The Oriental Leyte Explained

Hotel Name:The Oriental Leyte
Alternate Names:The Oriental Hotel Leyte
Status:complete
Location Town:Palo, Leyte
Location Country:Philippines
Coordinates:11.1693°N 125.0102°W
Opening Date:2012
Developer:LKY Development Corporation
Hotel Chain:The Oriental Hotels and Resorts
Number Of Rooms:129
Number Of Suites:8

The Oriental Hotel Leyte, also known as The Oriental Leyte, is a defunct hotel in the town of Palo in Leyte, Philippines. It was the only four-star rated hotel in the Eastern Visayas according to the Department of Tourism's National Accommodation Standards at the time of its operation.

The facility was part of The Oriental Hotels and Resorts chain of the LKY Group of Companies.[1]

History

See also: MacArthur Park Beach Resort. Another hotel used to stand at the site of The Oriental Leyte. This hotel was the MacArthur Park Beach Resort which was built in 1983 by then First Lady Imelda Marcos. The hotel was sequestered by the Philippine national government after the People Power Revolution in 1986 and was transferred to the Leyte local government in 2009.

The Leyte government leased the associated property of the MacArthur hotel to the LKY Resorts and Hotel under a 25-year build, operate and transfer lease agreement in the same year.[2]

The MacArthur Park Hotel's building was demolished to make way for a new hotel building. The Oriental Leyte first opened in 2012[3] The hotel building sustained heavy damage from Typhoon Haiyan, locally known as Super Typhoon Yolanda, in November 2013 forcing a ceasure of operations. Repair works on the hotel's facilities costed at least [4] and The Oriental Leyte was reopened in 2016.[3]

In January 2020, the Department of Tourism (DOT) gave the hotel a four-star rating under its National Accommodation Standards for hotels. The Oriental Leyte became the first hotel in the Eastern Visayas region to be given star accreditation by the tourism government department.[5] However the hotel experienced a decline in bookings due to the COVID-19 pandemic which worsened in the same year.[6] The hotel would eventually close on April 6, 2024.[7]

Facilities

The Oriental Leyte was situated besides the MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park[8] and was connected to the park by a bridge since 2019.[9] The hotel had 129 regular rooms and 8 suites. It also had 13 function rooms and a business center, as well as five videoke rooms, a fitness gym, three swimming pools and a single spa.[3] The hotel prior to the onslaught of Typhoon Haiyan had 110 rooms.[4]

The hotel reportedly in 2020 was a four-star hotel under the DOT's National Accommodation Standards. Under the tourism department's star-rating system, the hotel rated 716 points based on an assessment of its facilities and services.[3]

Notes and References

  1. News: Oriental Hotel embarks on an expansion binge . October 1, 2020 . BusinessWorld . October 10, 2018.
  2. News: 'Yolanda'-hit Oriental Hotel Leyte to reopen in October . October 1, 2020 . RadyoNatin . August 24, 2016.
  3. News: The Oriental Leyte gets 4-star rating . October 1, 2020 . The Philippine Star . January 31, 2020.
  4. Web site: Oriental Hotel in Leyte sets reopening this October . Samar Weekly Express . October 1, 2020 . September 2, 2016.
  5. News: The Oriental Leyte rated 4-star by the Department of Tourism . October 1, 2020 . The Manila Times . January 20, 2020.
  6. News: Amazona . Roel . Virus scare hurts E. Visayas’ tourism businesses . October 1, 2020 . Philippine News Agency . March 13, 2020.
  7. News: Gabieta . Joey . Hotel built by Imelda Marcos in Leyte ends operations . 24 July 2024 . Philippine Daily Inquirer . 8 April 2024 . en.
  8. News: Supertran . Bernard . Pinoy hotel group goes on expansion mode . October 1, 2020 . Philippine Daily Inquirer . June 22, 2019.
  9. News: Amazona . Roel . Gov’t completes rehab of Leyte’s MacArthur Park . October 1, 2020 . Philippine News Agency . October 14, 2019.