The airport is inside the city, 6.5km to Makati and BGC central business districts, 12km to the old walled district of Intramuros and Luneta park. Everything is reacheable by Grab. It is also easily connected to the freeway leading to the southern districts of Manila of you will be doing business there.

I drove past it on Sunday morning after first spotting the Marriott when leaving Terminal 3 on my way to Sunday Brunch at the Sofitel in transit before returning home on Sunday evening. I didn't know it was brand new open.

I was unimpressed with the location but it's true that Grabs are cheap and it's not far from the city centre and Green Belt area. Not that Manila's an exploring and hanging out kind of city like Bangkok anyway. I think it would make a suitable base.

I checked out the rates though. Both the Sheraton and the Marriott. Give it a look. Are they kidding?

I just had four nights at the Courtyard Iloilo which was excellent and good value with a lounge and suite upgrade. I couldn't believe the rates these hotels are charging in Manila. I'm going to assume they will come down at some point...

It is a sad reality that hotel room rates here in Manila are some of the highest in the region, almost like Singapore and Hong Kong.

This is true for both local and international brands. Rates at Courtyard Iloilo are a bit more acceptable, primarily driven by the local competition.

Ortigas Center hotels relatively has lower room rates compared to the ones in Makati and BGC CBDs.

The ones near the airport (Marriott, Sheraton, Hilton) and the hotels in the bay area (Conrad, Hyatt Regency, Sofitel) also has CBD-level room rates.

​​​​​​So yes, the rates you saw are just normal here in Manila.

Good info. Thank you. Interesting they're so out of whack with the general cost of living/eating out/booze. I've stayed twice in Manila but a few years ago. Once at the Pan Pacific. I don't remember being surprised by the rate but cannot remember what it was. I'll probably try one of these two hotels next time just because of the nights but it better be an *excellent* experience for that :-).

You should try visiting the Congo :) Hotel rates bear no relation to the local cost of living when locals don't use the hotels.

Hotels in Manila are pretty pricey for what you get. Unlike Bangkok, there really aren't any good local ones to choose from. Sometimes the Hilton and Conrad have base rates at around 6,000 PHP which I would consider a good deal. And then there are the other times where the Marriott or Conrad cost as much or more than Raffles or the Shangri-La despite being in worse locations...

I'll put it on the list.

I was also shocked at the rates for a city which I would not have imaged to be so expensive. It did seem to be expensive across the board though, with every hotel being $100-200. I ended up picking the Grand Hyatt this time around because it's closer to a friend I'm visiting and about $50 cheaper. It also seems brand new. The Sheraton looked quite good and would've been my second choice, and depending on what time my flight out is maybe I'll stay there for my last night if I end up with an early flight.

It is extremely inconvenient, even though physical distance may not be huge. The reason of those hotels stupidly stuffed on a small piece of land is perhaps the same owner of the casinos there.

But then, convenience of location really depends on your plans. For Intramuros area, Best Western Corona is a solid option for its money. Otherwise Ortigas is fine, with HI and CP (both dated, but still decent hotels).
The best area as such in Manila is BGC, but I guess there is nothing in terms of hotels.

I have gone now to check the hotel, since I arrived early but did not feel sleepy and had nothing to do. They are under soft opening now. No Suites are available, only standard rooms. Please beware, no Suite upgrades are possible at the moment.
They do have Club lounge, gym and a pool, shared with Hilton.
Rooms look nice, though I liked Marriott room design a bit more. Location is less convenient than of Marriott.
I would not stay there for 35k absolutely.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...32fe6cddad.jpg

Temporary Club Lounge
 

According to my insider source, Sheraton Manila has set up a temporary Club Lounge to accommodate elite guests who have complimentary access to the lounge as part of their status benefits. To date, Club Room and Suites are not yet available. There is no specific target date as to when the actual Club Lounge will open.

/Ramil of metrostaycation

I just had a one night stay here. If arriving at T3 then it is easy to get to via the footbridge and then there are shuttles to the hotels. The hotel is still in soft opening so no suites or club level rooms. They do now have a temporary club lounge on the mezzanine level. It is basically one of their meeting rooms set up as a lounge. The range of food is OK but more limited than what is offered in the Marriott lounge. Maybe when the full lounge is open they will have more space to expand the food offerings.

The rooms are nice and had HDMI link to the TV which I like. However there was one totally unforgivable problem with the room. My room has weak and unstable wifi which at times went down to dial up speeds which basically made it unusable. Someone from the IT department came and was very helpful but there was nothing he could so as it was the poor design of the wifi infrastructure that is the problem. Maybe it is just some rooms but it is a complete deal breaker for me and I can not stay at a hotel that does not have reliable internet.

Overall I really do not see any point in this hotel right next to the Marriott and clearly aimed at the same market.

Does anybody have any recommendation about staying at the new Sheraton or the Marriott? I'm Platinum member and especially interested in good complimentary breakfast buffet benefit (preferably in main restaurant, not lounge). I'd like to try the new Shearton, but the reviews on the Marriott seem much better.

I stayed at both for one night each on my way to/from the airport about three weeks ago as a Plat. I didn't have a chance to use most of the amenities at either hotel given my short stays (including the restaurants), so disclaimer that this probably isn't a comprehensive view

For me it was kind of a toss-up on which one is better and really depends on what factors are most important. Both great options in my opinion (good service, nice buildings, attached to resort world, etc etc etc) Sheraton is still under contruction so not everything is open / permanent which is something to consider

• Upgrades - Marriott wins (booked a basic king room in both locations)
  • Marriott - At the Marriott I was upgraded to a very nice balcony room with a view of the golf course in the "west wing"
  • Sheraton - The hotel is still under construction and only has basic rooms to offer at the moment. I was upgraded to an airport runway view which was nice but nothing spectacular (apparently the hotel will be fully complete EOY 2019)
• Lounge - Marriott wins
  • Marriott - Great quality spread for breakfast + happy hour and the lounge staff were very friendly/helpful. Nice view of the golf course
  • Sheraton - Lounge is currently in a temporary location on a lower floor and just felt out-of-place (to be moved to permanent location later this year). Good variety of options, great staff, and not very busy while I was there (I was there only person there at various points). View of a busy toll booth essentially
• Service - Sheraton wins
  • Marriott - Good service all around from individuals in general (especially in the lounge) but definitely got that "larger hotel" feel where I didn't sense a personal touch much of the time. Small example: Elite canned letter in the room had another guest's name on it which isn't a huge deal (and I didn't bother to mention it while there). Not bad at all, just not to the level of the Sheraton
  • Sheraton - Excellent service from every single person I came into contact with. It felt like everyone took a lot of pride in the new hotel and really wanted you to have a great stay. Cool welcome amenity waiting in the room when I checked-in which I didn't request (fresh coconut juice, house made granola bars, and a hand written welcome note... Even had fresh ice waiting!)

Go for the Marriott you can choose between breakfast in the lounge or the main buffet. Until the Sheraton is fully open it really is not worth considering.