Melo Villareal
The Fullerton Hotel, considered one of the best-in-class hotels, is eyeing to transform the Manila Central Post Office Building into a first-class hotel, according to ABS-CBNnews.com. As part of the development, the management of the Fullerton Hotel group based in Singapore is in talks with the Philippine Government.
The Fullerton Hotel, based in Singapore was also primarily a general post office before it was transformed into a luxury hotel. The hotel is located in the Central Business District of Singapore.
Just like the Manila Post office, Fullerton Hotel in Singapore has a colorful history. The Fullerton Building was named in honor of Robert Fullerton, who was the governor of Singapore from the year 1826 to the year 1829. The building was used as a post office and a hospital during the Second World War.
One of the primary reasons for the possible conversion of the Manila post office into a luxurious hotel is the country’s bid to boost tourism in the area, which covers Intramuros, Quiapo, and Metropolitan Theater. If the project goes ahead, almost Five Floors of the Manila Central Post Office is expected to be converted into a posh and luxurious hotel by Fullerton.
The primary motivation that has driven the possible transformation of the Philpost building is its 86-year-old neo-classical architecture. The office is expected to be a catalyst in transforming the city into a major tourist attraction.
According to the news, it is known that a committee headed by the Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima is already in place to learn the possibility of converting this area into a major tourist attraction as part of a tourism development project. If the project goes ahead, there will not be any demolition of the Philpost building, considering that it is a Heritage Building, and investors will be more interested in preserving it.
The other committee members include the city government of Manila and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. The committee has been given six months to submit their recommendations on this development. The planned tourism project is expected to bring more positive transformations to nearby Historical landmarks, the Binondo area, and Escolta.
Philpost Master General Josie Dela Cruz has explained some practical reasons for the possible transformation of the Philpost building into Fullerton Hotel. One of the main reasons is that the building is too big for a post office, with the higher maintenance cost not getting economical for the management.
The statement deserves more significance taking into context that Philpost, a government-run corporation, has been running at a loss ever since the private couriers came into play and the introduction of advanced communication such as e-mails and cellular text messaging services. This has resulted in a significant revenue loss for Philpost, with only limited people using their services.
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