When visiting a new place, it is easy to focus on where to eat, shop, and explore, saving recommendations and planning an itinerary before the trip even begins. But a stay can become more meaningful when guests also have a chance to connect with the community beyond the hotel. Roots by Seda builds on this idea, bringing guests closer to the places, people, and flavors that give each destination its character.

Guests don’t have to go far to experience more of the city. From Seda Vertis North in Quezon City, the tour brings guests to a mix of cultural and architectural destinations, including Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, Quezon Memorial Circle, and Bahay Modernismo, before ending with a meal at Provenciano in Maginhawa. Together, the stops offer a blend of history, architecture, and food within the communities surrounding the hotel.

Paloma Urquijo Zobel de Ayala, creative director of Ayala Land Hospitality, describes the program as a way to make each stay more connected to its destination.

“Travel today is no longer just about where you stay. It’s about how deeply you experience a place,” Paloma said. “With Roots by Seda, we invite our guests to connect more meaningfully with the destinations they visit. Seda has always been part of the communities we call home, and this initiative allows us to bring those connections to life by introducing guests to the local culture, businesses, traditions, and stories that make each destination special.”

The tour begins at Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar, where guests can walk through heritage-inspired streets and structures, take photos, and take in an old-world setting that feels like stepping into another era.

From there, the group heads to Quezon Memorial Circle, a 25-hectare park best known for the Quezon Memorial Shrine, which houses the remains of former President Manuel L. Quezon and his wife, former First Lady Aurora Aragon Quezon. Beyond the shrine and museum, the grounds offer space to walk, relax, and take a break.

Next is Bahay Modernismo Museum, which offers a glimpse into everyday life in the 1950s through preserved furniture and rooms modeled after a Filipino home from the period, including its living room, kitchen, and bedrooms.

The tour ends at Maginhawa Food District with a meal at Provenciano, where guests can try Filipino favorites such as beef kare-kare, crispy okoy ng Calamba, and lechon kawali. Bibingka and puto bumbong round out the spread after a day of exploring Quezon City’s historic sites and old homes.

And, of course, no local experience feels complete without a "pasalubong." Before leaving, guests can stop by the Grab and Go shelf in the hotel lobby for locally made treats, artisan products, and specialty finds from Quezon City makers and Filipino brands.

What stays with guests is not only where they went, but the stories, traditions, and local experiences that shaped the visit. Roshan Nandwani, head of Marketing and Commercial for Ayala Land Hospitality, believes this is what can make a stay more meaningful.

“We all want that authentic experience, right? You want to make sure it’s memorable and makes the holiday special, something that puts the story and destination forward,” Roshan said. “Roots is about connection to place. Every destination has its own culture, traditions, people, and stories. We’ve always believed that a hotel shouldn’t simply exist within a community. It should be part of it, sharing those stories with our guests, letting them experience the city, while also bringing a little bit of the community back to the hotel.”

Roots by Seda shows how a hotel can serve as a gateway to the community around it. By bringing guests beyond the property and into local spaces, the initiative creates a more direct connection between visitors and the places they are visiting. The result is a stay that feels less separate from the destination and more connected to everyday life.