My mom and I love hotel staycation. When I travel, I stay in budget accommodations but if I am with the person who is the reason why I exist today, I make sure it should be a bit extravagant and with a dash of luxury. I just came from my Boracay and Palawan trip so my pocket isn't full enough to treat her lavishly. We previously stayed at a suite room of EDSA Shangri - la hotel plus had a very soothing pampering package at Chi the Spa. I wanted us to experience everything exactly like that but I don't think I can for now. I knew Shangri - la may not be the perfect fit for what we want so I chose to stay at their sister hotel called Hotel Jen Manila. It is formerly called Traders Hotel and just underwent rebranding. Unlike its 5 - star sister hotel Shangri - la, Hotel Jen bears only 4 - star mark but still gives their guests a bit of extravagance and comfort.
I initially booked for Deluxe room. It is the cheapest that they have without breakfast. I figured out since we aren't foodies, paying more for buffet is a defeat for us. I mean we literally don't eat a lot, promise. We booked a month in advance so I paid Php 3600 for the room plus other fees totalling to Php 4600. Two days before our staycation, I started reading blog reviews of Hotel Jen Manila staycation so that I would have idea what to expect and what not. To my surprise, I did not found any blog about how it's like staying in a Deluxe room of Hotel Jen Manila! All reviews that I saw online are about the Club Lounge instead. I don't want to dissapoint my mom who travelled for 12 - hour bus ride to join me so the day we checked in, I requested to be upgraded from Deluxe to Club Room just by adding Php 1, 500.
Checking in
It was a breeze upgrading their room. The guy from reception did it in a matter of a few minutes. I had requested for a 2 - hour early check in (only if it is OK and it is free). I read somewhere they do agree during off season and especially if the guest is a member of Golden Circle, the loyalty program of Shangri-la hotels including Hotel Jens around the world.
The Club Room of Hotel Jen Manila
The room is very spacious - 36 per square meter. It is half the size of the Executive Suite but not bad at all. From our window,we had a nice view of Star City's big Ferris Wheel, the nearby road and a very old historic structure which I don't know the name.
It really pays to read previous blog reviews of Hotel Jen Manila. I learned they have some nice freebies waiting inside the room. When it's our turn, there were no chunks or a tray of fresh mixed fruits nor a bottle of wine. Or maybe because we upgraded our room right at the moment we checked in so they were not able to prepare that much. How did I knew this? Well, a blogger friend just stayed a night ago so I checked photos he posted on Facebook and Instagram.
I had to call the reception via the Intercon to ask for the chopped fruits. Guess what, a girl came knocking with one plastic cup of mixed sliced fruits. I told her, we booked and paid for two in this room therefore it is just right to get one each so she got one more. More free stuff in our room: sachets of coffee, creamer, tea bags, sugar, flashlight, bible, alarm clock, Intercon, a thin pad of paper, an IPOD dock and an Internet port.
The beds are so soft with a very crisp duvet. It is raining a lot so the weather is cold, we didn't bother to open the aircon. A flat - screen TV is never a necessity to me when I am staying at a hotel but happy to have it in our room for my mom. The comfort room has a bath tub, weight measurer and another Intercon. More free stuff in the bathroom: rolls of tissue paper, towels, bath robes, complimentary set of liquid soap, skin moisturizer, shampoo and hair conditioner. The huge cabinet has metal hangers, a flat iron and a horse scaffold. We have 1 small round table in between 2 couch chairs, 1 executive long table paired with 1 office chair, 2 lampshades and a locally made furniture that looks like more of a decoration to me. It is a piece of art but until now I don't know what is it for.
Afternoon Tea
We rested for an hour and went to 19th floor at the Windows by the Bay for our Afternoon Tea. I was super amazed at the nice views of the nearby sea. We saw these small white ships and ferries docked wonderfully. From a further distance, we saw boats with white vintas sailing. They look so good that we almost wanted to go to the shore to find them. Hotel Jen Manila really knows what a good ocean view needs, there were binoculars or telescopes that are free to use. More free stuff: newspapers, magazines, a very large flat TV screen, lots of tables and chairs. Who couldnt resist staying here with this view including the iconic CCP (Cultural Center of the Philippines)?
Afternoon Tea is all about eating light snack unlimited. As long as there's something left, you can eat it. We love the different pieces of cakes, varieties of sandwiches, chunks of fruits, endless refills of tea and coffee. We initially wanted to spend an hour there but who would want to leave if you got free stuff to eat? As a result, we stayed until 4pm and savored every moment. Before I left, I spoke with Erika, the staff manning the reception requesting that the Wifi signal be fixed since it is slow and showing 2 bars only. I told here I work at home so I need to catch up some tasks.
