Davao City’s iconic Apo View Hotel (from the hotel’s Facebook page)

Apo View Hotel, one of Davao City’s iconic landmark, will temporarily close its doors on March 31 “until further notice”.

“As the risk of the pandemic continuously rising, the Management has decided to TEMPORARILY cease it’s (sic) operation effective March 31, 2021 until further notice as we continue to support the Nation’s effort to combat the spread of COVID-19,” read its announcement on its official Facebook page.

The hotel management did not provide any details when it plans to re-open.

The 185-room Apo View Hotel officially opened its doors in 1948 with a modest 15-room lodging facility and a restaurant.  It underwent major renovations and expanded to a 100-room establishment in 1978.

The first time the hotel closed its doors was in 1988 after a huge fire. Hotel owners and city officials took efforts to reopen the hotel which was renovated, and 46 rooms added.

“We thank you for being part of our journey and may our paths cross again in the not-so-distant future when we usher in a new beginning,” the management said.

Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said she is saddened over the hotel’s closure. “I hope that after this pandemic, they will open again and invest again in our city,” she said in Cebuano over the city’s Disaster Radio on Monday.

In June 2020, the Marco Polo Hotel also of Davao City, closed shop on due to the economic strain on the tourism industry brought about by the pandemic.

Marco Polo Hotel – Davao, this city’s only 5-star hotel, was established by the family of Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III.  – Rommel F. Lopez