Last year, The Oriental Hotels and Resorts opened The Oriental Legazpi in Legazpi City, Albay. Situated on Taysan Hill with the majestic Mayon Volcano as backdrop, it is considered the finest hotel

resort for leisure and business travelers in the Bicol region. Many may still remember the structure as the former Mayon Imperial Hotel, but with Lee’s entry, the hotel has been revitalized featuring the best luxury facilities in the area. In fact, were it not for The Oriental, Queen Sofia of Spain would have no place to go for lunch when she was there for a visit a few weeks ago.

The presence of The Oriental Legazpi has completely changed the landscape of the province. People were excited not because another new hotel came to town — this was more than that. The Oriental bears a mark of quality that is comparable to the international hotel brands. It’s a hotel that Lee would replicate in places such as Leyte, and soon, in Bataan. There are plans to situate the brand in many more places but it’s not the quantity that really matters. It’s how they can make the guest experience across all of their properties consistent.

Lee places specific importance on brand value. “We needed to have brand service standards, identity, and distinction so that when you go to an Oriental hotel, you expect the same service as with any other Oriental brand hotel,” he says.

“When you come to a place that you have not been to, the first thing you should be able to ask when you arrive is, ‘Is there an Oriental hotel here? Bring me to The Oriental.’ Because you are already confident of what to expect. That’s our vision,” he adds.

Aside from offering one of the most complete views of Mayon Volcano, The Oriental Legazpi places much emphasis on reducing its carbon footprint and becoming a green environmental standard for hotels in the country.

“In Legazpi, we are the only hotel with a sewage treatment plant,” says Lee. “We are the only hotel using 99 percent LED and energy-saving lights and we make full use of natural lighting.”

The Oriental was designed to make use of all available natural light featuring wide, floor-to-ceiling windows and glass ceilings. It is an aesthetic that can also be seen at the newly opened The Oriental Leyte which enjoyed a soft launch last March. That property has the distinction of having the historic MacArthur Park nearby.

The Oriental Hotels and Resorts actually has two types of hotels with the brand. The full-service luxury side covers the hotels in Legazpi and Leyte, while the business or “express” side covers the basics with minimal facilities.

“The express hotels are for people on-the-go,” says Lee. The only things you will see here aside from the rooms are a coffee shop, gym, and business center. As much as possible, the express hotel side of the brand shares the same green initiatives as its full-service counterparts. The business hotel in Iloilo features the same wide windows but also have “void decks,” large, open spaces and corridors where wind can freely pass through providing ample ventilation.

The Oriental’s other express hotels are the Swagman in Manila, Sylvia Manor in Bacolod, and upcoming hotels in Pagsanjan and Balanga.

“If you look at the industry now, talking about the local scene, there are no real homegrown brands,” shares Lee. “There’s lots of potential in this area, not only because our local tourism is booming, but in terms of managing properties also.”

Speaking of tourism, Lee says that having The Oriental Hotels near well-known tourist and historical sites is more than just helping the business. He expresses a need to appreciate the country’s natural offerings and legacy.

“In places like Singapore, the tourist attractions are man-made. In the Philippines, it’s all natural. Pagsanjan Falls in Laguna and MacArthur Park in Leyte are well-known sites internationally. This generation needs to remember what happened at the Bataan Death March. We want the association to these places to be part of our brand,” he says.

Lee confesses a certain love for hotels. Not just all of them, only the best kind. You will likely find him hanging out at hotel lobbies of the top-tier brands here and abroad. His family even knows the drill whenever they arrive at a new hotel. “When my family goes abroad, we really go for good hotels,” he says. “When we arrive at a hotel they all hang out and wait at the lobby because they already know, before we even check in to a room, it will take another hour because I go to the front office and ask ‘can you show me all the room types?’ I’m very particular about the smell, the location, the views. If I like something I will go for the upgrade. To me, when I’m in a hotel it’s like being in a large playground.”

