RedDoorz expands into the Philippines: its third Southeast Asian market

RedDoorz, one of the leading online budget hotels booking platform in Southeast Asia, announced today its expansion into its third market in the region – the Philippines. Currently with operations and properties in Indonesia and Singapore, RedDoorz intends to tap onto the dynamic growth of the budget hospitality and travel sector in the 7,000-island archipelago country by making an investment of more than US$5 million where it projects to grow its footprint to 100 properties across the Philippines over the next 12 months.




Our expansion into the Philippines came as a natural progression for RedDoorz, where like our first market in Indonesia showed many similarities and thus the potential for a vibrant domestic travel and hospitality industry. RedDoorz’s business is one based on cities, not countries, where with our city-to-city approach has resulted in growing to over 500 properties, processing more than 1 million room nights and consistently delivering occupancies of more than 80 per cent across 16 Indonesian cities, Singapore and now, the Philippines. The Philippines ranks second as the fastest growing internet economy in the world, right after Indonesia – with an internet penetration of 63 per cent (67 million users) of approximately 105.7 million Filipinos. Whilst we continue to grow our footprints in Indonesia, we also closely monitored and surveyed the Filipino market. Following our fresh funding earlier this year, we realised that the Philippines held a strong demand for hotel rooms not only for tourists but also for business travellers. We felt that it was timely for us to make the conclusive move to start expanding here – especially seeing how boisterous the budget hospitality sector has been in recent years
Amit Saberwal, Founder and CEO, RedDoorz

According to a joint study titled “e-conomy SEA: Unlocking the $200B Digital Opportunity” by Google and Temasek Holdings, it found that the Philippines ranked second after Indonesia as the world’s fastest growing internet market with the potential to grow by 11 per cent in CAGR to 93 million internet users by 2020. This also meant a vibrant outlook for the online travel market in the Philippines, specifically for online hotels and airlines, which is expected to grow approximately five times from US$1.1 billion in 2015 to US$4.6 billion by 2025. In a 2018 report by WeAreSocial showing digital usage in the Philippines, it revealed that the Philippines not only has 67 million Internet users, but all of whom are also active on social media – of which more than 60 million were either unique mobile users or active mobile social users.


With its entry into the Philippines, RedDoorz will also be introducing a new category of properties. Adding on to its existing two categories, RedDoorz and RedDoorz Plus, the new RedDoorz Premium, launched in June 2018, are properties that are designed for the budget business traveller – not only strategically located close to business districts but have more amenities than the other two existing categories on the RedDoorz platform.

The World Travel & Tourism Council found that domestic travel spending in the Philippines generated more than 86 per cent of direct travel and tourism GDP in 2016 and is expected to grow 4.8 per cent per annum to PHP3,336 billion by 2027. Additionally, in the same year, the Philippine Statistics Authority found that domestic travel rose by 20% from the figures in 2012 – this reinforces findings from the 2016 Household Survey on Domestic Visitors (HSDV) where three out of five Filipinos (59 per cent or close to 61 million) 15 years or older travelled within the country that year. With a high penetration of Internet activity as well as a year-on-year growth in not only domestic but also international travel, the budget hospitality segment holds a key driver for the tourism industry in the Philippines. 

Commenting on the new addition of property categorisation, Rishabh Singhi, Chief Operating Officer, RedDoorz said, “This introduction of Premium properties came with our observation of how the Filipino concept of a ‘condotel’ had seen a remarkable growth in the Philippines over the past decade. We felt that by adding this new category, we could create a distinction of rooms in the market while also keeping to our ethos of providing the same standardisation and predictability that comes with all RedDoorz properties – all at affordable prices. The aim of this new category is to target the business traveller who looks for certain amenities like good Wifi connection, location closer to business districts and other amenities. We see this as a strong category as we expand into other Southeast Asian cities where there is an influx of business travellers.”

He added, “Furthermore, our loyalty programme for all RedDoorz users, RedCash, which is extremely popular in Indonesia will also be extended to the Filipino market. With a high usage of local Filipinos who are not only tech-savvy but use social media on their mobiles, we look forward to new customers in the market to book via our RedDoorz app where they can redeem the RedCash earned from their stays. We strive to maintain our current track record of over 80 per cent repeat stay as we continue our growth across our three markets.”


