CEBÚ | Quest Hotel and Grand Cenia Residences [27F|mix]

[CebuMagigger]

yep and tbh the hotel name doesnt sound grand...

[MarkStylez]

Originally Posted by gdi2k

Here's some new info regarding the operation and management of the building:

• The Hotel is going to be called the "Quest Hotel and Conference Center, Cebu".
• The building is going to be called "Grand Cenia Condominium".
• The hotel is only going to be a 3-star rating (5-star was promised in the sales materials).
• There will be no gym or fitness facilities (these were promised in the sales materials).
• Access to pool and other hotel facilities will cost extra for residential unit owners - "hotel membership" - rates not yet published.
• Mandatory association joining fee is PHP 250 / sq m (unit area). Seems ok.
• Building management dues are 70 PHP / sq m / mo excluding insurance and taxes. It is unclear to me how this is calculated as unit owners pay a proportion based on their unit size. Surely hotel / commercial should be paying higher dues than residential? Either way, this seems very high.

Are these sorts of deviations from the sales materials normal? I find them significant and I'm pretty disappointed, especially the lack of gym and 3-star hotel.

Where did you get this information? Sources? If this is the case, for us condotel owners our ROI will be significantly reduced with the lower hotel rating. There is no way Grand Cenia, or Quest Hotel can charge 5 star room rates when there will be no amenities and more than likely average customer service.

Can someone please confirm this information? Anyone interested in a condotel unit PM me.

[gdi2k]

This came from Engr . Victor M. Enriquez, VP and GM of Property Management for ProExcel, the company that will be managing the building - also a Filinvest company. The note was written in response to a series of questions I posed by email. See here (will likely only be available for 7 days after this posting).

I agree about the ROI calculations for the condo unit owners. I have a residential unit, so the impact isn't as great, although it clearly does reduce the attractiveness of the place.

I can't imagine why they chose not to include a gym - I don't think I've ever stayed at a hotel without one! It bites me because I use the gym daily.

[MarkStylez]

Originally Posted by gdi2k

This came from Engr . Victor M. Enriquez, VP and GM of Property Management for ProExcel, the company that will be managing the building - also a Filinvest company. The note was written in response to a series of questions I posed by email. See here (will likely only be available for 7 days after this posting).

I agree about the ROI calculations for the condo unit owners. I have a residential unit, so the impact isn't as great, although it clearly does reduce the attractiveness of the place.

I can't imagine why they chose not to include a gym - I don't think I've ever stayed at a hotel without one! It bites me because I use the gym daily.

Thank you! I have been trying to contact the 2 representatives from FILINVEST that have been assisting me with my unit. They are so quick to respond when it comes to collecting my money. However, when I inquired about the changes in Grand Cenia, no one wants to respond.

To the other condotel owners on here, what are your plans? Could this situation be considered a breach of contract? I am so disappointed.

[IronPrince]

Screw FILINVEST!

[MatudNilaBaby]

Originally Posted by IronPrince

Screw FILINVEST!

sue them first

[jochval]

walay refund sa kadtong imong gibayaran nga mahal kay expected nga nindot ilang facilities??

[vatics]

buyers and investors should be selective in dealing with in-house salespeople especially those without any license because they can easily shift to another career without a fuss. no license is a simple excuse not to be serious in the first place. getting a license in real estate service cost thousands of pesos already.

[AmbutLang]

Originally Posted by MarkStylez

Thank you! I have been trying to contact the 2 representatives from FILINVEST that have been assisting me with my unit. They are so quick to respond when it comes to collecting my money. However, when I inquired about the changes in Grand Cenia, no one wants to respond.

To the other condotel owners on here, what are your plans? Could this situation be considered a breach of contract? I am so disappointed.

I hope you have an insurance about this contract of your condo purchase to get a full refund of your investment.

Just like we had with my sister and I, when we bought the house in NYC. We had it finance by CitiBank. In the contract when we move in the house, we had 60 days to retract the purchase if we found any defect that the the real estate building inspector missed or intentionally skip a defect, to have it fixed or pay for the repair. It is highly advisable to have your own real estate lawyer with you on a closing purchase of a house or condo, even if you pay in full.

[shonuff828]

Hi everyone,
Have been reading this board as a "lurker" for some time and truly appreciate the effort you have all put to keep the rest of us updated with pictures. I have not found Filinvest to be nearly as good as keeping me updated with the project, thanks so much.

Based on the information you have given, I contacted Filinvest as well and today got this reply:

"Good day!

We wish to inform you that Grand Cenia was not marketed as a Five Star
hotel, it only carries a Five Star Investment marketing brand which
was generally about the earning opportunity of a condo unit that will
pooled together and will be run as a hotel. As per category by our
government agency, Grand Cenia was classified as a Three Star hotel.

