Conrad Manila {PHL} (Philippines)
Nov 6, 2016, 10:00 pm
#76
Join Date: May 1999
Location: JFK, LGA, EWR
Programs: AA Platinum (Lifetime), United GS, HHonors Diamond, Shangri-la Diamond, Marriott Platinum
Posts: 549
stayed here for a week recently... lovely accommodating staff, stunning view of manila bay when you walk off the elevator, as has been reported. received a modest upgrade as a diamond to a bay view executive room.
view from room was spectacular... room itself was built on the cheap and some wood finishes, like under the built-in TV, are already showing signs of wear and chipping. the shower would be fantastic, except for two problems, one tolerable, one a show stopper.
first off, you need an advanced degree in physics to understand how to operate the damn thing... you're standing there - naked - trying to figure out which knob controls what (no pun intended). so you have to take a lot of cold water until you can get the thing running properly... and then it's very nice. a strong jet coming out of the wall, which you can aim up and down and sideways... and a waterfall shower head above and a standard (hand held) shower off to the side. the waterfall over head and the hand held are both controlled by one knob, so you can only choose one pf those at a time, but can run the wall mounted jet with either.
the other problem with this shower is that there is only about a quarter of an inch clearance from the shower floor to the shower door... which makes for a great walk-in experience, but leads to extraordinary flooding even under normal circumstances. there is a well into which the excess water flows and that presumably is supposed to easily go down the drain off to one side of that recessed well. there is just one very major problem... the drain in my room, as well as the room of four colleagues was clogged. water in my shower not only didn't drain properly, so flooded out of the shower and onto the bathroom floor... but the water that did flow through the drain came up through the drain in the bathroom itself, as well as the drain in the water closet... bringing with it what could only be described as, um, waste.
i had the plumbing/engineering/housekeeping staff in there twice. each time they assured me they had fixed the problem... and indeed it did work well, for one day... but then on the second day, the flooding and the waste water would reappear. this is not an isolated problem, as many others i spoke to reported flooding and the inability of the shower to drain properly. this is a major structural design flaw.
there is no soundproofing in these rooms... you can hear somebody in the next room change their mind! seriously: modest coughing, sneezing, low volume conversations, guests making whoopee... you'll hear it all.
and there is still a great deal of construction going on... they'll say it's the mall and they can't do anything about it, but when you talk to the right people at the hotel, they will admit it is in fact the hotel doing the banging and hammering and sawing.
service throughout the hotel is generally very good, and the entire staff is very pleasant and accommodating. but unlike many other manila hotels, they seem unprepared to accommodate day sleepers who work at night.
they got the big grand sweeping gestures at this hotel very right... but there is little attention to detail. there are inconsistencies in the food service, with uncooked and under-cooked food on the buffet, at both breakfast and lunch.
the views from the executive lounge (7th floor) and the C lounge (3rd floor, adjacent to the lobby) are great. the food in the C lounge is good, but don't try to order the same menu item in your room.. it likely will be different... different breads, different ingredients, different side dishes... even if the sandwich or menu item has the same name. food in the executive lounge is good, but not very filling... most weekdays, you might be the only one in there... but on a holiday, with staycationers... pure madness! and they, like many manila buffet restaurants and executive lounges, seem reluctant to refill items once they have been consumed... almost a sif they're surprised that anybody ate the food they had prepared.
"starbucks reserve" can be found in s maison mall adjacent to the hotel and accessible through a side passage from the hotel... opens at 8 AM. "buffalo wild wings" just opened at the base of the hotel, with more restaurants on the way, both at the base of the hotel and inside the mall. the much heralded fancy pants restaurant "china blue" by jereme leung within the hotel itself has stunning atmosphere, but lackluster food... there is not much there that you'd actually want to eat. the menu features goose liver mousse cherries with a squid ink crumble and osmanthus and rose petals slow cooked lotus root filled with purple rice... and grouper steamed with fragrant man jack seeds. (not that there's anything wrong with that.). our dinner for four cost about USD 100, which isn't bad... but we all had to go somewhere else to eat afterwards!
the conrad manila shows a lot of promise, but they're not really ready for prime time yet.
