MANILA -- Former "Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Collab Edition" housemates expressed their excitement as their upcoming mystery-family drama series "The Secrets of Hotel 88" is set to premiere this March 2 on GMA Prime and seven days in advance on iWant on February 23.
Produced by Star Creatives, the new series stars Will Ashley, Bianca de Vera, Dustin Yu, AZ Martinez, Ralph de Leon, River Joseph, Esnyr, Xyriel Manabat, Josh Ford, Kira Ballinger, Klarisse de Guzman, and "PBB Celebrity Collab Edition" big winners Brent Manalo, and Mika Salamanca.
"The Secrets of Hotel 88," which marks the former housemates first project together, is another collaboration between ABS-CBN and GMA.
Stars and director of "The Secrets of Hotel 88." Screen grab: YouTube/Star Magic
At a media conference on Friday, February 6, the series' stars led by Manalo and Salamanca,shared why viewers should watch "The Secrets of Hotel 88."
"May bago kaming maihahandog sa inyo sana ay magustuhan niyo. We made sure na mapapasaya namin kayo dahil ibang klase ang suporta na naibigay niyo sa amin sa loob kami ng bahay (ni Kuya). So ito ngayon iba na naman, at tulad nang sabi ni Bianca at Ralph ay sana mahalin niyo rin po ang mga characters namin dito. Marami pong salamat," Manalo said.
Mika Salamanca and Brent Manalo. Screen grab: YouTube/Star Magic
For her part, Salamanca said: "Tulad po nang sinabi ng lahat totoo po 'yon sobrang blessed namin at sobra kaming thankful sa another chance na ibinigay niyo sa amin. Binigyan niyo po kami ng project again. Nagpapasalamat po ako sa GMA bosses, sa ABS-CBN, sa Star Creatives dahil binigyan niyo po kami ng tiwala po para ma-present namin 'yung mga characters na ibinigay niyo po para sa amin."
"Ako po hanggang ngayon po hindi pa ako makapaniwala. Noong time po na pinitch sa amin ang project na ito parang nandoon pa rin ako. Hindi ako makapaniwala na finally may trailer na tayo, lalabas na tayo. At talagang 'yung pinagdaanan sa set ay nakikita na nagkakabunga na. Ako hindi po ako mapapagod na ilako itong series na ito kasi alam ko po na 'yung project na ito ay may puso talaga," added Salamanca who turned emotional.
Screen grab: YouTube/Star Magic
"Nagpapasalamat po ako sa mga supporters na simula paglabas namin ng 'PBB' ay hindi napagod na suportahan kami. Maraming-maraming salamat," she added.
During the media conference, the show's director, Henry Quitain, revealed that all of the show's characters have a secret.
"Whether it's personal or whether big plot twists, may mga secret ang bawat character," Quitain said.
The director also shared why "The Secrets of Hotel 88" is different from other dramas.
"Sa akin sila ang magpapaiba sa primetime viewing habit ng mga viewers natin. It's a mix of genres. Hindi lang siya thriller, hindi lang sia mystery suspense, there's romance, there's family drama. There's intense confrontations na mapapanood kayo. 'Yun ang nagpapaiba sa kanya. Pero ako sa akin sila talaga 'yung magbibigay ng ibang bihis sa primetime," Quitain said.
DIrector Henry Quitain. Screen grab: YouTube/Star Magic
Asked to describe his experience working with the show's stars, Quitain said: "Masu-surprise ka! Of course nandiyan sina Xyriel na talagang beterana ... Pero 'yung iba magugulat ka because they worked hard for it. Nag-workshop talaga sila, pinag-aralan nila ang character. So magugulat ka na they are really serious about their craft. Ako I'm amazed. I'm a fan of the PBB Collab 'yung batch nila. Happy pill ko 'yang mga 'yan. Pinapanood ko sila every night pinapanood ko sila while doing shows before. So sobra akong amazed sa ibinigay nilang talento rito," the director said.
The full trailer of "The Secrets of Hotel 88" was played for the first time at the media conference.
ABS-CBN's "The Secrets of Hotel 88" will premiere on GMA Prime on March 2 and seven days in advance on iWant beginning February 23. It will also be available on Kapuso Stream, GTV, GMA PinoyTV, and TFC.
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