With a strong local team on-the-ground coming from diverse backgrounds as well as a deep knowledge of the local travel and hospitality sector, RedDoorz runs a full operations unit in in Manila ranging from customer service, operations and product sales to branding, finance and marketing. RedDoorz has developed its own proprietary technology using data analytics to accurately forecast demand on areas that could have more hotels or properties to drive more footfall for travellers. 

At every step of our growth, we have firmly believed in building the right team, meeting the right set of investors and especially biding our time for the right market opportunity. This belief attributed to our success in Indonesia and also paved the way for our entry into the Philippines. The biggest challenge is the mindset for property owners to accept our model, especially since this technology disruption has only taken place over the last three to four years in this region. With this disruption, owners of such properties become the most affected and we come in to educate and train these owners and their staff on why it is essential for their businesses to go on online platforms. Becoming a part of the RedDoorz network will allow them access, similar to how large hotel chains operate, which would not have been made available to them. Technology is part of our DNA – the biggest beneficiaries of this are the mid-sized and budget properties
Amit Saberwal

Over the past 18 months, RedDoorz has trained over 2,000 staff across properties in Indonesia and Singapore. As part of their inhouse training programme RedPro, the brand runs ongoing programmes for the staff of their partner properties and ensure smooth running of their properties. Training is conducted across areas like: technology, housekeeping and maintenance, sales and marketing, and more. RedDoorz has a strong team of over 180 staff across four countries that specialises in operations, sales, marketing and all aspects of hospitality.

Headquartered in Singapore, RedDoorz recently raised its Pre-Series B round of US$11 million as an additional investment from Asia Investment Fund of Susquehanna International Group, International Finance Corporation (private investment arm of World Bank Group), InnoVen Capital (venture lending firm owned by Temasek Holdings and United Overseas Bank), and Jungle Ventures – all of which had invested in past funding rounds. This fundraise also saw new investors DeepSky Capital, FengHe Group, Hendale Capital as well as other investors.

RedDoorz , one of the leading online budget hotels booking platform in Southeast Asia, announced today its expansion into its third market...

LJ Reyes launches her daily personal care kit - the Wonder Jane Travel Kit!


Wonder Jane saves the day!



Being a mom, LJ's main priority is her family's health and protection, and that inspired her in putting up her newest business venture offering a line of products that are perfect for your daily personal care needs.
As a parent, it is of utmost importance to me that my family and myself are kept clean and protected all day long. With the different kinds of viruses and germs around us, it is always better to be safe and sure! Little preventive measures go a long way when we are fighting harmful agents. These products and all the products to come are definitely trustworthy in cleaning, protecting, and most of all, delicate to your skin!
LJ Reyes, Founder - Wonder Jane

So should you feel the need to respond to the call of nature or protect your skin from insect bites, Wonder Jane surely got your back! 






The Wonder Jane Travel Kit is a 5-in-1 handy pack that you can bring anywhere you go. It comes in 30ml bottles and a pouch that you can slip right into your purse or everyday bag. Everything's organic so you don't have to worry about those chemicals that may harm you rather than actually give you the protection you need. 


BUG RESCUE
Shoo the mosquitos away without the unpleasant smell!


UNDERCOVER WASH
Keep your body clean from head to toe! It's a shampoo, facial wash, body cleanser, and hand wash in one tiny bottle!




ANTI-STINK BOMB
Never leave the toilet smelling like a bomb! This all-natural poop spray will keep your toilet clean and pleasant for the next mission!


HAND SANITAZER
Keep your hands germ-free without drying your skin!


BUM SHIELD
Never worry about using public toilets anymore! This disposable toilet seat cover will give you the maximum protection from germs, it's easy to use and biodegradable too!

[I've tried it and all of them really smells good! I love its minimalist packaging too, though it would be helpful if some of the texts are actually readable especially the ingredients and expiry date.]

The Wonder Jane Travel Kit is priced at Php850 and is available for purchase starting September 21, 2018, at wonderjane.ph and soon, on your friendly neighborhood stores!

Wonder Jane saves the day! Being a mom, LJ's main priority is her family's health and protection, and that inspired her...