view from room was spectacular... room itself was built on the cheap and some wood finishes, like under the built-in TV, are already showing signs of wear and chipping. the shower would be fantastic, except for two problems, one tolerable, one a show stopper.
first off, you need an advanced degree in physics to understand how to operate the damn thing... you're standing there - naked - trying to figure out which knob controls what (no pun intended). so you have to take a lot of cold water until you can get the thing running properly... and then it's very nice. a strong jet coming out of the wall, which you can aim up and down and sideways... and a waterfall shower head above and a standard (hand held) shower off to the side. the waterfall over head and the hand held are both controlled by one knob, so you can only choose one pf those at a time, but can run the wall mounted jet with either.
the other problem with this shower is that there is only about a quarter of an inch clearance from the shower floor to the shower door... which makes for a great walk-in experience, but leads to extraordinary flooding even under normal circumstances. there is a well into which the excess water flows and that presumably is supposed to easily go down the drain off to one side of that recessed well. there is just one very major problem... the drain in my room, as well as the room of four colleagues was clogged. water in my shower not only didn't drain properly, so flooded out of the shower and onto the bathroom floor... but the water that did flow through the drain came up through the drain in the bathroom itself, as well as the drain in the water closet... bringing with it what could only be described as, um, waste.
i had the plumbing/engineering/housekeeping staff in there twice. each time they assured me they had fixed the problem... and indeed it did work well, for one day... but then on the second day, the flooding and the waste water would reappear. this is not an isolated problem, as many others i spoke to reported flooding and the inability of the shower to drain properly. this is a major structural design flaw.
there is no soundproofing in these rooms... you can hear somebody in the next room change their mind! seriously: modest coughing, sneezing, low volume conversations, guests making whoopee... you'll hear it all.
and there is still a great deal of construction going on... they'll say it's the mall and they can't do anything about it, but when you talk to the right people at the hotel, they will admit it is in fact the hotel doing the banging and hammering and sawing.
service throughout the hotel is generally very good, and the entire staff is very pleasant and accommodating. but unlike many other manila hotels, they seem unprepared to accommodate day sleepers who work at night.
they got the big grand sweeping gestures at this hotel very right... but there is little attention to detail. there are inconsistencies in the food service, with uncooked and under-cooked food on the buffet, at both breakfast and lunch.
the views from the executive lounge (7th floor) and the C lounge (3rd floor, adjacent to the lobby) are great. the food in the C lounge is good, but don't try to order the same menu item in your room.. it likely will be different... different breads, different ingredients, different side dishes... even if the sandwich or menu item has the same name. food in the executive lounge is good, but not very filling... most weekdays, you might be the only one in there... but on a holiday, with staycationers... pure madness! and they, like many manila buffet restaurants and executive lounges, seem reluctant to refill items once they have been consumed... almost a sif they're surprised that anybody ate the food they had prepared.
"starbucks reserve" can be found in s maison mall adjacent to the hotel and accessible through a side passage from the hotel... opens at 8 AM. "buffalo wild wings" just opened at the base of the hotel, with more restaurants on the way, both at the base of the hotel and inside the mall. the much heralded fancy pants restaurant "china blue" by jereme leung within the hotel itself has stunning atmosphere, but lackluster food... there is not much there that you'd actually want to eat. the menu features goose liver mousse cherries with a squid ink crumble and osmanthus and rose petals slow cooked lotus root filled with purple rice... and grouper steamed with fragrant man jack seeds. (not that there's anything wrong with that.). our dinner for four cost about USD 100, which isn't bad... but we all had to go somewhere else to eat afterwards!
the conrad manila shows a lot of promise, but they're not really ready for prime time yet.
Nov 7, 2016, 12:06 am
#77
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Amsterdam, Asia, UK
Programs: IHG RA (Spire), HH Diamond, MR Platinum, SQ Gold, KLM Gold, BAEC Gold
Posts: 5,072
nether the less it is totally unacceptable in my view that a 5* hotel exec room is "Shower Only"
I don't see myself returning due to
i)no bath in bathroom
ii)took 60 minutes hotel -> airport
iii)upgrade value as HHD is very minimal, as in effect rooms are same size/fittings
base room
base room ocean view
exec room
exec room ocean view
So all the HHD benefit one receives is ocean view, and lounge floor room if available. Change of view is just 800peso
I can't wait for the planned Hilton Manila to open (2017 I hope?) !
