Trudging through

By January Guia Caringal-Bawat

The Thunderbird Resorts and Casinos Poro Point, located at the heart of La Union province, is the only five-star hotel in Region 1. With a breathtaking view, overlooking the West Philippine Sea and the San Fernando Bay, the 65-hectare, Santorini-inspired resort has its own private beach, hotel rooms and villas, swimming pools, restaurants, recreational facilities, event center, casino, and a ninehole golf course.

Thunderbird Pilipinas Hotels and Resorts, Inc. (TPHRI), which owns and manages the Thunderbird Resorts & Casinos Poro Point, started its journey at the Poro Point Freeport Zone in 2005. It officially started its casino operations in April 2006, while its hotel and golf course opened in May 2008. From 2016 to 2018, the resort and casino had massive expansion projects: the casino expansion, golf clubhouse construction, driving range renovation, event center expansion, main swimming pool expansion, beach club construction, chapel construction, construction of 45 units of two-bedroom villas and two units of three-bedroom villas, including the infrastructure development and construction of eight units of executive suites. These expansions paved the way for the Thunderbird Resorts & Casinos Poro Point to be granted the five-star accreditation status.

In 2020

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has made a huge impact on the tourism and leisure industry—and Thunderbird Resorts & Casinos Poro Point was not spared from it. The pandemic led the company to suffer a huge decline in revenue, forcing it to downscale its resorts and gaming operations.

Once the Province of La Union was put under the Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) in June 2020, the Thunderbird opted to re-open. It strictly enforced policies and guidelines on health and safety, in accordance with government protocols, as embodied in pertinent resolutions of the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATFEID) and various government agencies.

Operating at only 50% capacity, the resort imposed such measures as temperature check, registration before entering the

premises, proper hand washing, and social distancing. All employees were required to wear safety gears. Hotel rooms, restaurants, kitchens and all other offices, and facilities were regularly disinfected and sanitized.

In the early days of the pandemic, the Poro Point Management Corporation (PPMC), which manages the Poro Port Freeport Zone, spearheaded a free RT-PCR testing program at the Poro Point Freeport Zone (PPFZ). The Thunderbird Resorts & Casinos Poro Point took the opportunity to have their employees tested for COVID-19.

During these trying times, the Thunderbird Resorts & Casinos Poro Point has changed its marketing strategies. It shifted its focus on the local market, and created value-for-money promotions to encourage repeat business. This includes lowered rates, sale programs, membership promos, and customized packages. Soon, local guests began to visit the tourist spots, like the Tulips by the Sea, a bed of around 10,000 tulip-shaped LED lights, located along the resort baywalk, and the Urban Lights, La Union’s version of the famous Los Angeles street lamps art installation, “Urban Light.”

Take-out and delivery services

As the City of San Fernando, La Union was placed under Modified Enhance Community Quarantine (MECQ) for the period of April 10 to 23, 2021, the Thunderbird Resorts & Casinos Poro Point has only accommodated guests with a legitimate purpose. Hence, all other hotel and casino facilities temporarily closed during this period. To continue operating, its restaurant and deli shop offered take-out and delivery services.

Thunderbird Resorts & Casinos Poro Point is hopeful that with the emergence of vaccines, the pandemic will soon be over, and the tourism and leisure industry will start to thrive again.