Was looking for last minute deals online for a one night stay over the Holy Week break and was delighted to get a good rate after calling the hotel and making a reservation directly.
Got to the lobby in time for the 2pm check in and it was packed for the busy holiday. Waited about 15 minutes in line, didn't feel too long and felt that they tried to make the process efficient. Got the requested type of room that's facing a portion of the bay and their pool.
The room was average, good size, with most of the wooden furniture and fixtures showing scratches and age, and felt a little cheap Had a good balcony that overlooks the view. The lock to the balcony sliding glass was somehow integrated to the airconditioning, such as that the aircon would turn off if the doors weren't locked. Smart, but the lock itself was sometimes annoying when it wouldn't latch right away.
Bed was comfortable with clean sheets, but the pillows were too soft and worn, caused me to have a stiff neck the next day! We were happy they were able to provide a crib later in the evening as it became available after we had requested.
Bath had good toiletries, average shower and didn't have a bidet. Worn hot/cold labels. What happened to paying attention to details?
Sofitel always had the better outdoor amenities, but we skipped the pool because of the busy crowd.
We decided to have food delivered from a local pizza chain because the hotel and restos were a little too busy that night, so we figured the food and room service may take a while if we ordered from the hotel. Spiral's dinner buffet rate was at PHP 3,200 that night, a little too steep. The pizza delivery guy sent me a text asking me to pick up the pizza at the south parking entrance. I gave him a call, and he passed it on to the guard on duty who explained that food deliveries may only be picked up there and was directing me to their front office in a "see if you can do anything about it" tone if I wanted my food delivered to my room, OR within the hotel lobby driveway, or even just inside the guest entrance of the south parking. Decided it was pointless to speak anyone else about the matter and proceeded at the road entrance of the south parking, mind you, the area where you get your parking ticket, a few hundred meters away from the guest dropoff area. I'm glad the rain just stopped by the time I started walking. Saw a few other guests who also picked up some food deliveries there.
Yeah, I get it, the hotel doesn't want it's prestige feel to be ruined by delivery boys bustling around the hotel or being security concerns. But hey, we're guests who came to stay here for comfort, not to walk out the parking area in the middle of the evening for my food delivery. The next best thing they could have done with this is have guests pick up deliveries somewhere around the lobby entrance or the parking guest entrance. What if I was a senior citizen guest?
As expected, Spiral's breakfast buffet was delightful although was a little dissapointed with the little selection of hams over at the cold cuts and cheese section. Waitresses also accommodated our request to be re-seated somewhere else (was initially given a seat around the Chinese cuisine section which was too busy). Lunch and dinner buffets are still better in terms of selection, obviously.
Service was fine, but nothing spectacular.
Overall, the only things still keeping this hotel alive is Spiral, the outdoor pool amenities, and the bay view rooms that makes the hotel feel you're out of town. Still one of the classic places around in Manila, but the newer hotels around the area may also worth considering, especially with the price points and the age of the hotel.
