Filinvest Development Corp. (FDC), one of the country’s largest conglomerates, is reshaping its portfolio by expanding into hospitality and retail. At Quest Hotel Clark on January 31, Francis Gotianun, First Senior Vice President and Head of Hotels and Resorts, recalled how the business began with just three people.
Today, the group has grown to more than 2,000 employees.
“This is a special hotel for me,” Gotianun said, citing his role in the 2016 Mimosa bid that anchored Filinvest’s presence in Clark. He emphasized the company’s guiding values, CC FEST: customer centricity, change for the better, family, entrepreneurial mindset, shared benefit, and trustworthiness.
The expansion is visible in Filinvest Malls. One flagship property has a gross floor area of 41,263 square meters, with 22,379 square meters of leasable space, 185 tenant slots, and 459 parking spaces Mitch Dumlao, First Vice President and Retail Business Head. The mall is positioned to serve Clark’s workforce and millions of annual visitors.
Clark’s immediate community provides the backdrop. The international airport now serves 21 destinations with more than 200 weekly flights and a six‑million passenger capacity. Surrounding hotels and casinos also anchor tourism. The Freeport Zone hosts more than 151,000 employees. Visitor arrivals reached 34.8 million in 2022, while the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) attendance totaled nearly 808,000.
Filinvest’s hospitality and retail ventures are aligned with Clark’s growth as a tourism and service hub, supported by infrastructure, workforce, and visitor demand according to Dumlao.
Punto Lifestyle Team.