What’s next for this young, energetic brand? The Oriental Hotels and Resorts, just more than half a year in the business, is already showing great potential to be the industry’s next big thing. Lee declares: “We want to be the largest hotel chain. That’s the ultimate goal.”

And like all big things, Lee is not afraid to go big. “If everything goes according to plan we will have The Oriental Palau by next year. We are looking at several properties in China as well, but all of these will be managed.”

From the start, consistency in quality and service is the key to a successful hotel chain. The hotels deliver by providing that consistently high standard expected of any great brand. Thankfully, it’s that quality that raises the bar in the areas that the company situates its properties. As long as it keeps having that effect, The Oriental Hotels and Resorts will always be a welcome sight for many a distinguished traveler.

The Oriental Legazpi is located at Taysan Hill, Sto. Niño Village, Legazpi City, Albay with telephone numbers +63 (52) 435-3333 and +63 (52) 435-5555. The Oriental Leyte is located in Baras, Palo, Leyte with telephone number +63 (53) 323-3881. For more information, contact the Manila Sales Office at +63 (02) 994-5644 or visit www.theorientalhotels.com.

Source: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=830013

With the coming in of LKY Resorts and Hotels as the new owner of Sylvia Manor I am sure that it will give a boast to what is already good service of the Hotel. The management has been studying on how to further meet the need of their clients in terms of hotel amenities, food and many more. Congratulations LKY and welcome to the City of Smiles!

LKY Resorts and Hotels Director for Operations, Andres Y. Sison, III , together with mediaman Manny Canto and yours truly during our breakfast meeting at Sylvia Manor Hotel, Bacolod City

Source: http://www.pinoybisniz.com/2012/05/sylvia-manor-is-now-under-lee-king-yek-lky-resorts-and-hotels/

It will materialize after the completion and full occupancy of the renovated Sorsogon Shopping Center now in its finishing stage of construction and the on-going Sorsogon Bay City project. The projects are hubs for fast food chains, drugstores, supermart, gas station and the Bay City will host condotels and marinas offering the view of the sunset of Sorsogon Bay. Both offer commercial leasing spaces.

The renovation of the old shopping center became one of the focal points during the first term of Mayor Leovic Dioneda, to attract and create job opportunities, doubled-up by the investment of Wilbert Lee, Chief Executive Officer of LKY Development Corporation, the biggest construction concern in Sorsogon, who foot the bill for the renovation.

When the project was tossed to the Sorsogon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Wilbert Lee took the opportunity and the challenge to prove that Sorsogon City is a good investment area, thus a roadmap for domestic investors was created.

This is not the first time that LKY took a giant step, back in the late eighties, the construction firm responded to the offer of then Municipality of Sorsogon when it built a commercial building in a government lot fronting the public market, then another foothold when the diocesan leadership offered the development of the back portion of the cathedral lot which now stands as a landmark in the city proper.

This time, the response of Lee’s firm was a class act for Sorsogon City. It was a silent statement that private-public partnership can design, build and offer new landscape for business opportunities.

It started way back in 2009 during Dioneda’s first term, when the third city council was challenged by him to come-up with a resolution to attract investors for built-operate, built-lease, and built transfer scheme offering safety nets for investors.

LKY responded with a grand proposal not only to boost Sorsogon economy but put on record that the traffic problem of the city center be corrected. Thus the renovated Sorsogon Shopping Center when completed will host the tricycle integrated terminal and the Sorsogon Bay City project at Barangay Balogo will house the integrated bus, jeepney and van terminal. Rolling up its sleeves when the projects were given the green lights, LKY never look back. It was committed and it was proving to all that it is not lost in Sorsogon after all.

Both Mayor Dioneda and Wilbert Lee of LKY are sort of visionaries, they have the knack of what can be done and how can it be done. Dioneda created an investment climate, Lee responded in ways never imagined by Sorsoganons.

