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

The Chic Midas Hotel Executive Room

I am generally a very patient person. But when your response is a hard NO without double checking my concern, then we have a problem. CS and I were on our way to Midas Hotel's executive lounge when we were approached by one of the staff who obviously have no idea when I told him that I booked an executive room and would like to check-in at the lounge upon seeing the long line at the lobby. The male staff at the check-in counter, upon hearing my concern, immediately said that we are not allowed to go to the executive lounge even if I showed him the perks of the room I booked through Agoda. Good thing CS kept his cool and asked to talked to the manager on duty. 

The manager ushered us to a table and checked on our booking. She even offered us drinks while she called up Agoda to check why the room that we booked have lounge benefits. It took long before they realized that Agoda's mobile app, where I booked our accommodation, have different description of the rooms as compared to its website. Upon realizing that my claim was legitimate, the manager then apologized for the inconvenience and arranged our room and lounge benefits. Now, that's great customer service anyone from the hospitality industry should learn from! 

My bitter mood turned sweet again when I finally entered our room that I booked at Php6288nett.

Midas Hotel and Casino is probably the most sulit and chicest boutique hotel in the entire Metro Manila. I've been to this hotel on several occasions but this was the first time I am actually checked-in and staying a night. Located along Roxas Blvd. and just beside the Japanese Embassy, most rooms with balcony offer a partial view of the famed Manila Bay sunset.

Choose from any of the 255 well-appointed rooms and be prepared to be touched by Midas' signature elegant yet homey and chichi yet functional accommodation guaranteed to sway you to a relaxing stay -- whether it be a staycation or a business trip, in the hustle and bustle of city life.

The 36sqm air-conditioned Executive Room has amenities that include:

• A private balcony with a view of Roxas Blvd.
• King-sized bed with fluffy and fresh pillows
• Fully-stocked mini bar with complimentary bottled water
• Writing desk with an XO Mi Ming Chair by Philippe Starck
• An LCD television with cable programs
• Complimentary high-speed wireless and LAN internet
• An in-room safe and cotton robes
• 3-way combination shower head and bath tub

Pros: Cheapest executive room with lounge benefits in Manila, complimentary parking, free shuttle to/from the Mall of Asia and spacious room with a huge and comfortable bed

Cons: Poor customer service with clueless and inflexible front desk staff, no swimming pool, strong cigarette smell in the common areas, needs better soundproofing in the rooms - noise from opening and closing of the room across ours kept waking me up, housekeeping took forever to deliver our additional requests and cheap toiletries not worthy of a 4-star rating

~o~o~o~

Midas Hotel and Casino

2702 Roxas Boulevard

Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines

Tel.: (632) 902-0100

Website: www.midashotelandcasino.com 

Breakfast Buffet at Midas Hotel

My friends stayed at Midas Hotel for a night and asked me to meet them the morning after for breakfast. It was a Wednesday (Baclaran Church Day), the most traffic day in that Parañaque area so I arrived a little past 9am which gave me insufficient time for a buffet overload. I just checked out the tables, tried to snap some photos then took a plate after the other before the breakfast buffet was closed.

Pastries

Bread

Arroz Caldo

Salad

Waffles and Pancakes

Fruit Juices

Noodle Station

Fresh Fruits

On my side of the table

Muesli

The freshly baked Cheese Bread was really good while the Muesli and Brownie was too sweet even for someone who loves anything sugary like me. I had the mistake of eating the Brownie first right before my plate of Papaya which made the latter rather tasteless.

Cheese Bread and Brownie

My breakfast plate

Thai Beef Salad

We liked the mildly spicy Tausi Spareribs and Fried Mantao a lot! The Thai Beef Salad was delicious and was a great appetizer as well.

Tausi Spareribs, Danggit and Fried Mantao

Beef Noodles

At the Noodle Station, the chef will hand you a bowl of noodles where you will put in the toppings that you like. There's pechay, fish ball, lobster ball, shrimp ball and other kinds of balls that you can choose from. For the soup base, you can either have Chicken or Beef Soup. It seems like a great breakfast meal if only the soup was still hot when served.

Papaya

I love Papaya! I think I got the fondness to the fruit from my late grandfather who can eat one whole Papaya in one sitting! I remember when he was still alive, he would bring some everyday and give me a few slices after every meal which I terribly miss now.

Good old days.

~o~o~o~

Midas Hotel
2702 Roxas Boulevard City

Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines

Tel.: (632) 902-0100