Until then it is alas Marriott for me, despite no MR status, so I either forgo lounge or have to upsell for 2000++ as solo guest (higher if couple) when MR-golds get foc. I do find the Marriott lounge offerings far superior to the Conrad and worth the upsell if I arrive early enough as alcohol in Marriot lounge is 1730-2130.
I don't see myself returning due to
i)no bath in bathroom
ii)took 60 minutes hotel -> airport
iii)upgrade value as HHD is very minimal, as in effect rooms are same size/fittings
base room
base room ocean view
exec room
exec room ocean view
So all the HHD benefit one receives is ocean view, and lounge floor room if available. Change of view is just 800peso
I can't wait for the planned Hilton Manila to open (2017 I hope?) !
Until then it is alas Marriott for me, despite no MR status, so I either forgo lounge or have to upsell for 2000++ as solo guest (higher if couple) when MR-golds get foc. I do find the Marriott lounge offerings far superior to the Conrad and worth the upsell if I arrive early enough as alcohol in Marriot lounge is 1730-2130.
Last edited by scubaccr; Nov 7, 2016 at 12:13 am
Nov 22, 2016, 9:20 am
#78
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Kendal, Cumbria and Luzon
Programs: BA Silver, PR Elite, Avis Preferred Plus, PC Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 1,131
Finally gave this place a test.
Scubaccr you were lucky not to get the seaview. The noise from outside even on high floors is shocking. Noise from adjacent rooms also. The hotel build quality and fitting out is low. In many ways it feels like a St Regis that had a franchise change half way through fitting out and was completed on the cheap.
I won't return because for business purposes the location is dire. Even over a weekend I spent a fortune on Uber's and several hours sitting in traffic on Roxas and EDSA. I have to respect that most reviews on TripAdvisor are positive. But many are Staycationers and Vacationers who might find the view of Manila Bay and the clean but expensive, crowded and dull adjacent mall of interest.
I had my worst hotel stay for many years here. The management have picked up on a long list of genuine issues. So I wont elaborate. Individually they were a niggle but collectively they demonstrated a mix of very poor management coordination, lack of hygiene in food preparation areas, poor training/inexperience and sheer and utter laziness.
Intriguingly I did get a suite upgrade and for 2 nights - but on the second night we had a mouse scratching on the wall from the adjacent storage area all night. Grrrrr
Will only return if attending a concert at the adjacent arena.
Scubaccr you were lucky not to get the seaview. The noise from outside even on high floors is shocking. Noise from adjacent rooms also. The hotel build quality and fitting out is low. In many ways it feels like a St Regis that had a franchise change half way through fitting out and was completed on the cheap.
I won't return because for business purposes the location is dire. Even over a weekend I spent a fortune on Uber's and several hours sitting in traffic on Roxas and EDSA. I have to respect that most reviews on TripAdvisor are positive. But many are Staycationers and Vacationers who might find the view of Manila Bay and the clean but expensive, crowded and dull adjacent mall of interest.
I had my worst hotel stay for many years here. The management have picked up on a long list of genuine issues. So I wont elaborate. Individually they were a niggle but collectively they demonstrated a mix of very poor management coordination, lack of hygiene in food preparation areas, poor training/inexperience and sheer and utter laziness.
Intriguingly I did get a suite upgrade and for 2 nights - but on the second night we had a mouse scratching on the wall from the adjacent storage area all night. Grrrrr
Will only return if attending a concert at the adjacent arena.
Nov 22, 2016, 4:27 pm
#79
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 469
Currently staying in one of the refurbished rooms at the nearby Sofitel and these now only have a shower....
Looks like next time I will be staying at the Marriot and will then not need to worry about silly transfer times to/from the airport!
