Am I just doing it wrong? Was looking at nearby Hilton and Marriott hotels (overnight layer for MNL), and they are all starting at USD 100-150+? Is that supposed to the regular rate? I was expecting much cheaper since the Philippines is very LCOL country.

The cheapest respectable looking hotel (Kingsford Hotel) is almost reaching USD60 for one night, and I'm booking 9mths+ ahead of time!