In many occasions, if a tourist (local and foreign) arrived in Manila and asked a local cab driver to take him to Manila Pavilion Hotel, chances are the cab driver will take a moment to think where it is. For one reason that the historical Manila Pavilion Hotel underwent numerous make-over in the past years not just in looks and structure but also by name.
Established in 1968, the hotel holds a title as one of the pioneering hotels in Ermita, Manila, bearing the name Manila Hilton. Previously owned by the Hilton International, the hotel started out as the prime hotel of its time, catering to well known international celebrities and political figures. This was the time where the reign of the Marcoses and its cohorts flourished and it features historical events both publicized and unpublicized, where the walls of the suite rooms were the only witnesses to its accounts.
After two decades later, the iconic name Manila Hilton was changed to Manila Pavilion Hotel by its new owner, Sino-I Technologies Limited who acquired the Majority control of Acesite. With a new name, it continued to be the jewel of Manila, maintaining its superior Filipino hospitality culture and exceeding customer satisfaction.
In less than ten years, a changed in management renamed the hotel to Holliday Inn Manila. Having an international name on its side boosted its market in attracting more international clientele. However, the change also made some local cab drivers a bit confused, being accustomed to its old name.
But even then, with it all the changes in ownership and management over the years, one characteristic remained the same and that is the Filipino culture and hospitality made the hotel known for. And such quality has made Manila Pavilion quite famous and made very attractive to many repeat guests.
And finally, this March 2013, Waterfront Philippines Inc., The country’s largest chain of hotels acquired and established its ownership and majority control renamed the hotel as Waterfront Manila Pavilion and Casino.
Last month, I was so fortunate to be invited to re-visit this historical hotel together with my wife and three other travel bloggers to try-out and experience the suites and delicacies that made the hotel quite famous for. The deluxe room where we stayed had a very nice view over Rizal Park and Manila Bay.
The management graciously served us a very scrumptious dinner-buffet that offers the widest array of delicacies from different parts of Asia. I took advantage of it, because the next day I had a scheduled run at adidas KOTR at BGC.
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