More free facilities in Hotel Jen Manila: swimming pool, gym and two stations of desktop computer.
Sunset Cocktails
It is already 6pm, we are still full but the Sunset Cocktails sound so awesome. Too bad the weather isn't great, there was no sunset but the music and the vibe of early night chill out at the 19th floor is sinking in slowly to me. This is the best time to start swiping on Tinder as well and see if there's a match from fellow guests of Hotel Jen Manila. I was only thinking literally of unlimited alcohol and wine but I got blown away. The array of food is full that it is as good as dinner already. Sounds like we saved one meal eh? I mean we don't eat a lot. How can we not say it is perfect? Aside from assorted breads and chopped fruits there were light meals included. We had a few bites of Indonesia chicken with peanut sauce, Thailand baked fish with curry sauce, sauteed carrotts and assorted sushi salad and dressing. What I liked so much in the Windows by the bay aside from food and view is that it has small compartments with a lock where you can charge your gadgets securely while you eat.
The Hotel Jen feeling
We wish to stay longer but we can't wait to lie down and sleep in our super soft beds so we went back to our room. A few minutes after arriving, the Intercon rang. A woman named Judy who introduced herself as manager I believe, would like to apologize for the slow WiFi I have complained to Erika. She said the IT person has gone home since it is night already. Tomorrow first thing she said it will be fixed. To my surprise, at around 10am, after we had a hearty buffet breakfast at Latitude, a router has been left in our room all mine to use. The Wifi was as fast as a lightning! An hour or so, Judy called to follow up. I thanked her for being hands on to a guest's concern. More so, I would like to thank Erika. If she didn't told her manager about my WiFi concern, this wouldn't be solved. I was really thinking I may have not shared to her the urgency of getting a decent Internet connection since I was in a hurry to leave but she remembered me. Judy also offered a 3 - hour late check out aside from the 2 hour I have initially asked (only if is fine) as a Golden Circle member. Including the 2 - hour early check in, we got a total of 7 hours of complimentary stay. I think this is possible during off season and by request only but yes this made our staycation way awesome. This I think is that Hotel Jen feeling they call. I just felt it and this is enough reason to come back in Hotel Jen Manila soon.
More details about staying at Hotel Jen Manila's Club Lounge
Afternoon tea from 2pm - 4pm
Daily buffet breakfast from 6am - 1030am at the Club Lounge or Latitude
Sunset cocktails from 5pm - 7pm
Exclusive check - in and check - out
Free 2 - hour use of private meeting room
Free one time laser printing of 5 pages (black and white)hPress Reader access of over 2, 500 newspapers and magazines
Free pickup and drop off at designated places in SM MOA
Hotel Jen Manila is located in 3001 Roxas Blvd, Pasay City, Manila, Metro Manila
It really pays to read previous blog reviews of Hotel Jen Manila. I learned they have some nice freebies waiting inside the room. When it's our turn, there were no chunks or a tray of fresh mixed fruits nor a bottle of wine. Or maybe because we upgraded our room right at the moment we checked in so they were not able to prepare that much. How did I knew this? Well, a blogger friend just stayed a night ago so I checked photos he posted on Facebook and Instagram.
I had to call the reception via the Intercon to ask for the chopped fruits. Guess what, a girl came knocking with one plastic cup of mixed sliced fruits. I told her, we booked and paid for two in this room therefore it is just right to get one each so she got one more. More free stuff in our room: sachets of coffee, creamer, tea bags, sugar, flashlight, bible, alarm clock, Intercon, a thin pad of paper, an IPOD dock and an Internet port.
The beds are so soft with a very crisp duvet. It is raining a lot so the weather is cold, we didn't bother to open the aircon. A flat - screen TV is never a necessity to me when I am staying at a hotel but happy to have it in our room for my mom. The comfort room has a bath tub, weight measurer and another Intercon. More free stuff in the bathroom: rolls of tissue paper, towels, bath robes, complimentary set of liquid soap, skin moisturizer, shampoo and hair conditioner. The huge cabinet has metal hangers, a flat iron and a horse scaffold. We have 1 small round table in between 2 couch chairs, 1 executive long table paired with 1 office chair, 2 lampshades and a locally made furniture that looks like more of a decoration to me. It is a piece of art but until now I don't know what is it for.
