ZEN Rooms, the leading budget and mid-range hotel franchise in the region, is locating its headquarters in the Philippines.
Nathan Boublil, ZEN Rooms co-founder, said with ZEN’s headquarters in the Philippines, “we can only expect more growth towards the company’s goal of regional expansion, providing more opportunities for local talents and entrepreneurs along with safer and more affordable travel options for everyone.”
“We are placing the heart of our company in one of the most hospitable nations in the world. By having our headquarters in the Philippines, we believe we can build the strongest hospitality team in the region,” said Boublil in a statement.
ZEN said it recognizes the country’s growing economy and potential for innovation but cited the country’s accommodation market is still plagued with inefficiencies, such as high prices, low safety and poor maintenance.
It said ZEN’s deeper presence in the Philippines will further disrupt the market and solve the issues bit by bit.
“We want to transform the Philippines accommodation market with our technological and operational solutions to improve its safety and value-for-money. By using this market as a base to trial market-leading technologies, we can successfully scale them across the region.” said Boublil.
He said ZEN’s shift to the Philippines will offer a boost to the local economy and its people.
With a median age of 23, the country has a large and growing young population with high literacy levels, making it one of Asia’s premier labor markets.
ZEN has already created 400 jobs and is creating more each month.
Initiatives launched by ZEN, such as its Internal Hospitality School, provide new career opportunities to its participants and graduates.
ZEN also launched Founders Philippines in September last year.
ZEN operates over 300 ZEN properties in 30 cities around the Philippines and 1,000 hotels across Southeast Asia.