Makati Shangri-La temporarily closing starting Feb. 1
Makati Shangri-La Hotel is closing its doors for the meantime as it continues to deal with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A statement sent by the Shangri-La Group to Philstar L!fe said that the Makati hotel is “parting ways with a number of colleagues and we will be temporarily closing” as part of its “reorganization exercise.”
It added that Makati Shangri-La looks forward to reopening at a later date, “when business conditions have improved.”
Makati Shangri-La’s last day of operations is on January 31.
The Shangri-La Group said that it has “considered all viable options” before making the “extremely difficult decision” to reorganize its operations in the Philippines.
It cites the “continued low business levels” of the hotel while operating during quarantine as the reason for the closing.
“For close to 30 years, the Shangri-La Groups has enjoyed strong support here in the Philippines. We are grateful for this and would like to assure everyone we remain deeply comitted to our presence here in the market, and to the communities we are a part of,” it said.
Last week, the Department of Tourism reported that the Philippine tourism losses reached P401 million in 2020 due to the pandemic. The country only received 1.3 million visitors last year, a significant decline from the 8.2 million arrivals in 2019.
Makati Shangri-La is one of 15 hotels in Metro Manila that was allowed by the DOT to operate for leisure purposes. The Shangri-La Group's other hotels and resorts in the Philippines remain open—in BGC, Mandaluyong, Boracay and Cebu.
Other hotels in the country operate as quarantine facilities. As of Jan. 19, 765 hotels nationwide are listed as quarantine facilities with a total of 72,547 rooms.
Banner image and thumbnail from Makati Shangri-La website