Located in the heart of the oldest Chinatown in the world, this hotel boasts very walkable neighborhood eats and shops. Upon arrival, doormen can help with luggage. Check-in took quite a while even though we made a reservation a few months ago. There seemed to be a staff hierarchy where desk clerks had limited ability to manage accounts compared with supervisors. This was a big difference to me compared with hotels in the U.S. Once this was completed, I went up to the room then staff shortly brought my luggage.
The room had a clear view of Binondo Church where my grandfather was baptized nearly 100 years ago. The room had glossy wood-like flooring while the bathroom was tiled in super shiny smooth stone. The shower offered rain and handheld shower heads. Amenities included a small refrigerator, coffee mix, glassware, bottled water, lotion, shampoo, conditioner, shower cap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, and a hairdryer. In addition, there were processed food items like instant noodles and snacks, soft drinks, and beer that would be charged to the room if taken/consumed. I was a little annoyed at how much room the drinks took up in the fridge.
The hotel's "News Cafe" offered a free breakfast buffet every morning from 6 to 10am. The buffet usually offered plain rice, garlic rice, congee, congee toppings like salted egg, century egg, and scallion, hot foods that varied daily like beef tapa, adobo pork, noodles, fried fish, cereal, fruit like watermelon, canteloupe, and honeydew, pastries, and drinks like coffee, sweetened iced tea, kalamansi, mango, pineapple, or "orange" juice, and water. Their regular menu had entrees that were pretty fairly priced at about $4 USD.
This location also provides a shuttle service to a couple local malls and attractions for which I needed to reserve a spot in advance. The driver was really accommodating for pick-up time and availability. Motorized tricycles could be acquired across the street by the church. A short ride to Lucky Chinatown Mall for my little family was about $1 USD. Hotel staff can also hail taxis.
Overall, I was really satisfied with the promptness and politeness of housekeeping service and most other services, but most of all, this hotel's location. I would rate this hotel more highly if it had a swimming pool, which would have really entertained my toddler. read more