The Pen: Makati’s only essential business worker’s hotel

THE GLAMOROUS Peninsula Manila is now billing itself as Makati’s only Essential Business Worker’s Hotel. It provides amenities for first responders, workers in the pharmaceuticals and BPO industries, and medical workers.

The Peninsula is accredited by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) and the Department of Tourism to serve as a staycation hotel, and is currently the only accredited staycation hotel in the Makati Central Business District. “Only staycation hotels are allowed to take in essential business workers while the rest are quarantine hotels,” said a statement from the hotel.

The hotel considers anyone on the IATF’s list of Authorized Persons Outside Residence as essential workers that can stay in the hotel. These include, among others, people involved in logistics service providers, priority construction projects, food and essential goods manufacturing, essential retail trade/service establishments, food preparation establishments, telecommunications, internet service, cable TV providers, airline/ aircraft maintenance, pilots and crew as well as ships’ captains and crew security personnel, teachers and professors, and lawyers.

To ensure the safety and security of the hotel during these times, the hotel is strictly “adhering to the advice of government authorities, following stringent health and safety guidelines.”

“Our guests know that when they come to The Peninsula Manila, they can feel confident the moment they step through our doors that, in addition to the exceptional service they will experience, that the environment is kept to the exacting standards for which we are known for, including the areas of health and hygiene,” said Grace Lim, the hotel’s Public Relation’s Officer, in an e-mail to BusinessWorld.

“We have also instituted the position of a dedicated Director of Safety. This position, reporting directly to the Hotel Manager and through training, inspection and laboratory testing, is responsible for ensuring the hotel’s high hygiene standards are met, not only in our guest rooms, public spaces, restaurants and bars, spas and gyms, but also in our back-ofhouse areas, our fleets and any space where our guests and employees are present.”

The amenities available to guests at present include complimentary mandatory on-site Rapid Antigen testing for one, a flexible 24-hour stay, daily in-room breakfast for two, complimentary internet service, and complimentary local landline calls.

“We take pride in offering more than just bedrooms by also providing maximum comfort and all the necessities to make guests feel at home, particularly when it comes to food,” said Ms. Lim. “For now, breakfast (and all other meals) can be enjoyed only through in-room dining or room service, but our menus feature everything — international, continental, and Filipino favorites to signature dishes from our restaurants.” The hotel can handle guest requests through Pen Chat, “a bespoke, 24-hour private messaging service specially designed to deliver smarter, faster, and more intuitive and personalized responses to our guest requests in a contactless manner.” This includes ordering from room service, as well as to check-in or check out.

The Peninsula Manila didn’t have to go through all the bells and whistles — a bed is enough, but as they had always done, they took it a step further.

“Throughout the 45-year history of The Peninsula Manila, we have weathered many highs and lows. We believe it is our strong legacy, resilience, and exceptional heritage which has and will enable us to overcome adversity and emerge stronger,” the hotel statement said. “It is this same drive for excellence and quality that drives us to deliver the full Peninsula experience, whether for essential business workers for now or staycationers when the time comes.”

On a lighter note, they also expressed how it felt to operate again, albeit on a smaller scale. “To be able to operate and be of service to the community at a time like this is humbling and feels us with gratitude,” said Ms. Lim. “It feels very good. We are providing a service to the community while keeping our guests and staff safe. It is also gratifying that we get to take care of our staff and their families. The foundation of our hotel are our employees who tirelessly deliver The Peninsula experience to our guests each and every day. From the beginning of this pandemic, ensuring the safety, security, and livelihood of our employees has remained paramount.”

The Get Back to Business room package starts at P6,300 (inclusive of taxes) and comes with one complimentary mandatory on-site antigen test for one. —