Inside Room 315: How Bondi Beach attackers spent 27 quiet days in Philippines hotel

Room number 315 at a budget hotel in Davao city in the Philippines is where the Bondi Beach attackers, Sajid Akram and his son Naveed Akram, spent nearly a month before carrying out the deadly assault in Australia.

The father and son stayed at the GV Hotel, a small, sparsely furnished property in downtown Davao, close to city hall and a police station. The room had two single beds, a television and a basic bathroom and cost around 930 pesos, or about 24 dollars, per night.

According to hotel staff quoted by ABC Radio and The Sydney Morning Herald, the two men kept to themselves and spoke very little during their stay.

Immigration authorities have confirmed that Sajid and Naveed Akram arrived in the Philippines on November 1 and left on November 28, just weeks before the Bondi Beach attack that killed 15 people. They remained in Davao for the entire duration of their stay.

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Davao is located on the island of Mindanao, a region where Islamist militant groups have historically operated, including Islamic State East Asia.

Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano sought to downplay suggestions of militant training during the visit. In a statement, he said, “A mere visit does not support allegations of terrorist training, and the duration of their stay would not have allowed for any meaningful or structured training.”

Ano added that the militant threat in the region had significantly declined. He said the presence of Islamic State East Asia had been heavily degraded since the 2017 siege of Marawi, with only about 50 militants estimated to be active, down from a peak of 1,257 members in 2016. He also said there have been no recorded terrorist training activities by IS-affiliated groups since then.

A quiet routine and little movement

Hotel employees described a repetitive and isolated routine. The pair checked into the hotel on November 1, walked in without a prior booking and paid in cash. They initially booked the room for a week and extended their stay three times, each time by another week.

“They were in their room the whole 27 days,” hotel manager Jenelyn Sayson told ABC. “The longest they left the hotel is between one and two hours.”

Sayson also told The Sydney Morning Herald, “From the time they arrived until they checked out, they never left the city because we saw them going in and out of the hotel every day.”

Staff said the two were seen leaving and returning daily, which led them to believe the men did not travel to other parts of the island.

Whenever they stepped out, employees noticed that Sajid Akram almost always wore sunglasses. Despite this, staff said the men did not appear suspicious at the time.

“They were not approachable,” a hotel staff member named Angelica told ABC. “A lot of people come here and talk to me at the front desk, but they did not.”

Angelica later recognised the men after seeing news coverage of the Bondi Beach attack. She said she searched online and identified them through TikTok videos circulating after the incident.

Limited records and missing CCTV

The hotel did not take copies of the men’s passports, as this was not required under local rules. Receipts from their stay were no longer available.

CCTV footage from the period was also unavailable. Hotel staff explained that the surveillance system operates on a seven day loop, and recordings from November had already been overwritten by the time police arrived.

A hotel employee told The Sydney Morning Herald that military personnel later visited the property and seized the computer hard drive.

When booking the room, Naveed Akram provided a phone number registered in the Philippines, according to media reports.

Housekeeping staff said they found little evidence of activity inside the room. Apart from rubbish from fast food outlets, there were no notable items left behind. At one point, Naveed reportedly asked hotel staff where he could buy a durian.

Wrappings from fast food chain Jollibee were found in the room during their stay. An online check showed that the Davao outlet of Jollibee offers Halal-certified food options.

Who they were

Sajid Akram was originally from Hyderabad and travelled to the Philippines on an Indian passport. He migrated from India in 1998. Naveed Akram was born in Australia and used Australian travel documents.

Philippine police say investigations are continuing.

The chief of the Philippine National Police, Lt Gen Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr, said authorities were examining where the attackers went, who they interacted with and where they stayed during their time in the country. He said investigators were working to build a clear picture of their activities, ABS-CBN TV reported.

While officials have denied evidence of formal terrorist training during the Philippines visit, the secrecy surrounding Sajid and Naveed Akram’s stay and its timing so close to the Bondi Beach attack remains under scrutiny as investigators piece together the final steps leading up to the massacre.