have four to five Filis over the next few years,” Robinsons Land senior vice president and RHR business unit general manager Barun Jolly told The STAR. “So we’ll truly establish a proud Filipino five-star brand in the region, and hopefully, outwards,” he said. RHR has introduced the first and only Filipino five-star hospitality brand in the country through Fili Hotel. Fili is envisioned as a chain that will expand and operate in Metro Manila and other parts of the Philippines and Southeast Asia. “Today we’re benchmarking ourselves against the likes of Peninsula and Mandarin Oriental, which are Asian homegrown luxury brands, and our ambition is to be there,” Jolly said. Fili Hotel’s flagship property opened in 2022 at NUSTAR Resort and Casino in Cebu City. The second Fili Hotel will open next year in Bridgetowne Destination Estate, one of Robinsons Land’s most significant mixed-use developments, spanning portions of Quezon City and Pasig. “I always want everyone to remember and know this that Fili is the first Filipino five-star hotel brand, and we built this not just for financial gains only. We wanted to build something that every Filipino is proud of. Fili is a five-star Filipino brand both in its service and product,” Jolly said. “And when we brought FIli to life, we want people to know that in the Philippines we can home-grow true five-star hotel which reflects not only Filipino hospitality culture, but also reflects global standards,” he said. As the Philippines’ largest and most geographically diverse hospitality group, RHR has 30 properties across 20 cities and municipalities nationwide, with a portfolio spanning 10 brands that cater to a wide range of travel needs, from ultra-luxury experiences to essential-value stays. Aside from Fili, its portfolio also includes the Philippines first ultra luxury homegrown brand NUSTAR as well as internationally recognized partners such as The Westin Manila, Crowne Plaza Galleria Manila, Holiday Inn Galleria Manila and Dusit Thani Mactan Cebu. Completing its nationwide footprint are RHR’s homegrown brands — Grand Summit Hotels, Summit Hotels and Resorts, Go Hotels and Go Hotels Plus.