New hotel properties, including international branded hotels, to open in key tourism areas like Ilocos Norte and Palawan within the next five to seven years

 

Setting its sights on further expanding its presence in some of the Philippines' fastest-growing tourism destinations, property giant Megaworld is accelerating the expansion of its hospitality business as it prepares to significantly expand its hotel portfolio in the coming years.

 

Megaworld is targeting nearly 12,000 rooms by 2032, rolling out new hotel developments in key destinations, such as Palawan and Ilocos Norte, alongside continued expansion in major tourism and business hubs across the country. This expansion will include both Megaworld’s homegrown hotel brands and internationally branded brands, further strengthening the company’s position as the Philippines' biggest developer and operator of hotel developments.

 

Apart from opening more hotels, Megaworld is also reshaping its hospitality business to prepare for a bigger and more global hospitality business.

 

To drive this next phase of growth, Megaworld has established Megaworld Global Hotels and Resorts (MGHR) to bring together its growing hotel portfolio under two focused groups. First is Megaworld Hotels & Resorts (MHR), which will manage the company’s hotel developments in Metro Manila, Boracay, Batangas, and Cebu. And then there’s Megaworld Global Hospitality (MGH), which will handle Mövenpick Manila Bay Westside, Megaworld’s biggest hotel property, as well as the company’s new hotel properties in Palawan and the three hotels in Iloilo: Courtyard by Marriot, Richmonde Hotel Iloilo, and Belmont Hotel Iloilo.

 

“One of our biggest contributions to nation-building is to help make our tourism industry more vibrant and attractive, especially to foreign visitors. To support this goal of helping boost our country’s tourism, we are making this bold move of expanding our hospitality organization with established veterans and innovators in the global hotels and leisure industry," says Megaworld President and CEO Lourdes Gutierrez-Alfonso.

 

“We see tourism as one of the most powerful engines of sustainable economic growth. Every hotel we build creates jobs, supports local businesses, brings visitors to new destinations, and opens more opportunities for communities to prosper. Through our expanding hospitality portfolio under Megaworld Global Hotels and Resorts (MGHR), we want to help continue unlocking the immense tourism potential of the Philippines and bring more of our country’s destinations, culture, and world-class Filipino hospitality to travelers from around the globe,” adds Kevin L. Tan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Alliance Global Group, Inc. (AGI), the parent company of Megaworld.

 

Two leaders, one big vision

 

Leading the two hospitality groups are seasoned industry executives: Socrates Alvaro, who will be the Managing Director of Megaworld Hotels & Resorts, and Anna Vergara, who is taking the helm as Managing Director of Megaworld Global Hospitality.

 

 

Alvaro brings extensive hotel operations and leadership experience, with a distinguished track record built through various senior leadership roles within Megaworld Hotels & Resorts. His career spans nearly two decades across some of the world’s most dynamic and prestigious hospitality markets, including the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, the Maldives, Thailand, and other key destinations across Asia.

 

Vergara, meanwhile, brings more than 32 years of distinguished experience with Marriott International, the world’s largest international hotel chain. She has built a reputation for excellence in hotel operations, leadership, and the development of high-performing teams.

 

Together, Alvaro and Vergara bring complementary strengths to the new organization—one anchored on Megaworld’s homegrown hospitality expertise and the other on global hotel standards and international brand management.

 

For the first half of 2026, Megaworld’s hospitality business emerged as the company’s fastest-growing recurring income segment, delivering an 11% increase in revenues to P3.1 billion. The strong performance was fueled by the opening of the 405-room Belmont Hotel Iloilo, the company’s third hotel within its 72-hectare Iloilo Business Park and now the largest hotel in Iloilo City in terms of room inventory, bringing Megaworld’s total hotel portfolio in the city to nearly 1,000 rooms.