With craft, community and a deeply held intrinsic value for the cultural mores and history of the island, South Palms Resort Panglao Bohol – MGallery is shaping up to be anything but a cookie cutter hotel.

Six world-class innovation and sustainability leaders in architecture, interior design and green development have gathered to create a hotel like no other – weaving the folklore of the destination into the fabric of the project and into the hearts of the community of artisans proudly crafting a living history for guests when the hotel opens as part of the Panglao Shores masterplan in Q4 2024.

Take Patrick Keane, founder of Enter Projects, an artist and master of “native material” design who is working with Boholano craftsmen to create spaces of celebration. “Here is a community deeply entrenched in generations of arts and crafts,” he said. “We are using local materials such as recycled woods, weaving basketry and weaving fabrics, plus traditional techniques passed down through generations and incorporating performance-based materials such as solar and sustainably engineered materials. As a project it is breaking new ground.”

The concept of “adaptive reuse”, which extends the lifecycle of architecture through creative upcycling, ensuring history lives on and folklore traditions are maintained, courses through the project. Hazel Wu of White Jacket has been at the forefront of the reuse of materials from former ancestral homes to ensure materials are utilized and cherished.

“A piece of Bohol will be featured in every room, including wooden walls that previously formed part of village dwellings and natural materials that tell the story of local artists and artisans. This is a tale of culture and folk tales. Stories that will be told throughout the hotel,” said Wu.

Located on a 6.4-hectare site, the hotel is a story of collaboration and re-discovery of the roots of Bohol’s cultural heritage led by the owners’ passion and love of the destination. The personal journey of Hope Uy, daughter of the founder of owning company, Alturas Group of Companies (AGC), is at the core of the creation of the 188-key resort.

Developed by AGC, with the support of renowned Asian hospitality consultancy C9 Hotelworks, led by industry icon Bill Barnett, the design of South Palms Resort Panglao Bohol – MGallery instils the timeless tales of family into every aspect of the hotel, says Uy.

“Ensuring that this DNA was at the centre of the hotel was everything for me,” she said. “This is the heart of the project. I was born in Bohol and it is vital for me that the spirit of our history, culture and sense of family comes through all aspects of the design creation. I hope it will also inspire others. I feel that we have a responsibility to respect our land and our heritage and make it everlasting and relevant to new generations.”

Chris Singer, Founder & Managing Director of SCSY Studio calls upon his 25 years of master-planning, architecture and design expertise to provide conceptual and technical recommendations for South Palms Resort Panglao Bohol – MGallery. Phillip Pond, Founder & Director of Atelier Pond is developing the concept, planning, and detailed design for the four restaurants and bars on site, comprising an array of F&B experiences for guests. Phillip believes in aesthetics informed by cultural heritage and environment; a concept he brings to life through natural materials.

Every aspect of the project will be developed in line with eco-building standards and materials, such as high-performance glass, natural ventilation and solar harvesting, along with smart technologies, electric transport, water treatment and waste reduction. John Farrell, Founder & Director of XCO2 Energy is a specialist in low-carbon projects and his input is instrumental in helping South Palms Resort Panglao Bohol – MGallery to be operationally eco-friendly.

Destination landscape and sustainability specialist, Drew Anderson, Managing Director of TOPO Design Studio Singapore has been drafted in due to his vast experience in working in some of the most eco-sensitive resort locations globally such as Fiji and the Maldives. He brings decades of expertise in agricultural tourism and developing sustainable food resources such as hydroponics and farm-to-table farming for hotels and helps AGC harness natural resources and integrate community communities into the project.

Construction of South Palms Resort Panglao Bohol – MGallery is currently underway in Phase 1 of Panglao Shores with completion scheduled in Q4 2024.

Bohol is one of the most exciting destinations for investment and tourism in the Philippines. The island is served by the new Bohol-Panglao International Airport, the first eco-airport in the Philippines, with the building orientated specifically to make the most of natural light and ventilation, complemented by extensive solar power implementation, utilization of a photovoltaic power generation system and state-of-the-art waste disposal and waterworks systems – further adding to the credentials of Bohol as a truly sustainable destination.

