Executive Hotel Lounge Review: Hilton Manila

Being alive is enough reason to celebrate nowadays. When CS agreed to bring our daughter out for the first time, I made sure that it will be a special one so I booked an executive room at Hilton Manila for the ultimate staycation experience - a decision I regretted the moment I realized that it is indeed a different time from what we were used to.

 

Ambiance and Amenities.

 

The hotel moved the executive lounge to the ground floor which was fine if service was at par to what a lounge should be - have at least a staff to man the counter! We went straight here after check-in for some light snacks but there was no one in sight. We, along with a couple other guests, helped ourselves with available drinks and cookies and we just went back to our room.

The actual hotel lounge was closed.

  

Variety and Abundance of Snack Choices.

 

Nuts and cookies were displayed at the counter but the afternoon snacks was set meal with no options - too bad for CS who refuses to eat beef lately. More burger sliders for me!

 

 

Unlimited alcoholic & non-alcoholic beverages.

Coffee, tea, and soda were available and refillable. I am assuming the same goes for the alcohol though we did not see any guest ordered a glass during our stay there.

Operating Hours.

 

• Afternoon tea - we self-served, no staff available when we went there
  
• Evening cocktails - 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
• Breakfast - served at Kusina Sea Kitchens with first & second seating to control the number of guests dining at a time
  

Full Breakfast Buffet.

 

Good selection of breakfast staples and favorites from breads, pastries, salads, egg station, charcuterie, Western and Filipino section, and with a few Chinese food as well.

 

 

It was my first buffet after 2 years and while I enjoyed the freedom of having to scoop food to my plate, it was quite alarming too see how many people have already touched the serving spoon before my turn. I'd rather dine in a fully-assisted buffet so I won't have to worry about touching anything I'm not sure if sanitized or not. Really worrying to say the least.

Other Perks & Services Offered.

 

None - we had to queue for more than 30 minutes for check-in. Check-out was done over the phone and I just dropped off the keycards on our way out.

Overall Service.

 

Skip the executive rooms. A 2-night stay at a deluxe room would be a more practical and enjoyable option for the same price that we paid for.

 

~o~o~o~

Hilton Manila
1 Newport Blvd., Newport City
Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines
Tel.: (632) 7239-7788