MANILA – Property giant Megaworld is pushing forward its sustainable tourism and hospitality campaign while keeping its Filipino branding as it introduced the national flower, the sampaguita, as part of its hotels and resorts.

Megaworld Hotels and Resorts recently incorporated in their properties the characteristics of sampaguita, stimulating the senses of their guests.

”Megaworld Hotels & Resorts resonates with the values of the country’s national flower, namely love, honor, dignity, and healing. We desire for our brand to stand out and touch the heart of every Filipino, and be the brand that one can be truly proud of,” said Cleofe Albiso, managing director, Megaworld Hotels & Resorts.

“It’s our goal to be the hospitality chain whose story people can relate with because our journey mirrors what every Filipino undergoes, yet comes out stronger from.”

Right from the hotel lobby, guests will be greeted by sampaguita artworks while the hotel staff wear sampaguita pins, which also carry the colors of the Philippine flag, painted on the national flower’s five petals.

Guests entering the hotels can also get a whiff of the specially concocted sampaguita scent with notes of fresh herbs, eucalyptus, and peppermint to invigorate and relax them.

From the different hotel restaurants and cafes, visitors can also taste new dishes infused with the essence of sampaguita, such as salads, soups, mains, and desserts.

“It’s a different experience for each guest. What we do is provide the opportunity for our guests to try out our carefully curated dishes, infused with just the right amount of sampaguita essence. You’d be surprised that a lot of our guests are intrigued and find nostalgia in every bite while having the opportunity to add new memories to how we look at sampaguita,” said Sonny Alvaro, cluster general manager.

Meanwhile, guests who wish to have a soothing, relaxing massage can opt to use sampaguita massage oils. They can also choose to end their session with a cup of SaMaRra tea with flavors of sampaguita, mango, and tarragon.

“There is so much more to a guest’s stay than just a bed and breakfast, that’s why we aim to enhance every touchpoint within the guest’s journey. More than convenience, we provide our guests the opportunity to experience and enjoy our very own heritage and culture,” added Jun Justo, cluster manager for NCR+.

Megaworld Hotels & Resorts has partnered with Dwellbeing, a sustainable, private enterprise led by women.

Dwellbeing provides jobs to challenged sectors of society by having them convert used bottles and create organic home cleaning products and scents.

“This is genius. This project is an embodiment of Philippine culture and heritage, and this is the glory days of the sampaguita. We have put sampaguita on the pedestal that it is now a symbol of the Philippines. It translates to your scent, your services, your everyday wear, almost everything connected to the hospitality industry," shared Sharlene Zabala-Batin, regional director for the National Capital Region, Department of Tourism.

To source its raw materials, Megaworld tied up with the local government of San Pedro, Laguna, known as the “Sampaguita Capital of the Philippines.”

San Pedro Mayor Art Mercado and Engr. King Layola from the City Agriculture Office highlighted the impact of Megaworld Hotels & Resorts’ efforts on the industry — specifically on opening up the opportunity to increase demand for farmers to allocate supply of the flower for manufacturing products like soaps, scents, and food-grade additives.

"This is big for us because now the Sampaguita is part of Megaworld's banner hospitality program. Filipinos will relate to the experience of seeing the sampaguita in every Megaworld Hotels & Resorts property. You will be able to help a lot of our sampaguita growers, garland makers, and even the sampaguita pickers," Layola continued.

The sampaguita is part of MEGreen, Megaworld’s company-wide sustainability program, which is committed to provide areas with patches of land dedicated to the planting of sampaguita plants in its townships across the country.