Victoria Court Gears Up for 2012

Very few people will disagree with Victoria Court's claim that they are the best drive-in hotel group. But undoubtedly, no one will dispute the fact that this trendy group is the best in the industry.

For the last 25 years, Victoria Court has taken the lead in introducing drastic changes in the way it operates the business, especially in the way the rooms should look like, what amenities the guests should enjoy inside the room, a challenge to the established norms at that time as they veer away from the traditional look of a motel room.

Started by family patriarch Angelo King as the Anito brand, Victoria Court came into being with his eldest son Archie King who was determined to do what was necessary to achieve his dream about the business.

With a new management team, he launched a repositioning campaign went public, doing both above the line and above the line promotion that attracted attention from people. Soon enough, people were talking about "Tita Vicky", a name used so that people can say in public that they have just visited her.

The X-Men Room

Victoria Court and its thematic suites became the norm for people who look for the utmost luxury in room accommodation as the chain came out with one themed room after another.

And with its big-sized suite rooms, it was natural that parties became vogue in Victoria Court. From the previous mostly stag parties, it changed into more shower and birthday parties and whatever reason there could be for a get-together by people and celebrate.

Austin Power Room

Fast forward into the present, Victoria Court, now ran by Archie's two sons Atticus and Ian, has continued what their grandfather planted and which their father nurtured in turn.

With his artist's flair, Atticus leveled up and went for fantasy suites where people can realize their secret dreams. Getting ideas from his own travel experiences abroad, from friends, and from real-life Victoria Court guests, he and in-house chief designer Omar Palero executed to perfection their abstract ideas for new themed suites.

In Pasig, featured are the Big 3 Super thematic rooms, the Venice, The Oval Office, and Moulin Rouge. And just recently, Princess Jasmine has joined the club, completing perhaps Victoria Court's Fantastic Four.

The Princess Jasmine Room

"When you are in these suite rooms, the intensity of the theme is just different. It is like being there, that if I blindfold you and brought you to the room, and you are a bit intoxicated, you will think for a second that maybe you are really at the Oval Office," said Managing Director Atticus King.

The Oval Office

"When people talk about Victoria Court, at least among the present younger generation, it's 'Hey, I've been there." You wouldn't hear that before especially from women. Now it has become a popular party place where groups can hang out and it has come off almost like a club," added King. Proving that since its repositioning campaign int he 90's, the way people look at Victoria Court has changed and it continues to attract different market segments with the party packages it offers showing a continuous increase in popularity.

On his part, Palero explained, "These room designs, beautiful as they are, will not stay very long as they will get refurbished or revamped. Room cycle for us is about 5 years unless there is a demand from customers that we retain a particular design longer. We travel abroad, do research, look for exotic stores that can provide us the perfect furniture and fixtures for the rooms. But more importantly, we get reactions from guests on what sort of room styles they want. In the end, we come up with rooms that create a distinctive guest experience."

The Moulin Rouge Room

Looking forward to the future, King says the road for Victoria Court will always be towards innovation and perfection.

"Technology makes it possible today what we were only imagining int he past and we will continue to harness and benefit from new technologies in terms of room designs, amenities, and facilities. Continuous training of our staff, from the management team to our Guest Service Specialists and Guest Stewards, will always be an important focus to our company. Innovations and more innovation on present innovations, that is what I will push for with our team."

On marketing and promotion, King is looking at a more aggressive and focused campaign for Victoria Court in 2012, with the belief that "we have the best product available in the market".

"Definitely, we will be facing more and bigger challenges than before, from competition to changing and emerging lifestyle trends, from economic crisis to our own personal challenges, and to whatever the future holds for us. But in the end, Victoria Court will remain steadfast in its role as the industry innovator and the best when it comes to quality customer service," added King.