Jan 16, 2017, 6:23 pm
#80
Join Date: Oct 2012
Programs: UA Mileage Plus, AAdvantage, Southwest, HHonors, National
Posts: 528
Two Night Stay
Background
This stay was reserved through the Visa Signature One Night Free promotion. Room that I had booked was a twin premier room. About a week leading up to check-in, I sent an email inquiring about a possible upgrade. I was a bit apprehensive in staying here, based on the previous posts on this thread.
Check In
Check-in process was relatively quick. Initially checked in at the front desk and then led to the executive lounge to complete the process. EL staff informed me that I was upgraded to a king one-bedroom premier suite (bay view). The room was located in the middle of the U-shaped section of the hotel, overlooking the pool and Manila bay
Room
Walk-in closet/mini-hallway to the bathroom
Stuffed animal on the bed, for the Conrad Manila its a Carabao (water buffalo)
Based on some of the previous posts, it seems that bathtubs are only available in suites.
View from room, overlooking the pool.
View of the 3rd or 4th floor walking park, from the terrace opposite of the executive lounge.
Manila Bay sunset, from the EL
Dining
As a Diamond, I had the choice between the EL and main restaurant in the lobby, Brasserie on the 3rd. Selection in the main restaurant was greater but the EL was quieter. Selection was divided between Western, Filipino, and Chinese food. Also had the dinner buffet on a weekend night, due to entertaining visiting relatives. The highlights were the carved meat stations and the desserts.
Overall
I was generally satisfied with my stay. There were a few hiccups such as the Visa Signature promotion benefits not showing up on my bill and housekeeping cleaning the room later than expected. Also I will echo what others have said in that some of the details are missing or lacking. For example, some of the finishing in the room was already worn and chipped. Staff were very helpful, especially in the EL. In terms of noise, I did not experience any sort of loud noise from machinery or other people. I think almost all of the construction is finished, all that I saw was work being done in one of the top floor suites. Transit time to the airport was faster than expected due to the recent opening of Skyway access from the Mall of Asia area to NAIA.
This stay was reserved through the Visa Signature One Night Free promotion. Room that I had booked was a twin premier room. About a week leading up to check-in, I sent an email inquiring about a possible upgrade. I was a bit apprehensive in staying here, based on the previous posts on this thread.
Check In
Check-in process was relatively quick. Initially checked in at the front desk and then led to the executive lounge to complete the process. EL staff informed me that I was upgraded to a king one-bedroom premier suite (bay view). The room was located in the middle of the U-shaped section of the hotel, overlooking the pool and Manila bay
Room
Walk-in closet/mini-hallway to the bathroom
Stuffed animal on the bed, for the Conrad Manila its a Carabao (water buffalo)
Based on some of the previous posts, it seems that bathtubs are only available in suites.
View from room, overlooking the pool.
View of the 3rd or 4th floor walking park, from the terrace opposite of the executive lounge.
Manila Bay sunset, from the EL
Dining
As a Diamond, I had the choice between the EL and main restaurant in the lobby, Brasserie on the 3rd. Selection in the main restaurant was greater but the EL was quieter. Selection was divided between Western, Filipino, and Chinese food. Also had the dinner buffet on a weekend night, due to entertaining visiting relatives. The highlights were the carved meat stations and the desserts.
Overall
I was generally satisfied with my stay. There were a few hiccups such as the Visa Signature promotion benefits not showing up on my bill and housekeeping cleaning the room later than expected. Also I will echo what others have said in that some of the details are missing or lacking. For example, some of the finishing in the room was already worn and chipped. Staff were very helpful, especially in the EL. In terms of noise, I did not experience any sort of loud noise from machinery or other people. I think almost all of the construction is finished, all that I saw was work being done in one of the top floor suites. Transit time to the airport was faster than expected due to the recent opening of Skyway access from the Mall of Asia area to NAIA.
Jan 23, 2017, 10:54 am
#81
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: New Delhi
Programs: Miles n More Senator ,Marriots Platinum, Hhonors Diamond, Miles n Smile elites,ITA Volare Premium
Posts: 162
nether the less it is totally unacceptable in my view that a 5* hotel exec room is "Shower Only"
I don't see myself returning due to
i)no bath in bathroom
ii)took 60 minutes hotel -> airport
iii)upgrade value as HHD is very minimal, as in effect rooms are same size/fittings
base room
base room ocean view
exec room
exec room ocean view
So all the HHD benefit one receives is ocean view, and lounge floor room if available. Change of view is just 800peso
I can't wait for the planned Hilton Manila to open (2017 I hope?) !