For more information about Panglao Shores, please visit https://www.panglaoshores.com 

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Accor, the region’s largest international hotel operator, has continued its rapid expansion in the Philippines with the signing of South Palms Resort Panglao Bohol – MGallery, a locally-inspired five-star resort on the idyllic island of Panglao that will introduce this emerging destination’s unique heritage and community values to visitors from all around the world. The resort joins a strong pipeline of 16 committed projects across the country, and will become the first resort-style property for MGallery in the Philippines. 

Scheduled to open its doors in 2024, the 188-key South Palms Resort Panglao Bohol – MGallery will be nestled within 6.4-hectare of expansive grounds, surrounded by palm trees and overlooking the powder-soft sands of Panglao’s South coast. Throughout their stay in this tropical paradise, travelers will be able to soak up the stunning scenery and explore the island’s cultural charms and natural wonders, including snorkelling and scuba diving in the turquoise seas.

When guests are not exploring the island or neighbouring Bohol, they will be able to dine at a choice of four restaurants, cool off in the swimming pool, grab refreshments at the pool bar, work out in a well-equipped fitness centre, or enjoy soothing therapies at the spa. A ballroom and meeting rooms will also present compelling opportunities for original, out-of-town corporate events and dream weddings. Everything for guests to create their own stories, stories that stay. 

South Palms Resort Panglao Bohol – MGallery is being developed by Alturas Group of Companies (AGC) with support from Bill Barnett, Managing Director of Asian hospitality consultancy C9 Hotelworks. AGC is a family-run business with a deep emotional connection to Bohol and Panglao. The resort will weave the timeless tales of family and folklore into every aspect of the guest experience. Using a pioneering ‘adaptive reuse’ design approach, the project will embrace the history of the destination by reusing materials from village dwellings in every room. These materials include wooden walls and objects that tell the story of local artisans. This inspiring concept is perfectly aligned with the values of MGallery, Accor’s one-of-a-kind global collection of hotels where captivating stories are lived and shared.

“South Palms Resort Panglao Bohol – MGallery is an exceptional resort that adds another outstanding destination to our expanding presence in Southeast Asia, joining our flourishing collection of memorable hotels and resorts full of character and charm. Panglao is an island paradise that promises the perfect blend of soft, sandy beaches, sparkling seas and rich cultural heritage, encouraging more globally-minded travelers to experience its pleasures, and connecting them to the delights of the local neighborhoods. The opening of Bohol-Panglao International Airport in 2018 has allowed this exotic island to usher in an exciting new era of travel and tourism, and we are delighted to be at the forefront of this trend. We look forward to working with our partners at AGC to bring this exciting, locally inspired project to life,” said Maud Bailly, CEO of Sofitel, Sofitel Legend, MGallery and Emblems.

South Palms Resort Panglao Bohol – MGallery will be surrounded by extensive leisure and MICE facilities courtesy of Panglao Shores, AGC’s brand-new lifestyle destination that will feature a retail mall, residential and hotels, night market, live performance areas, restaurants, bars and gardens. Developed from the ground up with sustainability as its guiding light and in consultation with local artisans, vendors, farmers and fishing communities, the future-forward development is designed to benefit the island for many generations to come.

“AGC is a family company that was born in Bohol and cares deeply about this destination. By coming together with Accor, one of the world’s leading hotel companies, we are proud to enhance the quality of hospitality on the island by blending world-class facilities and international standards with the genuine local charm and authentic cultural heritage of Bohol, which is based on shared community values. In combination with Panglao Shores, our destination-defining lifestyle development, we hope to build a bright future for the people of Panglao,” commented Hope Uy, Managing Director of Panglao Shores.

