This is interesting that it gets me excited. Ekran BHD, a company from Malaysia, is planning to reopen its hotel Samal Casino Resort in IGACOS. If I remember, this hotel which is located in an area of 250 hectares opened last 1997 during the heydays of BIMP-EAGA however it was forced to close in 2000 due to the Asian Financial Crisis during that time. Back then it had 300 rooms and a ballroom that accommodates 3000 people.

Ekran BHD is investing US$20 million for the planned reopening. The hotel will also have a golf club and set to expand to a whooping 1400 rooms. Meanwhile, negotiations are set in the opening of a Kota Kinabalu-Davao direct flight, in partnership with Malaysian Airlines, to coincide with the reopening of the resort.

This is Eco4000 which opened last year, the first ever low rise condominium in Davao City and in the entire Mindanao. Based on the picture above, the two buildings meshed remarkably well with the pool and the environs and they look great in my opinion. Those are already occupied with some of the coolest people in the city by the way. I am just glad that even if this project is really not the grandest finished project ever in Davao but it triggered the inevitable first wave of condominiums that are being constructed right now. DMCI did great on pushing through with this project, and now the company is almost halfway with its second project Magallanes Residence Condominium and is now planning on its third condo project the Palmetto Place in Ma-a.

Is it just me or SM Malls are becoming dominant in Davao? I always thought the Gaisanos are the one who owned the Mall Tycoon title. Here is why I said that, this is from what I’ve  heard from SSC forumers.  Aside from the proposed classy high end mall to be constructed in Lanang, the present SM Mall in Ecoland is going to be having a major expansion. This is how its going to be: pic from SSC, sorry but dunno who edited it.

That yellow color area right there is the expansion of SM Mall. Once finish, SM Mall is going to be a one butt kicking huge mall.

This little piece of information from xhibit at SSC Davao Forum:

the good news is that sm city davao will start its expansion around 1st to 2nd quarter of next year. the expansion will be around 65k sqm, GLA. it is effectively going to be another mall connected to the old mall…

The back area of SM Mall in Ecoland is turning out to become one of the densest cool places in Davao City. Just take a look at what’s going on down there: pics @ SSC

Those are array of condominium buildings from One Oasis and Eco4000. There are 9 midrise buildings total once the One Oasis project is finish and, listen to this…. There are more of these to come as strong rumors are echoing of more condominiums are going to be develop in that area in the nearest future. I predict crowded and classy neighborhood right there, wish I could be in the crowd.

Here are more updates on condominium developments in Davao City. This is the latest on Magallanes Residence. Thnx abskess @SSC for the pic.

The first building is 98% complete and it looks overwhelmingly awesome! Actually, I am a regular commuter from the south and I can clearly see that building from Bankerohan Bridge. The skyline in that area is vastly improving and it will continue to be because there are two more of those as construction for the second building is in full blast.

Do you remember the Central Park Hotel I posted here about a year ago? This is how the hotel looks like right now.

It is almost done, there are few activities we can see outside the construction but right now, work is more on the interior of the hotel. One more thing, this hotel is officially called “The Pinnacle Hotel”. Hmm…. Actually, the name is totally awesome for me, I love it!

By the way, this is actually the first ever environment friendly highrise building in Mindanao, cool right? Just read on to this article.

‘Green’ hotel to rise in Davao

DUBBED to be the first high-rise structure in Mindanao which has implemented environmentally-sound structure design and interiors, a “green” hotel is soon to rise in Davao City.

Named as Pinnacle Place, the 12-storey structure on Sta. Ana Avenue was designed in such manner that it utilizes natural light and allows cross ventilation on each floor.

“Going green is cheaper in the long run, it is very practical, and you have less impact on the environment,” Arnold Tence, the upcoming general manager of Pinnacle Place, told Sun.Star Davao.

The hotel, which has yet to announce an opening date, will be using a LED (light emitting diode) lighting system, energy efficient air conditioning system, and elevators that require less energy than most being used.

“The hotel will be an actual application of what a sustainable facility is supposed to be,” Tence said.

Also, the hotel will be utilizing locally sourced products, from the construction materials and the furnishings to be used, as part of its commitment to have a smaller carbon footprint.

The hotel will house 200 suites, eight function areas, two restaurants, a fitness center with pool, and a spa.

Pinnacle Place is part of the Central Parq Group of Hotels and was designed by Architect Mark Maximo Chan while interiors were made by Don Cabaog and his team Design Lab.

I failed to update this but Robinsons Cybergate Davao opened its doors for business last May this year. Located along Maharlika Highway in Lanang, the new mall boasts shops, a grocery store and BPO facilities. It’s really not a huge mall however it is a welcome addition to the ever growing shopping centers in the city and it increases the number of ICT establishments in Davao as well. Below are pictures of the spanking new Robinsons Cybergate, take a look:

There is another condominium under construction right now adjacent to the flyover in Bajada. Camella Northpoint is the latest addition to the condo craze that the city is enjoying at present. This project is from one of the country’s biggest homebuilders Vistaland and Lifescapes. The project is a 6 storey 3 building complex (or maybe 6 buildings if future expansions are included) and located near the currently under construction, the much awaited Abreeza Mall along the Ayala Development Center.

Watch the video of the scale model:

This location is great because of the coming of the Ayala Center and the prospects of becoming a developing business district in the area, people who will decide to buy units in Camella will definitely have a high end lifestyle advantage. It’s going to be a totally different Bajada two to three years from now.

Photos of the location:

The coolest thing about Gaisano Mall’s expansion is their additional cinemas. Before there are 6 of them and now 2 were added which brings us to 8 cinemas all in all. The new cinemas will feature some of the latest technologies for screening movies and boasting a RECLINING CHAIR which is first in Mindanao.

As posted by @sandmand.ink from SSC

-seats recline up to around 6 inhces more
-cinema is similar to Glorietta 4 Cinemas
-comfy seats, rows are approximately 1m apart, a lot of legroom…you don’t get kicked at the back of the seats.
-sound and projector ng NCCC is better IMO

The Gaisano Mall of Davao located at Bajada is finally on its last stretch of their grand expansion and renovation.

That picture above is the Lanang Country Golf Club. That huge land which is located about 9 to 10 kilometers away from downtown core is actually the site of the future second SM Mall in Davao City. The mall is tentatively called SM Lanang. Some skeptics were thinking that this project is merely a rumor but, in real time, SM are currently hiring employees for the operation of the said mall just like this one from their official website.

So this mall will be constructed for real guys. By the way, I’ve heard from SSC Davao forum that the construction will start maybe on June 2010 and the target opening date will be on November or December in 2011. The plan for the mall is still on the drawing board at the moment but is almost done and insiders are spilling out details that the mall will look eco-friendly with lots of greeneries and will have high end shops. Can you imagine how AWESOME this mall will gonna be?