The Peninsula Manila

The Peninsula Manila is already an iconic hotel, but what truly sets it apart isn’t simply the beautiful surroundings, impeccable standards, or attention to detail, it’s the people. I spend a lot of time travelling and staying in hotels, and there are certain places where the service goes beyond simply being “excellent.” The Peninsula Manila is one of those places. It genuinely feels like the team notices you, remembers you, and cares about how your day is going. I particularly want to recognise Winnie, Jimmy, Don and Teresa, who are ALWAYS of highlights of my stays here. My mornings aren’t always my finest hour! There are days when I arrive absolutely exhausted, barely functioning and probably not particularly conversational. Yet somehow, Winnie, Jimmy, Don and Teresa always manage to make those mornings better. They’re always smiling, incredibly warm, attentive and genuinely accommodating. What impresses me most is that I rarely even need to ask for anything. They remember the little things, anticipate what I might need and somehow seem to know when to check in and when to simply let me wake up at my own pace. And that’s the difference between service and genuine hospitality. Nothing ever feels forced or transactional. They don’t do things because they have to, you genuinely get the impression that they want you to have a great morning and a great stay. On more than one occasion, they’ve gone out of their way to accommodate me when I hadn’t even asked them to. That level of care is incredibly rare. There are plenty of beautiful five star hotels around Manila. You can recreate luxurious rooms, grand lobbies and incredible restaurants. What you can’t easily replicate is a culture where people make guests feel genuinely welcome and remembered. That’s what Winnie, Jimmy, Don and Teresa represent. They turn mornings from simply being part of my hotel stay into something I genuinely look forward to each morning. Even when I’m exhausted, I know I’m going to walk in and be greeted by familiar smiling faces who somehow manage to make the start of the day that little bit easier. The Peninsula Manila feels less like somewhere I’m staying and more like somewhere I’m being welcomed back to. To the management of The Peninsula Manila: you have some truly exceptional people representing your hotel. Please make sure Winnie, Jimmy, Don and Teresa receive the recognition they deserve. Employees like these are the reason guests don’t just leave five star reviews, they come back. And I certainly will. If you’re considering staying in Manila and wondering whether The Peninsula is worth it, my answer is very simple, absolutely. Come for the legendary Peninsula experience, but don’t be surprised if it’s the people who become the reason you return.

This review is not about the 5-star character of the hotel but rather the back of house finance processes, in particular an error made by the Peninsula Manila in charging me a room of which charge was previously voided. It is taking 2 and a half months of empty promises for a refund--and I am still hoping to be refunded. It makes the customer feel that the Peninsula is only interested with getting the customer's money and dismissing customer's concern. The empty promises is what gets me. Beware of the charges made by the Peninsula Manila--an indication of a decaying service culture.

Rooms are noisy as the doors let a lot of sound in. You can hear hotel staff shouting into walkie talkies in the corridor at all hours, as well as other guests talking as they walk past. Breakfast buffet is average, with a lot of staff but surprisingly poor service. The front desk was incompetent. Despite giving them our flight number and a specific pick-up time 3.5 hours before departure, they arranged the car for the time our flight was actually taking off. The rooms are dated and badly need renovation, and the staff need better training. This hotel is doing a big disservice to the Peninsula brand. I’d recommend the Shangri-La across the street instead.

There’s nothing like the Manila Pen. Stunning reception area, the best breakfast in the Philippines, and extremely friendly staff. Beautiful pool area and nice gym. 5 star hotel the “old fashioned” way. We always come back to the Pen!

First Stay at The Peninsula Manila and Definitely Not Our Last We were visiting from Los Angeles and stayed for 4 nights at The Peninsula Manila in two Grand Deluxe for our family of four. This was our first stay at The Peninsula Manila, and we were very impressed with the entire experience. Upon arriving, the service stood out. A huge shoutout to Kody at the Front Desk, who checked us in, answered all of our questions and personally escorted us to our rooms. We stay at many hotels, and I honestly cannot remember the last time front desk team member answered all our questions and escorted us to our room. It was a special touch that made us feel like VIPs. Duty Manager Marian Sanchez also personally introduced herself and gave us her direct email in case we needed anything during our stay. We really appreciated that level of personal attention. Thank you as well to Billy, Front Desk Supervisor, and Jeam at the front desk for taking care of us. One of the highlights of our stay was The Gallery Club Lounge. We loved the ambiance, music, food and drinks, and especially the level of attention and detail from the staff. They even remembered our names and greeted us whenever we came in, which made the experience feel very personal. A special thank you to Andrea, Arianne, Chef Peng, June, and Rommel for always welcoming us and taking such good care of us. I would also like to recognize Maria, The Gallery Club Manager, along with Gezel and Koko. Whenever I had a question or needed assistance, they were always there and happy to help. We also really enjoyed the breakfast buffet at Escolta. There was a great spread with a wide variety of breakfast options each morning. Special recognition to Vicent, an intern at the Taho station personally assisted me with making Taho, as well as Mar, Supervisor, and Dennis Vince Cruz, Assistant Manager, for their wonderful and friendly service. Our rooms were spotless, clean, comfortable, and quiet. Housekeeping did an amazing job servicing our rooms throughout the stay, and the turndown service each evening was a nice bonus. We really cannot say anything negative about our experience. The only negative was that our 4-night stay went by too quickly! The property is beautiful, but it was the warm Filipino hospitality, attention to detail, and genuinely friendly staff that made our first stay at The Peninsula Manila so memorable. 5 out of 5 stars from us. We will definitely be coming back again. Thank you to the entire Peninsula Manila team for such a memorable experience!