Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Eduardo Jose L. Aliño and Accor International Group led on Thursday, 14 March, the groundbreaking ceremony for Subic Sun Convention Resort and Casino, Inc., a $300-million world-class integrated leisure and convention center.

“In a couple of years, the Ibis Styles and Mercure Hotels, which is affiliated with the Accor International Group, will be operating a world class integrated leisure and convention center in Subic Bay, which will be the very first integrated resort casino and hotel complex in the freeport,” Aliño said during the launch.

According to Subic Sun Convention Resort and Casino Inc. Chairman and President Pablo Edgardo T. Puyat, “The operations are anticipated to begin in 2025, following the commencement of our $300 million investment commitment.”

“Both the Ibis Styles Subic and Mercure Subic are in the company’s economy and midscale segments, respectively. Ibis Styles Subic is set to open in 2026 and is the first internationally branded hotel in Subic,” he said. Ibis Styles Subic will offer 175 rooms and will feature amenities such as a swimming pool, meeting space, and a gym.

Ibis Styles is an economy hotel brand focused on in-style stays while the Mercure is a French midscale hotel brand, with both brands owned by ACCOR International Group. The Ibis Styles and Mercure Hotels are just part of the initial phase of the project.

Mercure Subic, also set to open in 2026, will offer 250 rooms and be the second internationally branded hotel in the area. It is located adjacent to Ibis Styles Subic.

Puyat added, “A world-class integrated leisure and convention center will be constructed in progressive phases, encompassing a six-hectare property that will feature an integrated resort casino complex and five-star resort hotels.”

He said that aside from the convention center/ exhibition hall, the area will also have duty-free shops, dormitels, carpark, hotel and recreation center, Americana complex, Americana seaside clubhouse, American country club and the New Dragon Restaurant.

Meanwhile, Chairman Aliño also remarked that with the additional facilities inside the Freeport, more tourists will now have hotels to stay in, since hotels inside Subic Bay Freeport are fully-booked even months before the start of the peak season. “It provides them with an alternative lodging inside the Freeport,” he added.

Accor is a French multinational hospitality company that owns, manages and franchises hotels, resorts and vacation properties. It is the largest hospitality company in Europe, and the sixth largest hospitality company worldwide.

Accor operates 5,584 locations in over 110 countries. Its total capacity is approximately 821,518 rooms (end 2023). It owns and operates brands in many segments of hospitality: Luxury (Raffles, Fairmont, Sofitel), premium (MGallery, Pullman, Swissôtel), midscale (Novotel, Mercure, Adagio), and economy (ibis, hotelF1). Accor also owns companies specialized in digital hospitality and event organization, such as onefinestay, D-Edge, ResDiary, John Paul, Potel & Chabot and Wojo.

The company is headquartered in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France, and is a constituent of the CAC Next 20 index on the Paris stock exchange.