Megaworld Hotels & Resorts now has the distinction of being the Philippines’ first-ever Muslim-Friendly Hotel Chain.
The company earned the title at CrescentRating’s 2025 Halal in Travel Awards which were recently held in Singapore.
Through this award, the global authority on halal-friendly travel highlighted Megaworld’s initiatives in embracing diversity and promoting inclusive travel by creating safe spaces with services that cater to the evolving needs of Muslim guests.
The honour compelled Megaworld Corporation president Lourdes Gutierrez-Alfonso to say: “We congratulate all the men and women of Megaworld Hotels & Resorts for this remarkable milestone, most especially in taking a bolder step in achieving our company’s thrust on inclusivity and cultural diversity across our townships.
Inclusivity as a way of life
For her part, Megaworld Hotels & Resorts managing director Cleofe Albiso expressed deep gratitude for the recognition and highlighted the group’s vision of inclusive hospitality.
Albiso said: “This milestone is more than an award. It reflects the Philippines’ growing spirit of openness, learning, and cultural harmony. It is our heartfelt invitation to our Muslim brothers and sisters around the world to make the Philippines, Asia’s Pearl of the Orient, their next home away from home.”
She further explained that that inclusion is not an endpoint but more of a continuous path of learning, listening, and improving.
She said: “We know there is still more to do, and we embrace that with open hearts and renewed purpose. We will continue to ensure that peaceful and restful stays are wrapped in the warmth of Filipino hospitality, the kind the world has come to cherish, and our Muslim travelers can call their own, and the kind we call the Sampaguita Brand of service excellence.”
Recognising the prime movers in halal-friendly tourism and hospitality
Every year, CrescentRating recognises efforts focused on promoting and enriching halal travel as part of its broader mission to empower the global tourism industry to better understand and meet the needs of Muslim travelers through research, insights, and strategic guidance.
The recognition given to Megaworld Hotels & Resorts builds on the way the Philippines has been hailed as an emerging Muslim-friendly destination over the past couple of year.
In turn, this also reinforces the country’s growing role in halal tourism.
This momentum is aligned with the national government’s National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2023–2028, which identifies halal tourism as a priority product.
According to CrescentRating chief executive Fazal Bahardeen: "It is really encouraging to see how the Philippines has focused on developing the infrastructure, the capacity, and the capability to welcome Muslim travelers. The outcome of these is what we see in Megaworld Hotels & Resorts, how the bigger brands in the Philippines have embraced the Muslim travel market. It is really great to see a hotel chain having 13 properties that are Muslim-friendly.”