Simultaneously starting the project created employment to skilled workers and tap the labor force not only of the city but from the other towns of the province. Masons, carpenters, plumbers, welders, pipe fitters, steel fabricators and many more who for sometimes were not employed are now having a week pay to look-up. At its peak LKY was employing close to three hundred workers in the two projects pumping a large sum of money in the local economy. This was an indirect contribution of the construction firm in prime-pumping the local economy. The construction lessened the number of employment seekers at city hall.

The two projects are now the center piece of construction in the city. It’s because, Mayor Dioneda made a big difference and LKY of Wilbert Lee nurtured the big difference.

Source: http://bicoltoday.com/?p=5333

PALO, Leyte – LKY Hotels and Resorts is eyeing at least P500-million investments in Leyte as it moves to the second phase of its first-class development project in this town scheduled for completion towards the end of 2012.

LKY Group of Companies with LKY Resorts Hotels as subsidiary embarks in a hotel business with “The Oriental” brand.

The Oriental Leyte sits on a 10-hectare expansive beach frontage known as the Red Beach, site of one of the greatest naval battles in history.

It is also adjacent to the famous MacArthur Landing Memorial, another historical landmark in Leyte.

LKY Group of Companies president Wilbert Lee said the first phase of the project with about P300-million investments is now 90 percent complete.

The first phase of property development includes construction of 105-room hotel, function room, restaurants, infinity pool, gym, and relaxing spa.

The resort’s function room has opened in 2011 while its hotel rooms held its soft opening early March. The firm failed to reach mid-December 2011 opening target due to bad weather experienced in the province.

They are moving to the second phase of the development wherein they are setting aside a minimum of P200 million.

“Our commitment is to invest P300 million but full development will need at least another P200 million,” Lee said.

With the next phase of the project, the developer is constructing dormitory type 44-room accommodations, sand bed and aqua sports amenities.

“We are targeting foreign and domestic tourists as well as participants of conventions and other big events,” Lee added.

Its first hotel has opened in Legazpi City, Albay this month. The firm is targeting to open five hotels by 2013 in the Visayas and Southern Luzon area.

Among its lined up projects are luxury hotels in Pagsanjan, Laguna and Metro Manila.
LKY entered into a 25-year lease contract with the local government of Leyte, which is the former owner of the property, awarded in 2009 the contract to the winning developer.

Lee said they will keep some open spaces untouched because they want to preserve the natural beauty of the place.

LKY Group of Companies based in Bicol has been operating an integrated transport terminal, a retail hub, lifestyle and entertainment center and tourism spot in the country.

Source:http://www.sunstar.com.ph/tacloban/local-news/2012/03/19/resort-eyes-p500-million-investments-leyte-212000

THE operations of a hotel in Palo this year would not only boost the town’s economy but also generate employment to its people.

Mayor Remedios Petilla said hundreds of people from her town who are looking for jobs could be assured of employment at the Oriental Hotel-Leyte (formerly the MacArthur Park Beach Resort).

“If there are no Palon-on who passed or met the requirements that they (hotel management) have set, then they can hire people from outside,” Petilla said.

Petilla said she had asked the hotel’s management to take their supplies like rice and vegetable from Palo.

“This alone will be a big help to the economy of our town,” she said.

Petilla said she will do her share to help the hotel earn by asking other local officials from other provinces in the region to conduct their seminars at the hotel.

“This way, we will help them in promoting their business and at the same time, they will help our (local) economy,” she said.

While the hotel had its soft opening on December 2011, its formal opening is slated this month.

The management of the Oriental Hotel-Leyte has invested around P400 million to put up its branch in the province.

The Oriental Hotel-Leyte is under the LKY Resort Hotels, a subsidiary of LKY Group of Companies, sits in a 4.5-hectare prime property within the historic MacArthur Landing Memorial Park in Palo town.

The 105-room luxury hotel will have state-of-the art facilities.

