ATRIUMS and courtyards add a sense of home to an otherwise cold metal and glass structure.
In the middle of Savoy is a pool bar, vertical garden, a pool, and an elevated smoking lounge.
I am a fan of anything that defies the standard.
The 684-room, 12-storey Savoy Hotel Manila is the latest addition to Megaworld’s Newport City across Terminal 3 in Pasay City, and is the second hotel under their homegrown Savoy brand after Boracay Newcoast, with a third one set to open in Mactan Newtown in 2019.
It distinguishes itself from the other brands in this happening complex with clever details that caught my eye in a preview barely a week after it opened its doors to my tribe, the traveling public.
Take for example the bold move to reduce plastic use with the introduction of their gorgeous glass water bottles, which seem to add even more gravitas to the most basic of room amenities, drinking water.
The hotel also reimagines even the toiletries, which are labeled with descriptive phrases in reference to their use. Need to brush your teeth? Open the box with Up Down Left Right.
A shave in order?
The kit is inside the one called Hasta la vista, hair! And just in case your sense of humor was lost in baggage retrieval, they’ve also added in smaller script Vanity Kit underneath, for these kinds of sorry situations.
SPACE FOR MY FAVORITE THINGS. Photographed by Davao’s Ian Ray Garcia in one of Savoy Hotel Manila’s suites called The Deck. My favorite Fujifilm XT20 in the foreground, which I used to shoot the property, and in the background, the headquarters of my poison of choice!
But by far the most unique—and may I underscore, most useful—differentiating factor in Savoy Hotel Manila is the addition of Squares, a co-working space in their even-numbered floors.
“The management wanted to do something different with what would have been empty hallways,” shares Abegail Nicolas, a fellow
Cebuana and Savoy Manila’s Assistant Manager for Guest Relations, who gives me the grand tour. “Squares is our answer to the business center, but it’s now just outside your room, easily accessible.”
The completely outfitted one on the second floor, for example, has two iMac consoles, several two seater tables perfect for intimate meetings, several lounge setups for bigger gatherings, and even a long table flanked by two benches for a substantial working table.
Another bonus? You’ll never miss a flight due to traffic congestion. I simply walked to the airport across using Runway Manila, an air-conditioned, glass enclosed, walkalator-fitted bridge between Newport City and Terminal 3.
I know, I’m borderline gushing. But like my disclaimer says at the onset, I am also a fan of anything that defies standard, and more importantly,
is done right.
(Follow the hashtag #SpaceTo-Experience to see Savoy Hotel Manila, or visit www.savoyhotelmanila.com)