Until then it is alas Marriott for me, despite no MR status, so I either forgo lounge or have to upsell for 2000++ as solo guest (higher if couple) when MR-golds get foc. I do find the Marriott lounge offerings far superior to the Conrad and worth the upsell if I arrive early enough as alcohol in Marriot lounge is 1730-2130.
I don't see myself returning due to
i)no bath in bathroom
ii)took 60 minutes hotel -> airport
iii)upgrade value as HHD is very minimal, as in effect rooms are same size/fittings
base room
base room ocean view
exec room
exec room ocean view
So all the HHD benefit one receives is ocean view, and lounge floor room if available. Change of view is just 800peso
I can't wait for the planned Hilton Manila to open (2017 I hope?) !
Until then it is alas Marriott for me, despite no MR status, so I either forgo lounge or have to upsell for 2000++ as solo guest (higher if couple) when MR-golds get foc. I do find the Marriott lounge offerings far superior to the Conrad and worth the upsell if I arrive early enough as alcohol in Marriot lounge is 1730-2130.
Mar 23, 2017, 10:14 am
#82
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: BA Gold, DL PM, , Hilton Diamond (from being in a bed), SPG Plat, MR Plat
Posts: 922
Finally got to try this place out recently. I had a couple of nights here and while there was plenty to be impressed about there are some major pitfalls.
Obviously It can vary wildly how long it can take to get from the airport with traffic in Manilla but in my case was around 30 minutes. I have stayed at Hyatt down the road before and it is nice that Hilton finally has a presence in Manilla or are they resurrecting one? The design of the hotel is visually stunning in my opinion. Security is tight at the entrance as is case in most places in the Philippines. You enter on the ground floor and go through security screening and then are escorted up in elevator to reception.
Easy checkin was upgraded to a suite with bay view. Escorted all the way to elevator and would have been to room but was not needed. The suite really was stunning. One of the nicest I have been in. Very large living room, walk in closet and great bathroom. Not to mention the bay views. WOW. Really nicely presented welcome amenity also.
Now here is the problem and think it has been mentioned before but this property was put together poorly. Now I am no expert in construction but it either very shoddy craftsmanship or poor quality materials. Doors not closing properly, door falling off cupboard, wood chips everywhere. I had to phone down on two separate occasions to say, ‘ I am sorry, I have broken something, it just fell off and please don’t bill me.’ Ok, maybe not those exact words but just did not want to be held responsible for doors falling off in the bathroom that really shouldn’t. Pretty poor for such a new property.
The lounge here is pretty nice. Great views over the bay. It is designed as one long room with a homely style kitchen with island in the middle at the end where the food and drinks are. The lounge furniture is not very creative though and I don’t think there were any informal seating areas with sofas etc. I had afternoon tea here one day and was very nice. Great selection of food and especially some nice cakes and deserts. Again the evening session was decent. They have some lovely wine glasses. Weird observation, I know. Staff brought you drinks if you wanted and solid selection of food. Off the top of my head there was miso soup, two hot appetisers, cheese, bread, veggies, salad, some cold appetisers and good selection of deserts. More than sufficient and very well presented. Did not have breakfast in the lounge so cannot comment on that.
I took breakfast both mornings downstairs and it was very impressive. One of the best spreads in terms of quality I have seen. I went at opening both mornings and was still a fair few people so imagine it can get quite busy later on. I had some of the best Laksa I have had outside of the Malaysia/Singapore at breakfast. The smoked salmon in which it has it’s own stand in the middle was very nice. It even at time had it’s own attendant making mini salmon and cream cheese bagels. The spread had everything you could imagine but it was the quality that was the good thing and the restaurant setting. Well done here. Most of the staff I came across throughout the stay were very professional but maybe not quite confident yet due to the new hotel. Fair enough.
