SM Hotels and Conventions Inc. Signs Up Hilton Worldwide First Conrad Hotel in the Philippines now being built at Mall of Asia Complex

Seated from left to right: Mr. Henry T. Sy, Jr, Vice Chairman of SM Investments Corporation (SMIC); Ms. Elizabeth T. Sy, President of SM Hotels and Conventions (SMHCC); and Mr. Martin Rinck, President of Hilton Worldwide for Asia Pacific. Standing: Mr. Arthur Sy, Vice President for Corporate Legal at SMIC ; Ms. Marissa Helena Nubla, Senior Vice President for Special Projects at SMIC; Ms. Christina Bautista, Vice President for Business Development for SMHCC, and Mr. Guy Phillips, Vice President for Development of Hilton Worldwide for Asia Pacific. 

7 March 2013, Pasay City, Philippines. SM Hotels and Conventions Corporation (SMHCC), a subsidiary of SM Investment Corporation, announced that it signed a management agreement with Hilton Worldwide for the latter to manage Conrad Manila. 

Scheduled to open in mid-2015, the 347-room hotel is the first Conrad Hotels & Resorts branded property in the Philippines. It will be located at the Mall of Asia Complex fronting Manila Bay, beside the fourth largest shopping mall in the world and adjacent to the SMX Convention Center. In close proximity is the SM Arena, a stadium with a 16,000-seat capacity where international shows and concerts, and major sporting events are held. Conrad Manila is just three kilometers from Ninoy Aquino International Airport and six kilometers from the Makati Central Business District (CBD).

The 8-storey Conrad Manila will incorporate two levels of retail and entertainment facilities on ground level. The luxury property will house an all-day dining restaurant, two specialty restaurants, a bar and lobby lounge. It will also have a business center, a fitness club, a swimming pool, a spa, a 1,446 square meter ballroom, function and meeting spaces, and car park facilities. 

Ms. Elizabeth T. Sy, President of Hotels and Conventions Corporation said, “We are very happy to formalize our partnership with Hilton Worldwide as it combines their expertise of a global, award-winning hospitality company with SM’s strong local market expertise. Given Conrad Manila’s excellent accessibility to and from all areas of Manila, we are confident that it will deliver best-in-class service to capitalize on strong demand from both domestic and international business and leisure travellers.”

Hilton Worldwide is a leading global hospitality company, spanning 93 years of experience in the lodging sector from luxurious full-service hotels and resorts to extended-stay suites and mid-priced hotels. Its brands comprise more than 3,900 hotels and timeshare properties, with 650,000 rooms in 90 countries and territories which include Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations. Conrad Hotels & Resorts is Hilton Worldwide’s global luxury brand catering to the needs of the modern, sophisticated traveler. 
By focusing on the individual, Conrad offers guests genuine and personalized experience and a world of style, service and connection.

“We are extremely pleased to be introducing the Conrad brand’s uniquely intuitive service and personalized experiences to the Philippines which has such a well-deserved reputation for hospitality,” said John T.A. Vanderslice, global head of luxury and lifestyle brands for Hilton Worldwide. “In keeping with the spirit of the more than 20 Conrad Hotels & Resorts operating around the globe, Conrad Manila will represent a destination for a new generation of smart luxury travelers for whom life, business and pleasure seamlessly intersect – people who know that the greatest luxury is the luxury of being yourself.”

Conrad Manila is the fifth hotel to be introduced in the Philippines by SMHCC. The other highly successful hotels in the company’s portfolio are Radisson Blu in Cebu, Taal Vista Hotel in Tagaytay, and Pico Sands at Hamilo’s Pico de Loro Resort in Nasugbu, Batangas. Soon to open is Park Inn Hotel in Lanang, Davao which is right beside SM City Lanang. SMHCC is also the leading convention operator in the country through SMX Convention Center which now has two outlets at the Mall of Asia Complex and Davao, and its Megatrade Halls in SM Megamall and SM City Cebu. 

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For further information, please contact:

Mr. Rey Villar 
Executive Vice President
+632 857 0398
rey.villar@sminvestments.com

Ms. Christina Bautista
Vice President for Business Development
 +632 857 0224
 christina.bautista@sminvestments.com 

Date: Thursday, March 7, 2013