MANILA — The Araneta Group announced Thursday that it is set to open a new mall and hotel to complete the Gateway Square complex in Quezon City.

The Gateway Mall 2 is targeted for a soft launch in December, while the ibis Styles Hotel is expected to open by 2023.

"Gateway Mall 2 promises to be like no other mall in the world. This is the latest in our ongoing efforts to keep providing more memorable firsts in the City of Firsts," Lorna Fabian, vice president for leasing of the Araneta Group, said.

Gateway Mall 2 and ibis Styles Hotel will complete the 400,000 square-meter mixed-use Gateway Square superblock, which already includes the Gateway Mall, Gateway Office, Gateway Tower, Novotel Manila, the iconic Smart Araneta Coliseum, and the Parking Garage South Building.

According to the Araneta Group, the Gateway Mall 2 enhances Araneta City’s breadth and depth of choices in fashion and accessories, recreation and entertainment, health and wellness, and gadgets and gaming from local and international brands in over 500 outlets.

"It also expands the choices for quick bites, family fare, traditional comfort food, concept restaurants, regional cuisine, and bars and lounges to over 100 dining options," the Araneta Group said.

"Other mall features include a 500-seat iconic church on the roof deck, sensory and culinary gardens, a 3,700 square-meter supermarket, and a 700 square-meter Atrium for various activities and events – all in one establishment that interconnects the MRT and LRT stations and straddles the Big Dome, Gateway offices, the Novotel and ibis Styles hotels, Gateway shopping, and parking facilities," it added.

"Also, once Gateway Mall 2 opens, the public can access the historic Smart Araneta Coliseum through doorways located inside the new establishment. This makes Gateway Mall 2 the only mall in the country that is directly connected to an indoor arena."

Meanwhile, the ibis Styles Hotel will have almost 300 guest rooms and six function rooms for meetings and conferences. Its roof deck will feature an overhanging swimming pool and a bar that overlooks the Metro Manila skyline and the Manila Bay sunset.

"These new properties revitalize the integrated Gateway Square – a development that offers opportunities for an experience you can personalize yourself in a thoroughly modern and contemporary environment," Fabian said.