Inside Aria Hotel and Residences Davao: A Locally Rooted Luxury Experience

If you’ve been driving around the city lately, you’re definitely familiar with Aeon Towers. But there’s a major update inside the building: Aria Hotel & Residences just rolled out its soft opening, and was invited to take a tour.

The name "Aria" actually comes from opera music—it’s that specific moment where a solo singer takes the stage, completely backed up by a full orchestra. The hotel uses that concept as their theme, basically aiming to be the perfect background orchestra to your stay. They call it "Life in Harmony."

While they have huge plans for the property down the road, the real highlight of my visit was checking out their new food spots and catching a quick preview of the space. If you’re looking for a new place to stay or hang out in Davao, here is exactly what to expect.

Lunch at Rhapsody Asian Fusion

Rhapsody is their all-day dining restaurant on the third floor, and honestly, it’s already making a serious statement for the local food scene. I sat down for a full set of their dishes, and I can tell you firsthand that every single plate that came out was absolutely delectable. I enjoyed every bit of it.

What really stood out to me is the story behind the menu. The kitchen is led by Chef Jean, who makes it a strict point to source ingredients right here in Davao.

Instead of just serving standard, predictable fusion food, Chef Jean takes fresh, local produce and turns it into really refined, modern Asian dishes. It’s basically a love letter to regional flavors, and knowing that your meal is directly supporting our local community makes the whole experience so much better.

Cadenza Bar

Right next to the lobby area is Cadenza Bar. I didn’t get a chance to actually try any of their drinks this time around, but the space itself is gorgeous.

The first thing you notice are these massive, bright floor-to-ceiling glass windows that flood the room with natural light and give you a great view of the city layout. It has a sophisticated, moody look to it that gives off an upscale vibe. It looks like a perfect spot for an evening nightcap or a casual meeting with friends, so I’ll definitely be heading back later to test out the actual beverage menu.

A quick peek at the rooms

During the visit, I also got a quick walkthrough of the rooms. Right now for the soft launch, they are running with 72 rooms (divided into 68 Deluxe Rooms and 4 Aria Suites), but they will eventually scale up to 174 rooms total.

Even with just a fast walk-through, I was genuinely surprised by how spacious the rooms are.

They also went heavy on the smart tech features. You can control the lights and the curtains from literally any part of the room. You don't have to stumble around looking for a wall switch in the dark or roll out of bed just to close the blinds. It hits that perfect sweet spot between high-end comfort and pure convenience.

Events Place

If you are planning functions, they have three elegant venues up and running right now, led by the Soprano Grand Ballroom which fits up to 260 guests. That can be divided into two distinct areas with its own LED screen. They have Sonata 1, 2, and 3 for intimate gatherings, and Alto showcading a panoramic view of Davao City.

There is a fitness center on the sixth floor and at the pinnacle 33rd level is an infinity pool overlooking Davao City. Looking forward to visit it very soon!

What I appreciated most about the visit was chatting with the General Manager, Colin Tan. He mentioned that because they are a locally rooted brand, they really want to focus on showcasing our culture, lifting up local talent, and giving back to the community. You can definitely see that happening already with Chef Jean’s locally sourced menu.

Aria Hotel & Residences is off to a really solid start. If you’re hunting for a new lunch spot, place to take clients, or an overnight stay, head over to Aeon Towers and give Aria Hotel and Residences a try!