The hotel boasts a convention facility that can accommodate 1,500 people.

Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/tacloban/local-news/2012/03/07/hotel-palo-generate-income-jobs-209976

Invited by leading climate change adaptation advocate Albay Gov. Joey Sarte Salceda, P-Noy went to visit The Oriental after speaking before media practitioners who attended the First National Media Conference on Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation at the Bicol University.

P-Noy sat at the veranda of The Oriental with Bicol’s pride Mt. Mayon a perfect backdrop behind him, chatted with Lee, Gov. Salceda, DILG Sec. Jesse Robredo and some other cabinet members. The president appeared animated yet relaxed and had lunch of mostly seafood dishes prepared by the hotel chef himself. Impressed with The Oriental P-Noy praised Lee for his faith in putting up such a project in the midst of conservatism in business investments today.

Mr. Wilbert Lee, president of LKY, the company who also owns the Grand Terminals in Legazpi and Sorsogon cities, felt it was a singular honor that the president of the country visited his latest business unit in the region he loves. “Paying forward” is the motivation of Lee, getting his inspiration from his late father Lee King Yek, a Chinese settler in Sorsogon who founded the business and legacy that he is now continuing.

The Oriental Legazpi opened this November with 115 rooms, function and ball rooms, a restaurant, infinity pool, spa and the most amazing view of the famous Mt. Mayon and the province of Albay. The five star hotel aims to be one of Bicol’s top destinations, a perfect jump off point to other tourist spots in the region.

Source: http://www.bicolmail.com/issue/2011/dec1/xnoy.html

PALO, LEYTE-The Singaporean-backed conglomerate LKY Property Holdings Inc., operator of the new Oriental Hotel Leyte has started to fill in its manpower requirements yesterday.

Christian Alfred Bongolan, LKY human resource manager, said this will be done until Dec. 15, the target date for the soft opening of the former MacArthur Park and Beach Resort that underwent almost two years of rehabilitation.

“Our president, Wilbert T. Lee said it will give priority to the people of Leyte and Samar to be employed in the hotel. This is our commitment to the people which is also the thrust of LKY Group of Companies,” Bongolan said.

The hotel would initially hire 100 employees to fill in the positions of managers, sales and marketing staff, front office staff, housekeeping, food and beverage, accounting, spa therapists, purchasing, among others.

“We would need more staff to work at the gym, souvenir shop, restaurants and spa,” Bongolan said.

Earlier, LKY president Lee assured the provincial government of Leyte to open in December as rehabilitation is on the full run to finish all the hotel’s facilities.

Private investor LKY Property pushed for a total renovation of the property with all of the buildings and facilities of the previous hotel torn down and new structures erected.

A new and grander lobby now sits in place adjacent to the hotel’s restaurant and spa lounges. The hotel will also have an outdoor pool and fitness facilities.

A new building has also been put in place that houses conference and meeting rooms and a ballroom with an estimated 1,000 sitting capacity conducive for big events and national conferences.

Leyte Gov. Jericho Petilla has earlier commented that there is a need in the province and the region for a bigger venue to host national conventions and other events that caters to a bigger crowd.

“We still lack that kind of venue here. Our bigger facilities are gymnasiums, astrodomes which are more conducive for sports events but not a facility that is more suited to conferences, meetings and the like,” Petilla said.

The same need has been echoed by the Department of Tourism in the region.

Initially, the LKY-operated Oriental Leyte Hotel will have 65 rooms with some of these being suites with living room area, small kitchen and open balconies facing the wide expanse of the Leyte Gulf and romantic sunrise settings.

The hotel has less number of rooms compared to the 116-rooms of the LKY Mayon Imperial Hotel in Legaspi City in Albay, which underwent the same total renovation by LKY Property.

However, the former McArthur Park hotel sits on a larger property and can still afford more area for other facilities.

Renovation of the LKY Mayon Imperial Hotel, which started a little before its McArthur Park counterpart here in 2009, was only completed in June 2011.

