ILOILO CITY (UPDATE) - The Mansion Hotel, one of Iloilo City's iconic heritage hotels, is indefinitely ceasing operations beginning after the lifting of quarantine measures in the city, it announced recently.

Formerly known as Sarabia Manor Hotel and Convention Center that was acquired by Brightside Properties and Resorts, Inc. in 2017, the Mansion is popular for accommodating VIPs, government personalities and business leaders visiting the city.

"With the hospitality industry being classified by the IATF as Category IV, The Mansion wishes to convey to the general public that we are constrained to continue to cease our operations indefinitely after the lifting of the Community Quarantine of Iloilo City until in such a time that the hospitality industry has recovered and the company may be able to sustain its viability," the hotel management said.

The company refused to provide details of its workforce.

Mayor Jerry Treñas expressed concern over the impact of the coronavirus pandemic to the hospitality industry in the city.

“We have to revive our economy. We have to revive the businesses. Ang mga negosyo nga apektado, ang mga hotels nga nagsira diri sa atun, we have to revive them because kadamo gid sang trabaho nga madula. Nabatian ko ang Mansion Hotel will be closing in the second week of June," Treñas said.

(The affected businesses, the hotels that closed, we have to revive them because a lot of jobs will be lost. I heard the Mansion Hotel will close in the second week of June.)

Treñas pledged to help revive the hotel industry by encouraging government agencies to let OFW repatriates stay in hotels during their quarantine period.

"Maybe we can get these hotels nga magbaton sang mga OFWs. May mga pondo man ang OWWA. Makabulig na ni sa aton economy," he said.

(Maybe we can get these hotels to accept OFWs. The OWWA has available funds. This can help our economy.)

He also encouraged everyone to embrace the "new normal" moving forward.