Regarded as the “Queen City of the South,” Cebu City is one of the most-prosperous cities in the Philippines with its thriving commerce and tourism industries. As the second-largest city in the country, Metro Cebu undeniably has a lot to offer any local or foreign tourist, from Instagrammable destinations and historic sites, shopping malls, gastronomic delights to hotels.

In the middle of the city lies a luxe yet inexpensive crash pad.

With its cozy air-conditioned rooms, wide windows and wallpapered interiors, Anika Suites is surely one of the top picks for guests who seek a comfortable stay and be at the center of the city. Guests can make the most out of their time with the city’s landmarks, malls, hospitals, the Cebu Provincial Capitol and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport all just a ride away.

It hasn’t been an easy journey for Anika Suites, however. “We had low occupancy rates, sometimes not even hitting 50 percent,” said Joey Enario, owner and property manager of the hotel.

When Anika Suites opened its doors in Cebu on March 18 this year, the owners decided to name it after their business partner’s already well-known Anika Island Resort in Bantayan, Cebu to leverage the popularity of the other property. This proved to be not enough with low occupancy rate. That is, until OYO came in June.

Anika Suites saw the growth opportunity with the minimum guarantee offered by OYO, which means OYO will help boost the hotel’s occupancy rate and business regardless of revenue performance. “We compared what OYO can offer against the competition and decided that OYO would be a better pick for us,” Enario said.

The results of that decision and the subsequent partnership became apparent in just a few months. “Our occupancy rate right now ranges from 80 percent to 85 percent, a significant increase from before just like OYO has promised,” Enario happily shared.

Enario also noted how OYO OS, a hotel management system that allows online procurement and inventory management, has improved the efficiency of the hotel’s daily operations. “The system makes it easier for my front office and accounting staff to keep track of all the hotel bookings and transactions,” he said.

With the help of the OYO Captain, a dedicated manager who guides hotel staff and assists them in managing the hotel business, Enario saw sustained improvements in daily hotel operations. “The OYO Captain assigned to us has been very helpful. She always attends to all our queries,” he said.

OYO Hotels & Homes, the world’s second-largest chain of hotels, homes, and managed living and workspaces, continues to collaborate with small independent hoteliers to equip them with operational and technological capabilities that will enable them to keep pace with major hospitality players. For hotels such as OYO 208 Anika Suites, OYO is an ideal partner with its technology, manpower and capacity to bring asset owners’ revenues up.

Aside from Cebu, OYO has established its presence in key cities in Metro Manila, Baguio, Pampanga, Boracay, Talisay, Iloilo, Bataan, Tagaytay and Davao and now has more than 260 hotels and 4,300 rooms across the country. With its fulfillment-led technology, OYO empowers more hotel owners to be better hospitality players while contributing to the growth of the country’s tourism industry.