The Peninsula Manila

This review is not about the 5-star character of the hotel but rather the back of house finance processes, in particular an error made by the Peninsula Manila in charging me a room of which charge was previously voided. It is taking 2 and a half months of empty promises for a refund--and I am still hoping to be refunded. It makes the customer feel that the Peninsula is only interested with getting the customer's money and dismissing customer's concern. The empty promises is what gets me. Beware of the charges made by the Peninsula Manila--an indication of a decaying service culture.

Rooms are noisy as the doors let a lot of sound in. You can hear hotel staff shouting into walkie talkies in the corridor at all hours, as well as other guests talking as they walk past. Breakfast buffet is average, with a lot of staff but surprisingly poor service. The front desk was incompetent. Despite giving them our flight number and a specific pick-up time 3.5 hours before departure, they arranged the car for the time our flight was actually taking off. The rooms are dated and badly need renovation, and the staff need better training. This hotel is doing a big disservice to the Peninsula brand. I’d recommend the Shangri-La across the street instead.

There’s nothing like the Manila Pen. Stunning reception area, the best breakfast in the Philippines, and extremely friendly staff. Beautiful pool area and nice gym. 5 star hotel the “old fashioned” way. We always come back to the Pen!