By Elmer V. Recuerdo
Correspondent
PALO, Leyte—Oriental Hotel Leyte is set to reopen in October, almost three years after it was totally destroyed by Supertyphoon Yolanda, and just in time for the 72nd anniversary of the Leyte Gulf Landing on October 20.
Leyte Gov. Leopoldo Dominico Petilla said the hotel is already being prepared for a “soft launch” in October, as many of its facilities are still undergoing repair.
He added that reconstruction of the main building, where its offices, function hall and restaurant are located, will be given priority for the soft launch. Rebuilding the whole hotel to its pre-Yolanda operation may take a little while, he said.
The hotel sits on a 10-hectare beach fronting the historic Red Beach, where one of the greatest naval battles took place during World War II. It is adjacent to the famous MacArthur Memorial Landing, where Gen. Douglas MacArthur fulfilled his “I shall return” promise in a battle with the Japanese Navy during World War II.
The hotel is owned by LKY Resorts and Hotels, which was granted a 25-year contract to operate under the build-operate-transfer scheme. It opened in 2011, but got totally destroyed by the strong wind and storm surge brought by Yolanda.
After the typhoon, international relief organization Samaritan’s Purse converted the main building into a warehouse.
Petilla said the closure of Oriental Hotel made a huge impact on tourism in the whole region. The hotel’s convention room, which could accommodate up to 1,000 people, was already becoming a favorite venue of many national conferences when the hotel was destroyed. In fact, he said, it was booked for a national conference on the same day the typhoon struck in November 2013, but was only canceled on the advice of disaster-response officials.
The governor said the province may grant a contract restart of 25 years with the hotel owners as a reprieve, considering the huge investment needed to reconstruct the hotel.