Manila Prince Hotel: Affordable Luxury at Its Finest
Manila Prince Hotel provides an unparalleled attention to detail, which ensures that its guests feel happy.
Manila Prince Hotel provides an unparalleled attention to detail, which ensures that its guests feel happy.
As soon as I stepped into the lobby of the Manila Prince Hotel, I was immediately struck by the vivid orange, yellow, and white squares and rectangles on an accent wall to my left. It’s a bold move for a hotel, but one that fits perfectly with the ’70s-inspired design theme conceptualized by noted floral architect Rachy Cuna. Cuna is also the creative designer of the storied Manila Hotel, a sister property.
Manila Prince Hotel can be found in the heart of Ermita, Manila, a stone’s throw away from Rizal Park, the National Museum, and government offices like the Department of Justice and the National Bureau of Immigration. This makes the hotel a great base for sightseeing in Manila, or a welcome haven if you are from out of town and have government transactions that will take multiple days to complete.
Manila Prince Hotel was formerly Hotel Mirador, which was acquired by Don Emilio Yap in the ’90s. After an extensive renovation, it reopened as the Manila Prince Hotel in 2018.
Its attention to detail is stellar: the front desk staff, clad in yellow-green waistcoats and blouses with puffed sleeves, were very attentive as they checked me in. Whenever I passed a member of the hotel staff, they greeted me “Good morning!” or “Good afternoon!”, depending on what time of day it was. And as soon as I entered my room and saw a venerable red cushioned chair angled towards me in welcome, I knew I was in for a good stay
• The Manila Prince Hotel’s interiors are vivid and opulent.
The hotel contains 300 rooms that span nine floors, with the tenth floor reserved for the Grand Ballroom. In the Deluxe Room, the desk was made from a single slab of solid wood, as were the closet doors. The bed’s white blankets, sheets, and pillows were pristine. The cable channel list, notepad, and sustainability reminders were laid down precisely, their corners forming crisp right angles. Despite the presence of a 60-inch Hisense TV, my room still felt Old World and genteel without being stuffy, the definition of understated opulence.
For those ready for an upgrade, the Executive Suite has its own receiving area and jacuzzi, perfect for nights when you want to sit back and relax. Some Executive Suites have connecting doors to Deluxe Rooms, perfect for large families who are looking for the perfect venue for a staycation.
If you need an intimate venue for a high-powered meeting with close associates, book a Presidential Suite. In addition to all the Executive Suite’s amenities, these lavish rooms come with a large receiving room that includes multiple seating areas, one of which features a large round table that seats six. Each suite also has powder nook featuring a walk-in closet and its very own kitchen. The spacious bathroom contains Asprey toiletries.
There are five themed suites to choose from: Filipino, European, Chinese, Japanese, and American. The European Executive Suite has rose wallpaper on a light gold background and a sage carpet. Meanwhile, the American Executive Suite has speckled gold wallpaper and a dark blue carpet. Of the three Executive Suites that I saw, my favorite was the Japanese Executive Suite, with a crane-themed motif emphasized in the wallpaper, bed, side tables, and chairs.
All too soon, it was time for lunch, so I sampled the sumptuous buffet at Marcelino Café, the hotel’s main restaurant. It features Japanese, Korean, and Italian stations and a carvery, along with a bevy of Filipino favorites. The chefs recommended the roast beef, the crazy maki, which cleverly transforms the taste of takoyaki into a piece of sushi, and the Marcelino Café Special Oizza, a delicious Pinoy-style pizza. There are also unique dishes at the Marcelino Café that I have yet to see at other hotel buffets, such as lapu-lapu (grouper) sashimi and vegetarian maki. I capped off my meal with another singular dessert, strawberry with nata de coco (coconut gel). It was smooth and refreshing and had just the right amount of sweetness. The gentle cascade of water down Marcelino Café’s walls reduced the passing trucks and cars outside to a gentle shimmer. Ermita is busy and often chaotic, but inside the hotel, it was a serene oasis.
After a refreshing night’s sleep, I sampled the breakfast buffet, which focuses on Pinoy favorites while still catering to a global clientele. I recommend the danggit and the large, sweet longganisa, along with garlic rice.
If you’re looking for Chinese cuisine, you’re in luck, because Manila Prince Hotel has an excellent Chinese restaurant called Dragon Court. For just P688, you can indulge in an all-you-can-eat dimsum special that includes shrimp hakaw, which is tender and fresh, and steamed chicken feet, which has just the right amount of spice. Unique a la carte orders include the fried fish roll with salad sauce, pan-fried beef in honey pepper sauce, and Dragon Court rice served in a lotus leaf. Dragon Court’s interior is an unabashed deep red, with a dragon (of course) and a peacock carved into the ceiling at periodic intervals.
Manila Prince Hotel’s excellent location makes it a popular spot for business events. The Lower Lobby Ballroom has a combined capacity of 200, but it can be partitioned into smaller rooms, perfect for inductions of socio-civic organizations or milestone birthdays. Seniors especially love to celebrate intimate birthdays at the Lower Lobby Ballroom because it’s very accessible, only a brief elevator ride from the lobby. In December, the Lower Lobby Ballroom is a much sought-after venue for Christmas parties.
The hotel has the perfect venue for unforgettable events: the Grand Ballroom, which has a capacity of 500. At night, the ballroom’s ten Murano glass chandeliers glitter and sparkle, lending a polished sheen to an elegant setting. This is the venue for wedding, debuts, and other events that you will cherish for the rest of your life.
Manila Prince Hotel is led by Atty. Joey Lina, who is also the president of the venerable Manila Hotel.
These days, it isn’t enough to provide excellent rooms and serve great food. Hotels also need to be conscious of their sustainability. Atty. Lina says that the Manila Prince Hotel is looking for ways to transform their old linen into steward’s uniforms. They are also planning to improve their sewerage system to treat the wastewater and use it for watering plants and cleaning the hotel.
Regular guests like Boris and his human Richie Lo love the Manila Prince Hotel’s pristine rooms
After repeated request from their regular guests, the Manila Prince Hotel began to welcome pets last year. They allow vaccinated dogs and cats under two feet to stay at the hotel, with a policy of one pet per room. Pets must also wear a diaper at all times and be kept on a leash. Once you’ve coordinated your fur baby’s ‘petcation’ with the hotel, they will provide a pet bed and towel, as well as foot and water bowls. They also ensure that the trash in the pet’s hotel room is covered, so that the pet can’t paw through it. During my stay, I met Boris, a friendly Pembroke Welsh corgi. Boris has stayed at Manila Prince Hotel four times. His owner loves the hotel staff’s attention to detail. During breakfast (in a special, pet-friendly area of Marcelino Café), staff made sure to ask whether or not Boris was allergic to MSG.
In the end, what will stay with me isn’t the comfortable room or the excellent food, but a chance encounter in the elevator on my last morning. A small boy, perhaps around six years old, entered just behind me and said, looking up at his parents, “I’m so happy today.” This is what the best hotels like Manila Prince strive for: to give you a pleasurable experience, a break from the mundaneness of your daily life so that like that small boy, you can say, “Yes, today I was happy.”
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