By Henry Empeño

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — French-owned Accor International Group, the sixth largest hospitality company in the world, has broken ground here for a $300-million project that would integrate a world-class leisure hotel complex with a casino and convention center.

The project groundbreaking for the soon-to-be constructed Subic Sun Convention Resort and Casino was held last Thursday at the Bravo Building of the former Subic International Hotel, which would be taken over by Accor for the project.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño, who graced the groundbreaking rites, said it will be the very first integrated resort casino and hotel complex in Subic.

The project will increase Subic’s hotel capacity and draw in more tourists, Aliño added, as Subic hotels now “get fully-booked even months before the start of the peak season.”

According to Subic Sun Convention Resort and Casino Inc. chairman and president Pablo Edgardo T. Puyat, the firm expects to start construction in 2025 for two hotel buildings, the Ibis Styles Subic and Mercure Subic, following the commencement of a $300-million investment commitment.

These will be the first internationally branded hotel in Subic, he said.

Puyat said Ibis Styles Subic will open in 2026 and will feature 175 rooms and amenities such as a swimming pool, meeting space, and a gym, while Mercure Subic, also set to open in 2026, will offer 250 rooms. The hotels will be located near each other.

“Both Ibis Styles Subic and Mercure Subic are in the company’s economy and midscale segments, respectively,” Puyat explained. “Ibis Styles will be an economy hotel brand focused on in-style stays, while the Mercure will be a French midscale hotel brand, with both brands owned by ACCOR International Group.”

Ibis Styles and Mercure will be just part of the initial phase of the project, Puyat added. He said that a world-class integrated leisure and convention center will be constructed in progressive phases in a six-hectare property that will feature an integrated resort casino complex and five-star resort hotels.

Aside from the convention center/exhibition hall, the complex will also have duty-free shops, dormitels, carpark, hotel and recreation center, Americana complex, Americana seaside clubhouse, American country club and the New Dragon Restaurant. 

Accordingly, Accor is a multinational hospitality company headquartered in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France, and owns, manages and franchises hotels, resorts and vacation properties. It is the largest hospitality firm in Europe, and the sixth largest worldwide.

The group operates 5,584 locations in over 110 countries, with total capacity of about 821,518 rooms as of end 2023.  Its brands encompass many segments of hospitality: luxury (Raffles, Fairmont, Sofitel), premium (MGallery, Pullman, Swissôtel), midscale (Novotel, Mercure, Adagio), and economy (ibis, hotelF1).

Accor also owns companies specialized in digital hospitality and event organization, such as onefinestay, D-Edge, ResDiary, John Paul, Potel & Chabot and Wojo. 