5-Star Hotels in City of Manila

The Manila Hotel has an old but elegant and luxurious style. Marble and stone finishing, tall ceilings and a grand piano at the back with a musician playing pleasant music greets you as you walk through the entrance. Lacking points from my personal experience: 1. The carpet floors need to be replaced. I had to change rooms because the first room I got had an unpleasant smell to it (they quickly changed my room after I went to the reception, so it wasn't terrible) and although I didn't notice until the end of my stay, the new room's carpet was frayed at the edges. 2. The night mode of the lights (many switches) completely cuts power to the power outlets. I didn't know and ended up waking up to a phone and power bank with a dying battery and needing to stay in the hotel a couple of hours until they finished charging. Maybe just a warning in the future? The good parts: 1. The service! People are SO accommodating, pleasant and efficient. Reception staff, waiters, bell boys and basically everyone greets you with a smile and tries to solve any problems with utmost focus and cordiality. 2. Traditional pride. Traditional fashion exhibition at the front was a great touch to my visit. The whole place (restaurants, pools, spa, rooms, etc) add to the experience. I could have stayed in the hotel and felt like I hadn't missed Manila's charm. 3. Excellent location. I realised early on that I could literally see every single thing from my ”1 day tour of Manila” from my hotel room. Nothing says great location like this.

Exciting elevator ride because of the glass walls, we can see the city and Manila Bay. Very clean room and bathroom. I like the magnifying mirror the most. First time to experience buffet breakfast with waiting time to be seated and food trays going empty before they could be refilled — in short too many guests! Food was okay, although few choices for Filipino cuisine.

Our check in was 2 hours late- instead of the 2pm our room was fixed at 4pm. Room is small ideally for couples cuz literally a wall separates the bedroom and the shower room. Small lounge for the lounge access. The breakfast buffet was okay. They had taho that was good but already empty by 10am, i asked one server if they will serve more arbinal as there were still tons of soft tofu. He just said “ubos na po e” well obviously you have to refill it as the buffet ends at 10:30, i asked another server who asked the kitchen for a refill the arnibal-kudos to this server.

The place is very accessible and convenient since it is near almost everything. Most of the staff were kind, hospitable, and accommodating, which we appreciated. However, during our check-in, the receptionist on duty lacked proper assistance and explanation. While we were carrying our belongings and trying to figure out where the elevator was, she was busy talking and laughing with her co-worker. We were not informed properly about how to bring our things to the room, so the experience felt unprofessional at that moment. Thankfully, one of the security guards noticed that we needed help and kindly assisted us with our cart and belongings. We truly appreciated his kindness and the hospitality shown by the other staff members.