Citadines Bacolod, now the largest international hotel in Bacolod, located along Lacson Street in Barangay Bata opened on Friday, June 14.
Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said Citadines Bacolod is now the largest hotel in the city with 200 rooms that by far outnumber all the other hotels in the city.
Benitez said every time the MassKara Festival is held the city runs out of hotel rooms. The new hotel will enhance the vibrancy of Bacolod, he said.
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said the Citadines’ opening could not be timelier with the just created Negros Island Region.
“It aligns perfectly with our efforts to enhance the region’s appeal and infrastructure,” he said.
“Citadines’ presence will certainly enhance Negros Occidental’s hospitality industry, providing top-tier accommodation options that meet international standards, increase local employment, and boost the province’s growing tourism industry,” Lacson said.
Operated by The Ascott Limited, the P2 billion Citadines Bacolod is a project of CCLI Premier Hotels, a joint venture of Cebu Landmasters Inc. in partnership with Capitaine Inc.
“Your investment in Negros Occidental is a testament to the potential you see in our province…let us continue to work together to make Negros Occidental a premier destination for both domestic and international tourists,” Lacson told the hotel investors.
About 80 percent of the hotel staff are from Bacolod and Negros Occidental, who are being trained according to The Ascott standards.
“We are expecting our hospitality business to rise as we now have over 1,700 keys in our portfolio. Our hotels are already performing well as of the first quarter of 2024, with a revenue surge of 37 percent year-on-year. The launch of Citadines Bacolod City, in addition to our three operational hotels in Cebu, will definitely reinforce this growth,” said CLI Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jose Soberano III.
“We are excited for the opening of the largest international hotel in Bacolod City that features five amenity areas and five food and beverage outlets. Citadines Bacolod City also has a business lounge and meeting rooms for conferences,” Mathias Bergundthal, Director of Asset of CLI Hotels and Resorts, said.
Citadines Bacolod City has a 1000-sqm convention center with a pillarless ballroom. “Our ballroom can accommodate up to 650 heads and we will already be accepting MICE event bookings starting in July 2024,” Berguntha said.
The hotel also features “Buglas”, a 3 by 6 meters mural made by the Artisans of Hope of the Negrense Volunteers for Change. It is an expression of Negros history and culture using broken ceramic tile pieces, discarded Nespresso coffee capsules, Capiz shell trimmings and broken glass.*