Executive Hotel Lounge Review: Midas Hotel Manila

Executive hotel lounges are not created equal. More often than not, the room rates tend to double or triple whenever I book or upgrade to an executive room or a suite. As with most things, I do a thorough research if the additional fee is worth it or not because trust me, some boutique accommodations have better club lounges than 5-star and international hotel chains. I have been to several executive hotel lounges in the past year and these features are what I value the most before swiping the credit card to pay for that additional fee:

Ambiance and Amenities.

The Sunset Lounge is located on the 8th floor of Midas Hotel and facing Roxas Boulevard.

With its Italian leather sofas and chairs, the lounge evokes elegance and comfort. For smoking guests, you can opt to sit by the open-air balcony with a better view of the sunset.

Variety and Abundance of Snack Choices.

Afternoon tea was a simple spread of pastries and canapes while the hors d'oeuvres had a wider and heavier selection of salad, pizza and hot meals such as lumpia, grilled liempo and adobong tahong as your mains and fresh fruits, cakes, tarts and other sweets for dessert.

I was this close to ordering rice if not for the sweet fruit skewers that's hard to resist!

CS and I were the only guests during cocktails so we had the staff's full attention during our stay. They were also quick to replenish the plates even if we're just getting a thing or two off the buffet.

Unlimited alcoholic & non-alcoholic beverages.

All drinks are complimentary - both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. But since I don't drink anything with alcohol in it, I can't say much about the cocktails and liquors that they serve except for the TWG Tea (Emperor Sencha is my favorite) that I really enjoyed, the unlimited glasses of mango shake and other fresh fruit juices and the free flowing coffee that you can order.

Operating Hours.

• Afternoon tea - 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
• Evening cocktails - 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM
• Breakfast - 6:00AM to 10:30 AM

All day snacks are also available from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM only - their cookies are to die for!

Full Breakfast Buffet.

Although the choices are less and limited to a table-long buffet only, we still chose to have our breakfast at the lounge rather than go along with the bulk of the guests at the Midas Cafe.

The selection include basic breakfast essentials such as breads, cheese, cold cuts, salad, hash brown, bacon, cereals and fruits. If not for the crispy bacon and hash browns, I would have tagged this as the lamest buffet in any hotel that I've been to (and this is an executive lounge mind you).

Other Perks & Services Offered.

• Personalized check-in and check-out at the Sunset Lounge
• Complimentary in-room local calls
• Complimentary one (1) set per day of clothes for washing and pressing
• Complimentary one-hour use of a meeting room per stay

Overall Service.

Staycations have been our favorite activity in between trips and after staying in several hotels around Metro Manila in the past years, I've came to an honest and upsetting conclusion that service really differs depending on your booked room and sometimes, your looks. Oftentimes, the employees' approach toward the guests suddenly become friendlier, more accommodating and indulgent to requests when they realize that you booked a club room or a suite.

Our experiences made me wish that I am paying more for the upgraded amenities and not in the shift in treatment because all guests should be treated fair and square. My initial contact with a Midas Hotel staff was disappointing but changed drastically the moment we stepped foot at the Sunset Lounge where all the employees were genuinely happy to see and serve its guests. A smile and a simple hello goes a long way and it definitely changed my first impression of Midas Hotel.

~o~o~o~

Midas Hotel and Casino

2702 Roxas Boulevard

Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines

Tel.: (632) 902-0100

Website: www.midashotelandcasino.com