Nice Hotels In Manila Area

[gottawannalive]

I've stayed at both Diamond and Dusit Thani and have great things to say about both. There's more to do in the area of Dusit, particularly with Greenbelt being literally across the street.

[JJReyes]

If you want top of the line all the way, stay at the Makati Shangri-La or Peninsula. Both are world class hotels.

I stayed several times at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel. The rooms are beautiful, but there is something not quite right about the quality of their service. The staff is trying too hard to act snotty, and unless you are dressed in a conservative business suit, they act like you are an unimportant guest. I guess my conservative business aloha shirts are considered inappropriate wear.

The Manila Peninsula Hotel is much better. For the first breakfast, the coffee shop receptionist asked for my name and room number. The next day, it was, "Good morning Mr. Reyes. Would you like the same table?"

On a subsequent visit, the doorman greeted my arrival with, "Welcome back Mr. Reyes." Now, if I had reserved a hotel car, the driver could have phoned ahead to give our estimated time of arrival and my name to the doorman in Tagalog. But I had taken a taxi from the airport and the exact time of my arrival was unknown.

Filipino businessmen who arrive at the Manila Peninsula in their chauffered executive cars never tip and never acknowledge the greetings of the doormen. It is like they don't exist. I always return their greetings and tip whenever they open the door if I am getting into a private car or after requesting for a taxi. They always ask me to wait in the lobby since it is cooler than the hotel rotunda. As service personnel, doormen receive minimum wage and count on tips to support their families. Still, it was impressive that the Manila Peninsula doorman remembered my name after an absence of seven months. Maybe it was the aloha shirt.

Edited May 13, 2012 by JJR

[tommyjay]

Great that you tip them - it makes all the difference to their day. They will not forget you either!