Afternoon Tea
We rested for an hour and went to 19th floor at the Windows by the Bay for our Afternoon Tea. I was super amazed at the nice views of the nearby sea. We saw these small white ships and ferries docked wonderfully. From a further distance, we saw boats with white vintas sailing. They look so good that we almost wanted to go to the shore to find them. Hotel Jen Manila really knows what a good ocean view needs, there were binoculars or telescopes that are free to use. More free stuff: newspapers, magazines, a very large flat TV screen, lots of tables and chairs. Who couldnt resist staying here with this view including the iconic CCP (Cultural Center of the Philippines)?
Afternoon Tea is all about eating light snack unlimited. As long as there's something left, you can eat it. We love the different pieces of cakes, varieties of sandwiches, chunks of fruits, endless refills of tea and coffee. We initially wanted to spend an hour there but who would want to leave if you got free stuff to eat? As a result, we stayed until 4pm and savored every moment. Before I left, I spoke with Erika, the staff manning the reception requesting that the Wifi signal be fixed since it is slow and showing 2 bars only. I told here I work at home so I need to catch up some tasks.
More free facilities in Hotel Jen Manila: swimming pool, gym and two stations of desktop computer.
Sunset Cocktails
It is already 6pm, we are still full but the Sunset Cocktails sound so awesome. Too bad the weather isn't great, there was no sunset but the music and the vibe of early night chill out at the 19th floor is sinking in slowly to me. This is the best time to start swiping on Tinder as well and see if there's a match from fellow guests of Hotel Jen Manila. I was only thinking literally of unlimited alcohol and wine but I got blown away. The array of food is full that it is as good as dinner already. Sounds like we saved one meal eh? I mean we don't eat a lot. How can we not say it is perfect? Aside from assorted breads and chopped fruits there were light meals included. We had a few bites of Indonesia chicken with peanut sauce, Thailand baked fish with curry sauce, sauteed carrotts and assorted sushi salad and dressing. What I liked so much in the Windows by the bay aside from food and view is that it has small compartments with a lock where you can charge your gadgets securely while you eat.
The Hotel Jen feeling
We wish to stay longer but we can't wait to lie down and sleep in our super soft beds so we went back to our room. A few minutes after arriving, the Intercon rang. A woman named Judy who introduced herself as manager I believe, would like to apologize for the slow WiFi I have complained to Erika. She said the IT person has gone home since it is night already. Tomorrow first thing she said it will be fixed. To my surprise, at around 10am, after we had a hearty buffet breakfast at Latitude, a router has been left in our room all mine to use. The Wifi was as fast as a lightning! An hour or so, Judy called to follow up. I thanked her for being hands on to a guest's concern. More so, I would like to thank Erika. If she didn't told her manager about my WiFi concern, this wouldn't be solved. I was really thinking I may have not shared to her the urgency of getting a decent Internet connection since I was in a hurry to leave but she remembered me. Judy also offered a 3 - hour late check out aside from the 2 hour I have initially asked (only if is fine) as a Golden Circle member. Including the 2 - hour early check in, we got a total of 7 hours of complimentary stay. I think this is possible during off season and by request only but yes this made our staycation way awesome. This I think is that Hotel Jen feeling they call. I just felt it and this is enough reason to come back in Hotel Jen Manila soon.
More details about staying at Hotel Jen Manila's Club Lounge
Afternoon tea from 2pm - 4pm
Daily buffet breakfast from 6am - 1030am at the Club Lounge or Latitude
Sunset cocktails from 5pm - 7pm
Exclusive check - in and check - out
Free 2 - hour use of private meeting room
Free one time laser printing of 5 pages (black and white)hPress Reader access of over 2, 500 newspapers and magazines
Free pickup and drop off at designated places in SM MOA
Hotel Jen Manila is located in 3001 Roxas Blvd, Pasay City, Manila, Metro Manila
I love staying there in Hotel Jen or Trader's hotel. The hospitality is same regardless of what country you are in. May it be HK or SG - they really know hot to take care of their guests.
ReplyDeleteAgree :) hope to spend another night there soon
ReplyDeleteHow to be a member ba?
ReplyDeleteGolden Circle, same loyalty points program for Shangrila hotels. you get automatic 500 points or equivalent to $500 at your first stay :)
ReplyDeletewas the afternoon tea and sunset cocktail free???
ReplyDeleteyes free with the package :)
Delete