The Philippines’ premier financial precinct of Makati ends a 20-year drought in high-end hotel openings with the debut of Fairmont and Raffles Hotels by year-end.
According to veteran hotelier and the complex’s director of sales and marketing, Eugene Tamesis, the occasion also marks a variety of firsts:
• The arrival of Fairmont and Raffles brands – whose image is associated with intimate luxury – in the Philippines.
• A uniquely designed building combining two hotels.
• The first Long Bar outside of Singapore’s legendary Raffles Hotel in the Raffles Makati.
• The first Willow Stream Spa – a Fairmont hallmark – in the Philippines.
• Floor-to-ceiling windows in the guestrooms, a feature not yet seen in the competition.
So as not to dilute the experience offered by each brand, there will be separate driveways, Tamesis revealed, as well as distinct welcome rituals.
Fairmont President Club members will be escorted directly to the Gold floor where they enjoy private check-in. Raffles guests will be met by butlers who will whisk them away to their suites.
These new players, located in the heart of Ayala Commercial Center – prime real estate with a mix of swanky malls and dining options – lead a new wave of hotel development expected to boost Metro Manila's tourism profile.
Following them will be the nearby Holiday Inn Makati and, in the emerging business district of Taguig City known as "The Fort", Grand Hyatt and Shangri-La. Ayala Land, the country's leading landlord (InterContinental, Shangri-La and Marriott Cebu, among others) is starting construction on its own line of business hotels, including one at The Fort.
Best Western and Tune Hotels are increasing their presence, not only in Metro Manila but in other growing business districts including Pampanga, where low-cost carrier hub Clark International Airport is located. Novotel, on the other hand, is opening in the once mainly residential Quezon City.
Fairmont Makati will consist of 280 guestrooms, including eight corner suites and one presidential suite. Raffles Makati will be an all-suite product, with 32 units and 80 one-, two- and three-bedroom residences with kitchen and laundry facilities for extended stays.
The last deluxe hotel opening in Makati was the New World Hotel in 1992.
For more details, visit www.fairmont.com or www.raffles.com
Margie T Logarta
