MANILA -- Fridays Boracay is finally getting a facelift after two decades, and will reopen in 2026.
The resort will be launched under the Radisson Collection brand following the partnership between Fridays Holdings Inc., a subsidiary of the Panlilio-owned Boulevard Holdings Inc. (BHI), and the Radisson Hotel Group.
This also marks the debut of the Radisson Collection, a lifestyle luxury brand with a portfolio of properties inspired by their locale, in Southeast Asia.
"Boracay is a highly sought-after destination, so we are excited to create a compelling new option for domestic and international visitors to the island," Ramzy Fenianos, chief development officer for Asia Pacific of Radisson Hotel Group, said in a statement.
Jose Marcel Panlilio, chairman of Fridays Holdings, for his part said: "Our resort has been an icon of Boracay’s hospitality scene for almost 40 years. By partnering with Radisson Hotel Group and becoming the first Radisson Collection hotel in the Philippines, we look forward to attracting international guests to discover this world-famous island."
Fridays Boracay is located on the island's west coast in Station 1.
Beauty queen-entrepreneur Samantha Panlilio, who oversees the Fridays resorts in Boracay and Puerto Galera, said they are already in the process of demolishing the property.
"We are aiming for April 2026. Currently we are demolishing the whole property and redesigning it. We only had 48 keys, and we're going to design a resort with 110 keys," Ms. Panlilio, who is the chief operations officer of BHI's Puerto Azul Land Inc., told ABS-CBN News.
The soon-to-rise five-star resort will boast of beachfront villas, four restaurants and bars, three pools, a jungle gym, and an outdoor beach wedding pavilion that overlooks the sea, according to a press release.
Ms. Panlilio said they wanted to "take it up the scale," citing the "very competitive market" in Boracay.
"Back then, pre-pandemic, most of the tourists going there are foreigners... Now, it's really a local man's game," she noted. "And to be able to satisfy that customer demand, of course it's time for a change. And it's been 20 years since we've had any major renovations in Fridays, so what better way than to demolish it now and really start off with the Radisson Collection."
"It will have the five-star luxury resort feel, but at the same time we're still going to maintain the Fridays Boracay iconic design," she added. "We want to differentiate ourselves... when you come to Fridays, you really think, 'Wow, I'm in the Philippines, I'm in the islands.'"