ILOILO: HEART of the PHILIPPINES

Get Ready to Feel Good, Ilonggos! SM Hotels and Conventions Corp (SMHCC) just announced the opening of Park Inn by Radisson Hotel Iloilo by March of 2019! Park Inn by Radisson Iloilo nears completion at SM City Iloilo complex. Photo by Robbie Robles Located on a prime spot next to SM City Iloilo, the 200-room, 10-storey hotel will become the 3rd hotel under the Park Inn by Radisson brand in the Philippines but it will be the 1st to be fully-managed by SMHCC.  " SMHCC’s long time partnership with Radisson Hotel Group (RHG) will be further strengthened and reflects a strong mutual intent to grow the brand in the country. ” says SMHCC President Elizabeth Sy.  “ As owners, SMHCC looks forward to benefitting from RHG’s vast global resources that have helped make RHG one of the most progressive hotel companies in the world. ” Artist's perspective of Park Inn by Radisson Iloilo With its central location in the burgeoning district of Mandurriao, the hotel is 2...

In the wilderness, leave all your troubles and negativities behind....  And this 2018, Havaianas is bringing only good vibes amidst crazy times and will take you to a place where positivity reigns.  Welcome to the Wilderness of Joy! This year’s Make-Your-Own-Havaianas (MYOH) reflects on a wilderness theme with the commemorative sole featuring a re-imagined version of the camouflage pattern with banana leaves against a deep blue background.  MYOH 2018 also debuts a commemorative slim strap. Covered in the same print as the sole, it can be matched with a multitude of colors for an eclectic chic look. Happiness abounds with hundreds of options to customize your own pair. Just choose from the Havs roulette for the size and color combo to suit your style. Finish your unique sole and strap combination with a variety of pins that will make you smile.  A slice of pizza, a palm tree, a smiley face, and the commemorative rainbow pin, – where par...

Celebrating its first Holiday season, Courtyard by Marriott Iloilo wants to bring Christmas back home to the family as it lights up its Christmas centerpiece. Paying homage to the old Iloilo Airport where the hotel (and the whole Iloilo Business Park) now stands, the Christmas centerpiece brings a lot of nostalgia to the Ilonggos.  With a 13-foot replica of the old control tower (the original one still stands right across the hotel), a model airplane made of gingerbread and Christmas trees of different sizes, Courtyard by Marriott Iloilo brings back the memories of the place where families used to separate but most importantly reunite especially with the warmth and joy of celebrating the holidays  “ It's time to come back home and celebrate the Holidays, with nobody else but the family " greets Ms Cleofe Albiso, General Manager of Courtyard by Marriott Iloilo during the Christmas Tree lighting ceremony .  Her Holiday message on the values of grati...

Heads up Ilonggos! Japanese global apparel retailer, UNIQLO, announces the opening of its second store in Iloilo on November 30 at Robinson Place Pavia. The newest UNIQLO store - 55th branch in the country and the 6th in the Visayas, will become the biggest store in Iloilo offering 825 square meters of shopping space.  “We are very happy with the warm reception of Illongos for UNIQLO products and are grateful for their continued support since the opening of our first store in the city in 2016,” said Masayoshi Nakamura, COO, UNIQLO Philippines.  “We are excited to continue UNIQLO’s long-standing commitment to providing innovative and high-quality LifeWear clothing with more customers in Iloilo.” UNIQLO at Robinsons Place Pavia shows the brand’s  stronger dedication to customers outside of Metro Manila as it offers a brand new shopping space and the UNIQLO LifeWear shopping experience to more Illongos. Located on the first floor of the mall, the n...

Are you planning on a stay-cation at Richmonde Hotel Iloilo ? Or maybe its sister hotels  –  Richmonde Ortigas or Eastwood Richmonde in Manila?   Maybe   you might have a business trip, planning casino getaway or just lay-over in Manila at Savoy Hotel and Belmont Hotel at Newport City.   Or just want to be check the re-opening of Boracay and planning to stay at Savoy Hotel at  Boracay Newcoast ? If any of these hotels are on your list, here’s an awesome deal just waiting for you… Introducing Megaworld Hotels CLUB ACCESS Card ! It’s a privilege card with lots of perks and freebies for people on-the-go or just doing some y.o.l.o. ! STAY FOR FREE For an annual membership of PhP 6,999 , you can get as much as 5 FREE nights stay . And it's the most affordable hotel privilege card to date! The Club Access membership comes with a voucher booklet.  There’s a complimentary one night stay at any of these hotels.  ...

There’s a new collection on display at the Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art (ILOMOCA) and it echoes the artist’s attempt at reclaiming humility – by recognizing how space is shared not only within society nor only among humanity, but with everything that surrounds us. Recounting how he had badly stubbed his toe on a rock, shattering the nail and causing it to bleed, artist Nunelucio Alvarado instead reacted with what he knew best  - by putting brush to paint and giving the stone color.  " Nawala ang depression ko dito (My depression went away with this,) " he recalls while contemplating one of his works — not a large canvas, but a pebble, small enough to turn in the hand and enclose in a fist.  It was a stone that started Alvarado's affair with the so-called small things that make up his latest exhibition “Songs from the Sea” at ILOMOCA’s Hulot Gallery. The display not only reflects but builds upon the notion that art is not only restorative, but radica...