South Palms Resort Panglao Bohol – MGallery is located less than 10 minutes’ drive from Bohol-Panglao International Airport, which offers direct flights to and from Manila and other cities in the Philippines, with the potential for international flights in future. Accor is the leading international hotel operator in the Philippines with ten hotels, resorts and branded residences currently operating and a committed pipeline of 16 hotels scheduled to open within the next five years. South Palms Resort Panglao Bohol – MGallery is the second MGallery branded property in the Philippines, joining the Admiral Hotel Manila – MGallery.  

For more information about Accor, please visit group.accor.com. 

It’s undeniable that the tourism industry in our country is one of the most affected sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic when the virus was first traced in China and still lingers on there to date.

And as inevitable, borders were closed, unnecessary movements were restricted, mass gatherings and other social activities were also prohibited for almost two years.

But with the reopening of the economy due to the increase of vaccinated people in the country, this paved the way to lift travel restrictions and opening of borders, airports, hotels and retail shops. Back to business again, slowly but surely. Lost jobs in the tourism industry are slowly being recovered as many tourist destinations have been opened again and the tourism industry sees many silver lining with this move by the government.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, leading Philippine conglomerate Alturas Group has unveiled a bold new vision for development on the island of Bohol with the launch of Panglao Shores, a 57-hectare mixed-use project that marks sustainability, community and local culture as its guiding principles.

The storied project was born from humble beginnings. The pandemic created many challenges for businesses and led to hardship and layoffs. Alturas retained all staff however, repurposing them into sometimes unfamiliar roles as they built South Farm to support local communities. 

Over time it became a sustainability incubator, a place to meet, practice, experiment and cultivate resources, plant trees, store materials such as recycled woods, and it evolved into a place that simply and most meaningfully represented the essence of the inclusive culture and community ethos of Alturas. South Farm was to become the inspiration for the entire Panglao Shores development.

The success and spirit engendered at South Farm left a deep impression on Alturas Group, founded in Bohol by the Uy family, and from this seed a wider vision for the future was developed with the help of London-based sustainability experts, XCO2, and master planners SCSY who’s head office is located in Singapore.

“It was an epiphany for us, a real moment of awakening,” said Hope Uy, CEO of Panglao Shores. “The realization was that here was an opportunity to create a generational product, inspired by Bohol, on a scale that would enable a fully-integrated community to flourish with sustainability at its core.”

The result is a low-density, mixed-use development infused with the nature of Bohol, created for domestic and international buyers, integrating six hotels and resorts, 37,000sqm. of retail and commercial space, over 1,000 residential units and an international medical facility, while seamlessly weaving sustainability and social responsibility into the fabric of the project and the wider destination.

Conceived by Panglao Bay Premiere Parks & Resorts Corp. (PBPPRC), a subsidiary of Alturas Group of Companies (AGC), the project is located on the southern coast of Panglao, just off the coast of Bohol, and is a flagship project under the Tourism Infrastructure & Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), which are designed to deliver outstanding economic and social benefits to their destinations. 

At the heart of the project is the Town Square Retail Mall & Night Market, a vibrant indoor-outdoor hub of shopping, dining and entertainment with live performance areas, garden walkways and courtyards. This will be surrounded by facilities and amenities, including commercial and retail, residential villages, a convention centre, co-working spaces, international hotels and resorts, and a beach club, all entwined with lush greenery and natural walkways.

International eco-building standards and materials have been incorporated throughout, such as high-performance glass, natural ventilation and solar harvesting, along with smart technologies, electric transport, water treatment, waste reduction, and the removal of all single-use plastics. Local vendors are supported to sell crafts, native farmers and fishing communities have been built into the supply chain, children’s education is supported and coral reefs are protected.

Construction of the 188-room South Palms Resort is currently underway in Phase 1 with completion scheduled in 2024. Bohol is one of the most exciting destinations for investment and tourism in the Philippines. The island is served by the Panglao Bohol International Airport.

For more information about Panglao Shores, please visit https://www.panglaoshores.com