Enjoying the success of its pilot gohotels.ph in Mandaluyong, Robinsons Land Corporation is now planning to open at least 30 more branches of the budget hotel nationwide in five years.

RLC president Frederick Go said the occupancy rate is about 90 percent for the pilot site and is “sometimes fully-booked that we have to turn away guests. The largest market for the hotel has been domestic travelers who book either for business or leisure.

Go said about half of the 30 hotels to be built will be opened through franchises while the other half will be company owned.

Franchisees will build and operate the hotels while we provide the system, brand, management and online booking system,” Go said pointing out that “the important thing is the online booking system and the revenue management.”

He said franchisee are now looking at five locations in the Greater Manila area adding that some are greenfield while some are working with an existing structure. Go said the ideal size for the hotel will be about 100 rooms.

“Due to high demand for excellent accommodations, gohotels.ph is now welcoming offers from parties who are interested to franchise or sell their land,” said general manager Liz D. Gregorio adding that “we are looking forward to meeting people with the entrepreneurial drive to boost our tourism industry.”

Gregorio said they have already received inquiries about the gohotels.ph franchising opportunity, an interest driven particularly by the brand’s differentiated market positioning and its promise to deliver the best quality accommodations in its class.

“Most of them will be where we are building new malls,” Go said noting that “we now have 30 malls, theoretically we now have 30 locations where we could build in.” There will also be a lot of branches in Metro Manila.

Next year, the firm will open gohotels.ph branches in Bacolod and Dumaguete; in Palawan, Iloilo, Davao, Tacloban, and Cebu in 2012; and in Pangasinan, Zamboanga, General Santos, and Ilocos by 2013.

Gregorio said these developments serve as RLC’s response to the national demand for better accommodations at better prices. “With its widespread expansion, gohotels.ph endeavors to make travel easier for more and more individuals,” she said.