CEBU — This summer, wind down from the busy schedules and the scorching heat by trying some of Cebu City's best delicacies while feeling just at home in two Seda Hotel branches in the area.

Seda Center Bloc at I.T. Park and Seda Ayala Center at the Business District are both described as an oasis in the middle of a bustling city. Amplifying the vibrant brand of hospitality in the Queen of the South, these two hotels have successfully weathered the challenges brought by the pandemic and Typhoon Odette.

Seda Ayala Center's pool area. Handout

They represent the brand’s vision of “pagpadayun” or “moving forward continuously” which was Seda Hotels’ theme in their fifth anniversary in 2023. Promising expertise in bringing comfort and ensuring a convenient space near the city's tourist spots, travelers can expect to have the "saktung pahuway" (perfect rest) in these hotels.

Seda Ayala Center Cebu reopened in 2018 as a 301-room hotel after an extensive renovation. Its strongest point are the club rooms and suites, as well as facilities for corporate and social events ranging from the grand ballroom where 300 people can be accommodated to boardrooms fit for small group meetings.

“Our team works tirelessly to ensure that every patron feels valued and experiences the highest level of comfort and quality,” Gwen Dela Cruz, Seda Ayala Center Cebu general manager, said.

Seda Center Bloc's rooftop with bar area. Handout

Meanwhile, Seda Central Bloc is a 17-story hotel which offers serviced apartments with home-like convenience for extended visits and guest rooms for short stays as well. It bridges its customers to radiant city life as its 5th floor has a connecting path to the Ayala Mall Central Bloc — thereby merging comfort with entertainment, retail, and dining options.

“Versatile accommodations, memorable culinary experiences, and eco-friendly practices ensure we exceed expectations while contributing to the community’s well-being,” Seda Central Bloc Cebu general manager Ron Manalang added.

But aside from the gracious accommodation, there are many factors to unpack why these hotel branches are perfect for either short or long stay, and especially for a weekend or summer getaway.

Kalami Cebu!

Both Seda hotels has Misto, an all-day dining outlet with curated meal options that fused local delicacies and international classics with Cebu’s touch. For the Central Bloc, one can enjoy Cebu’s sinuglaw (sinugba and kinilaw) and SuTuKil (sugba, tuwa, and kilaw) which won gold and silver medals respectively at last year’s Cebu Goes Culinary Competition. 

"Sinuglaw"

Master chef Crisanto Palang Jr. proudly presented these winning dishes to the media.

Some of their other notable foods and desserts were traditional lechon, do-it-yourself noodle soup, and homemade ice cream.

On the other hand, Ayala Center branch boasts Cebu’s culinary heritage through dishes like salmon inun-unan (a Filipino dish in which fish and vegetables are stewed in vinegar and other spices), linarang (hot, slightly spicy and sour stew with fish and coconut milk), and Cebuano humba (similar to adobo, but sweeter braised pork belly cooked in a sauce that includes garlic, onions, fermented black beans, spring onions, brown sugar, pepper corns, bay leaves, and say sauce).

For drinks, Ayala Center has its Lobby and Pool Bar for Happy Hour cocktails; and Center Bloc has the lone rooftop bar in I.T. park that enables the guests to witness the city’s skyline while drinking refreshing beverages.

Pork BBQ and Tuna Noodles

Sustainable tourism

The Seda Hotel branches in Cebu are pioneers of sustainable practices in the area.

Ayala Center branch collaborated with GUUN, a Japanese company located in Consolacion, Cebu, in transforming the hotel’s solid waste to eco-friendly fluff fuel. Additionally, it supports local farmers and fishermen by partnering with local entrepreneurs to showcase home-grown produce and let the guests experience Cebu’s finest flavors – while also sourcing local small and medium enterprises for room amenities.

Moreover, the hotel also works hard to sustain manpower, as it maintained all its employees even after the pandemic.

Bedroom in Seda Center Bloc.

“During the pandemic, not one of our regular staffs was removed. If you can see others, [they] were letting go [some employees] … but we have a clear message from the top – keep all the staffs… You have to keep them, help them with their health benefits, that was important during the pandemic,” Dela Cruz emphasized.

For the Central Bloc, the hotel uses its cutting-edge 53 KWP (kilowatt peak) solar panel system, a Japanese technology named as "The Green Initiative”. This project covers an impressive 100 square meters of roof space and aims to significantly reduce the hotel's carbon footprint by offsetting harmful emissions from LPG and generator usage during power outages.

Bedroom in Seda Ayala Center Cebu.

Near ports, tourism spots

The Ayala Center branch is 45 minutes away from the airport and 20 minutes away from the seaport. Meanwhile, the Central Bloc hotel is approximately 40 minutes from the Mactan International and Domestic Airports.

If guests wish to see more of Cebu’s popular spots, these properties are also near The Cliff at Highlands de Busay, Temple of Leah, Tops, and more.Lunch at Abaseria Deli and Cafe.

Temple of Leah.

With Seda Ayala Center and Seda Central Bloc’s heartwarming guest accommodation, comfortable rooms, reliable function halls and meeting rooms – one will surely not think twice of coming back. Indeed, from the words of one of their Cebuano staffs – these hotels are “dili ko kalimot na lugar” (or places I could not forget).