Should you wish to talk to a Filinvest representative, you can call us
at XXXXX and look for XXXXX.

Thank you."

I too am quite certain I was sold the investment as a higher end hotel than a 3 star. I found a PDF of the sales kit that states the hotel would be 5 star, but wonder if any of you have hard copies of the same and any other supporting documents? We should do our best to work together in this issue.

Thanks again, from Canada!

[shonuff828]

Found the sales kit quote:

In this internationally-managed Five-Star hotel,
guests will have a grand stay; condominium
residents will have a grand lifestyle; and condotel
investors a grand Return on Investment.

[shonuff828]

Originally Posted by gdi2k

Here's some new info regarding the operation and management of the building:

• The Hotel is going to be called the "Quest Hotel and Conference Center, Cebu".
• The building is going to be called "Grand Cenia Condominium".
• The hotel is only going to be a 3-star rating (5-star was promised in the sales materials).
• There will be no gym or fitness facilities (these were promised in the sales materials).
• Access to pool and other hotel facilities will cost extra for residential unit owners - "hotel membership" - rates not yet published.
• Mandatory association joining fee is PHP 250 / sq m (unit area). Seems ok.
• Building management dues are 70 PHP / sq m / mo excluding insurance and taxes. It is unclear to me how this is calculated as unit owners pay a proportion based on their unit size. Surely hotel / commercial should be paying higher dues than residential? Either way, this seems very high.

Are these sorts of deviations from the sales materials normal? I find them significant and I'm pretty disappointed, especially the lack of gym and 3-star hotel.

From the sales kit:

Grand Cenia will have
hotel-standard amenities
such as:
• Lap pool
• Kiddie pool
• Fitness gym
• Fine-dining restaurants
• Food service
• Conference rooms with
teleconferencing facilities
• Business centers with wifi
services
• Function rooms for social
and family events

[gdi2k]

Here's the sales kit. It states exactly as shonuff quoted above.

Download (available for 7 days after this posting, but you can find it elsewhere on the web too).

[sephiroth1228]

This is unacceptable. 5 star rating changed to a 3 star. That is a blow to our investment. I do not see it as a grand investment anymore.

Filinvest wake up!

[shonuff828]

Originally Posted by sephiroth1228

This is unacceptable. 5 star rating changed to a 3 star. That is a blow to our investment. I do not see it as a grand investment anymore.

Filinvest wake up!

yet they are going to think we are so stupid as to believe that we misunderstood that it was a 5 star hotel rather than a 5 star investment. oops!

[IronPrince]

Then this would be a scam after all... as expected with Filinvest

[brodix]

was it ever marketed as 5-star? I don't think so. just by looking at the structure itself gives you an idea of the star rating.

the brochures they presented back then never mentioned 5-star rating. you should check with your agent again :-)

Originally Posted by sephiroth1228

This is unacceptable. 5 star rating changed to a 3 star. That is a blow to our investment. I do not see it as a grand investment anymore.

Filinvest wake up!

[shonuff828]

Originally Posted by brodix

was it ever marketed as 5-star? I don't think so. just by looking at the structure itself gives you an idea of the star rating.

the brochures they presented back then never mentioned 5-star rating. you should check with your agent again :-)

the brochures are posted in the links above. why don't you check them yourself?

[brodix]

Originally Posted by shonuff828

the brochures are posted in the links above. why don't you check them yourself?

i'm sorry but i have no access to the link anymore.

if indeed there was something that mentioned about 5-star, i'm still not convinced. when i was presented with the brochure, my impression was that it's more of a 3-star because of the condotel concept. the unit rates were not of the level of 5-star as well. I'm still a bit doubtful about that brochure.

[gdi2k]

Originally Posted by brodix

i'm sorry but i have no access to the link anymore.

if indeed there was something that mentioned about 5-star, i'm still not convinced. when i was presented with the brochure, my impression was that it's more of a 3-star because of the condotel concept. the unit rates were not of the level of 5-star as well. I'm still a bit doubtful about that brochure.

Not really seeing the reasons for your doubts with regard to the brochure. I've updated the link above so you can download the sales kit again. It's the one that was released to all the major agents around Cebu, and was current as of 26-Feb-2010 as can be seen from the project update imagery at the end of the presentation. You can find the same presentation on numerous agent's websites too if you prefer.

What is it about the unit rates that leads you to believe it was not intended to be 5-star rated?

My feeling is that Filinvest had a change of heart based on current market conditions - Quest Hotel was originally supposed to be opening on Mactan Island:

She said the launch of “Fave” would complete FDC’s hotel offering for different market segments, which also include Crimson for the high-end market and Quest Hotel, a three-star hotel in Mactan, Cebu.

That article is only 3 months old.