DUSIT Thani Manila has lined up several initiatives, among them the upgrade of its executive club lounge and executive floor rooms, to further grow its MICE business.
Director of revenue, Leizle Satuito, noted that MICE contributed 14 per cent of the hotel’s revenue last year. Her goal for 2013 is to maintain the same proportion of contribution, but with a revenue increase of nine per cent.
To achieve these goals, Christine Divinagracia, assistant director for events, said the hotel would launch on March 17 a bigger and better Dusit Club Lounge with an alfresco pavilion, a 200m2 library and new equipment for business guests.
Meanwhile, 150 guestrooms on the executive club floor are being refurbished now and works are slated for completion within the year.
Divinagracia added that the hotel had hired renowned event stylist Henry Pascual early last year to help conceptualise interesting and exciting themes for events.
“Theme parties were not as popular as they are now. These days, companies are allotting bigger budget for theme parties. Even small meetings and corporate Christmas parties have to be themed,” she noted. “Clients have become discerning in their wants and needs. We have to exceed their expectations. There is always the challenge to give them that wow factor.”
Big corporations are also hiring their own event organisers now, according to Divinagracia.
“Before, companies would just ask the hotel for lights and sounds. Now, they hire events organisers with whom we also work very well,” she said.
To cater to the rising demand for themed events, Dusit Thani Manila will unveil this year themed coffee breaks “to inject something new that the clients can look forward to after a long meeting”.
Such themed coffee breaks are still being developed, and Divinagracia said the hotel would draw inspiration from its connection with Thailand in particular and Asia in general.