Already, LKY has invested at least P150 million in McArthur Hotel’s renovation. This is under the 25-year contract with the provincial government and with a total investment of P300 million for the hotel’s full renovation.

Even before it started renovating the hotel, LKY Property is leasing it for P250,000 a month from the provincial government.

The MacArthur Park Beach Resort and Hotel was built in 1983 on orders of former first Lady Imelda R. Marcos. It was sequestered by the government in 1986 and managed by the Philippine Tourism Authority.

In January 2009, the provincial government of Leyte took over the administration of the facility by virtue of Executive Order No. 756. (REYAN L. ARINTO)

Source: http://leytesamardaily.net/2011/11/oriental-hotel-leyte-starts-hiring-personnel/

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte – Close to a hundred job opportunities are available for qualified applicants at The Oriental Hotel Leyte, the newest hotel in Eastern Visayas.

The hotel started hiring this morning to fill up its manpower needs.

“The team will be on the look-out for applicants who radiate the brand that the hotel prides itself – refreshing services and refreshing people,” Mr. Anito Lanticse, the resort manager said.

Among the positions needed include staff for front office, sales and marketing, housekeeping, food and beverage, chefs, accounting, purchasing, and all the positions in all the hotel’s departments, Lanticse said.

“The good thing is that the company will give priority to qualified applicants from Leyte and Samar. The company’s commitment is to employ the people in the locality where it does business,” the resort manager added.

Formerly named MacArthur Inn Beach Resort, the Oriental Hotel- Leyte, is scheduled to have its soft opening on December 15.

The site of the 105-room hotel is located at the historic MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park Candahug, Palo, Leyte. Developed by the LKY Resorts and Hotels, a subsidiary of LKY Group of Companies, the Oriental Hotel- Leyte will answer the growing local and international tourists in this part of the country.

With historic settings, spectacular bay sunsets and lovely ocean views making it a destination in itself, the Oriental Hotel-Leyte will have amenities and state-of-the art facilities that meet international standards.

Aside from its spacious and well-appointed rooms, there is a gym for the health buffs, a souvenir shop, a ballroom, fine-dining restaurant, a Chinese restaurant, a relaxing spa and an infinity pool that stretches one’s eyes to the beautiful Leyte Gulf. The hotel also houses the biggest convention facility in the Region that can accommodate 1,500 people.

Source: http://evmedianetwork.blogspot.com/2011/11/former-macarthur-inn-beach-resort-now.html

Wilbert T. Lee, one of this year’s recipients of the Rokyaw Ibalnong Awards for business and industry is the man at the helm of LKY Group of Companies. LKY is the company that introduced the Grand Terminal concept in the cities of Legazpi and Sorsogon and franchisee of known foodchains in the country.

Wilbert is the son of the late Sorsogon settler Lee King Yek who was originally from Fujian, China. Wilbert’s father started the retail business in Sorsogon with the Goodluck Trading which Wilbert later transformed into Goodluck Commercial.

His sound vision and excellent entrepreneurial skills propelled the growth of LKY Group of Companies to the successful conglomerate that it is today, from build operate and transfer to hotels acquisition and development.

After graduating in 1991 from the University of Santo Tomas with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, Wilbert honed his entrepreneurial acumen when he saw the need to improve the family owned Goodluck Trading Company. In 1992, he boldly initiated the move to purchase the Deeds of Rights of adjacent commercial spaces. Young and full of fresh ideas, he then negotiated for longer lease terms with building owners; made major renovations and repackaged Goodluck Trading giving it a more modern and spacious look and transforming it into Goodluck Commercial highlighted with a large-scale department store.