The hotel is connected to the mall of Asia and also connected to and closer to the upmarket mall which the name of has eluded me. Didn't get the chance to check out the gym or pool but from the room the pool looked decent if not a bit confined.
I am conflicted here as it undoubtedly a beautiful property but concerned about how it will look in 1/5/10 years down the line. I am not sure it will age gracefully eg Conrad Singapore. Still a really good stay.
Obviously It can vary wildly how long it can take to get from the airport with traffic in Manilla but in my case was around 30 minutes. I have stayed at Hyatt down the road before and it is nice that Hilton finally has a presence in Manilla or are they resurrecting one? The design of the hotel is visually stunning in my opinion. Security is tight at the entrance as is case in most places in the Philippines. You enter on the ground floor and go through security screening and then are escorted up in elevator to reception.
Easy checkin was upgraded to a suite with bay view. Escorted all the way to elevator and would have been to room but was not needed. The suite really was stunning. One of the nicest I have been in. Very large living room, walk in closet and great bathroom. Not to mention the bay views. WOW. Really nicely presented welcome amenity also.
Now here is the problem and think it has been mentioned before but this property was put together poorly. Now I am no expert in construction but it either very shoddy craftsmanship or poor quality materials. Doors not closing properly, door falling off cupboard, wood chips everywhere. I had to phone down on two separate occasions to say, ‘ I am sorry, I have broken something, it just fell off and please don’t bill me.’ Ok, maybe not those exact words but just did not want to be held responsible for doors falling off in the bathroom that really shouldn’t. Pretty poor for such a new property.
The lounge here is pretty nice. Great views over the bay. It is designed as one long room with a homely style kitchen with island in the middle at the end where the food and drinks are. The lounge furniture is not very creative though and I don’t think there were any informal seating areas with sofas etc. I had afternoon tea here one day and was very nice. Great selection of food and especially some nice cakes and deserts. Again the evening session was decent. They have some lovely wine glasses. Weird observation, I know. Staff brought you drinks if you wanted and solid selection of food. Off the top of my head there was miso soup, two hot appetisers, cheese, bread, veggies, salad, some cold appetisers and good selection of deserts. More than sufficient and very well presented. Did not have breakfast in the lounge so cannot comment on that.
I took breakfast both mornings downstairs and it was very impressive. One of the best spreads in terms of quality I have seen. I went at opening both mornings and was still a fair few people so imagine it can get quite busy later on. I had some of the best Laksa I have had outside of the Malaysia/Singapore at breakfast. The smoked salmon in which it has it’s own stand in the middle was very nice. It even at time had it’s own attendant making mini salmon and cream cheese bagels. The spread had everything you could imagine but it was the quality that was the good thing and the restaurant setting. Well done here. Most of the staff I came across throughout the stay were very professional but maybe not quite confident yet due to the new hotel. Fair enough.
The hotel is connected to the mall of Asia and also connected to and closer to the upmarket mall which the name of has eluded me. Didn't get the chance to check out the gym or pool but from the room the pool looked decent if not a bit confined.
I am conflicted here as it undoubtedly a beautiful property but concerned about how it will look in 1/5/10 years down the line. I am not sure it will age gracefully eg Conrad Singapore. Still a really good stay.
Mar 23, 2017, 9:16 pm
#84
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: BA Gold, DL PM, , Hilton Diamond (from being in a bed), SPG Plat, MR Plat
Posts: 922
Mar 26, 2017, 8:19 pm
#87
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 485
I don't speak Thai and never got into a conversation about water buffalo during my travels in Thailand, but I didn't know it was called carabao there also. Learn something new every day!
Apr 1, 2017, 11:38 am
#88
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Programs: TK Elite, Hilton Diamond, BA Silver
Posts: 967
Apr 23, 2017, 3:40 am
#89
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: DFW
Programs: United Premier, EK Skywards Blue, AAdvantage, Delta SkyMiles, Lufthansa Miles & More, Aeroplan
Posts: 79
. Mine are called Mr. Moo and Miss Mooina! The reason is my mom affectionately calls them "cozy cows," so my friends and I stuck to the "moo" theme when it came to carabao names!