The Hopeful Romantic trailer goes viral; reaches 9.6 million views

The official trailer of the upcoming sexy romantic comedy film, The Hopeful Romantic has gone viral as it has reached a remarkable 9.6 million views on Facebook in less than three weeks since it was launched.



If anything, the virality of the trailer to organic Facebook users indicates a positive reception from netizens. As of today, the trailer has now reached 108,000 shares, 14,000 positive comments on Good Time Fan Page.






Starring theatre/TV/movie actor, Pepe Herrera and actress Ritz Azul, The Hopeful Romantic offers not just an entertaining love story, but also aims to impart an important lesson about love.

Ritz, who gets to be launched in this film as a leading lady, beams with pride about this project.



Sobrang proud ako sa pelikulang ito kasi lahat pinaghirapan namin: ng direktor, producers, writers, at syempre co-actors ko na pinagpuyatan.

Nakailang revisions kami para mapaganda ang story, para maihatid yung message ng story na may matutunan sila. Tsaka maganda ang storya, kapupulutan talaga siya ng aral.

The actress had to face a lot of challengers for this movie.

Firstly, Ritz, who is more comfortable with drama, ventures into comedy in The Hopeful Romantic.

Secondly, she had to lose weight to effectively portray her role as a sexy gold digger.

Ang mahirap lang for me, physically, dapat medyo mukhang sexy don sa screen, so nag-struggle din ako to lose weight, kasi sobrang lumaki ako for a while before gawin yung movie.

And then nahirapan ako kasi sobrang kabaligtaran ko ang role sa totoong buhay. Naging kumportable ako sa mga katrabaho ko, kaya napa-swimsuit ako.

Meantime, Pepe, who is a very talented singer-actor, finally gets to be a lead star in this film.


The versatile actor takes pride in saying that he gets to explore comedy genre through a sexy movie.

Pepe admits that he felt pressured that he would finally be a leading man in this project. Fortunately, Ritz made his job easier for him.

Ang masasabi ko po ay lalaki din ako at nakakaramdam ng karupukam. Si Ritz ay very desirable 110%

Kasi kinabahan ako nung una dahil sinasabihan ako, ‘Leading man ka na, kailangan tutukan mo yung panunuyo o kung paano tratuhin ang leading ladies.’ Parang siya [Ritz] pa yung gumagawa non para sa kin. Cowboy si Ritz. Hindi siya tipikal na leading lady.

Sa shooting ka, sanay kasi siya na i-maximize yung oras. Walang nasasayang na oras.
In the meantime, Ritz is happy to learn important lessons from Pepe as an actor.

Sobrang gaan katrabaho ni Pepe. Sobrang professional. Tsaka parang nung nagsu-shoot kami, merong connection. Habang nandon kami sa characters naming, minsan kahit mata lang, nag-uusap na ganon.

Sobrang ang pinakanatutunan ko sa kanya, hindi siya titigil sa take, kahit paulit-ulit pa yan para mapaganda yung scene,” 



In the Hopeless Romantic, Pepe plays Jess, a 33 year old Valet Parking Attendant at The Manila Hotel, an honest man and most of all, a virgin. He promised himself that he will only give himself when he already found his true love.

Veronica, (played by Ritz), is a kept woman in the high society world. A victim of circumstances, but still a survivor.
Jess meets Veronica at the hotel bar. Instantly, he gets mesmerized by her presence. One thing lead to another, and Veronica gave Jess the “first time”. Jess, believing in the magic of what happened between them, decides that Veronica is his one true love.

However, there is one problem; Veronica has no idea that he is not rich. Afraid that revealing himself will make him lose Veronica, Jess starts to pretend the part. He kept on doing this until his resources spill away. The inevitable happens, and Veronica learns the truth about Jess.



Tagged as the sexy comedian, The Hopeful Romantic is the first film of Pepe in a lead role. 
The Hopeful Romantic opens September 12, 2018. The funniest romantic flim of the season is directed by Topel Lee.

For more updates, follow Regal Entertainment Inc on Facebook, @RegalFilms on Twitter, @RegalFilms50 on IG and Regal Cinema channel on YouTube.

The official trailer of the upcoming sexy romantic comedy film, The Hopeful Romantic has gone viral as it has reached a remarkable 9.6 mil...