The visionary in Wilbert paved the way for LKY Development Corporation. From a sole proprietorship of Goodluck Commercial, he established the corporation to introduce the family’s property development ventures. Pioneering in new real estate development practices, Wilbert was at the helm of the first build-operate and transfer (bot) agreement (a long term lease agreement with the Catholic Church in Sorsogon over a portion of the lot covered by the Sts Peter and Paul Cathedral) for the concession to construct and operate a 2-storey commercial building. From then on, LKY Development Corporaton continued to undertake well-planned development projects in strategic locations.

Wilbert proved those who believed that Sorsogon was not yet ready for the fastfood lifestyle wrong. In 1997, Wilbert went on to introduce Jollibee and Chowking to the province. Today these two brands control majority share of the fastfood market segment in the area and is constantly growing each year.

That same year, such remarkable achievement merited Wilbert Lee the esteemed “Most Outstanding Sorsogueño Award in the field of Business and Industry” from the Provincial Government of Sorsogon.

In 2006 he was awarded Bicol’s most prestigious “Halyao Award” for being voted the Bicolano Businessman of the Year by the Metro Naga Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Provincial Government of Camarines Sur. He is also the incumbent president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry – Sorsogon Chapter.

Another significant undertaking credited to Wilbert is the “Grand Terminal” concept seen to dominate key cities starting with the existing Legazpi Grand Terminal, followed by the Sorsogon Grand Terminal. To date, LKY is labeled as the first and only developer of an integrated transport terminal across the nation highlighted by a fully-automated terminal operations facility, a retail hub, a lifestyle and entertainment center and tourism spot.

Just recently, Wilbert Lee was elected as the first President of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Inc. San Juan City because of his contribution in strengthening the San Juan business community. Now, more than ever, Wilbert is focused in his advocacy for business growth, strategic business services, and national as well as international business networking resulting in sustainable economic growth for the long-term benefits to Filipino businesses.

Wilbert continues to embrace the company’s capability to build, expand and become a contributing factor in the economic growth of the areas he brings his development projects into. This is probably the reason why Legazpi City, thru the Ibalong Festival organizers, has chosen him to be one of the “Rokyaw Ibalnong” Awardees. The term ‘Rokyaw Ibalnong” is taken from the ancient Bicolano dialect that is loosely translated to “Hail to the Bicolano.” Hence, Wilbert is one of the chosen 11 Bicolanos along with Senator Chiz Escudero, DOJ Secretary Leila De Lima, Venus Raj and other accomplished Bicolanos, recognized for having shown brilliance, extraordinary talent, exceptional achievement or rare courage in their chosen endeavors.

To date LKY Group of Companies under the wing of Wilbert Lee, is into hotel development. His thrust is to be one of the leading premiere hotel chain developers and operators in the country.

Source: http://www.bicolmail.com/issue/2011/aug11/xlee.html

LKY Resorts and Hotels, a division of the LKY Group of Companies, is hosting its first job fair on June 21 at the Bar Strip of the Grand Terminal in Legazpi City.

According to LKY’s Corporate Human Resource Manager, Christian Bongolan, “we are targeting over a hundred jobs to fill in the manpower requirements of the Mayon Imperial Hotel and 80% of them should come from Bicol.”

Bongolan said that it is LKY’s corporate thrust to be a community partner in uplifting the lives of its people by providing employment. “We would like to prioritize graduates of Bicol universities and colleges as our way of giving back to the place that treated the company’s founder, Lee King Yek, like its own son,” thus added Bongolan.

LKY Group of Companies got its name from the late Lee King Yek, a Chinese dweller whose success story is both inspiring and uplifting. His son, LKY President Wilbert T. Lee could very well attest to how his father loved Sorsogon where he became known as a kind-hearted businessman.

LKY is the company behind food franchises (Chowking and Jollibee), the Grand Terminal Legazpi and Sorsogon and other development projects.

Open positions include sales and marketing, front office, housekeeping, food and beverage, accounting, and purchasing among others.

The job fair will run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m, June 21, 2011.

Source: http://www.bicolmail.com/issue/2011/jun16/xfair.html