Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila: Something French, something Filipino, and all things bright and beautiful

Expect something charmingly French, something heartwarmingly Filipino, and all things bright and beautiful when Sofitel Philippine Plaza opens its elegant glass doors today and gives Manila a hearty taste of the world-famous Sofitel experience.

All roads may as well lead to the spanking new Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila after this prime 609-room resort-style hotel on Manila Bay went through a $10-million renovation under a new management — Accor, a European leader in travel, tourism, and corporate services with over 4,000 hotels in 92 countries — and the leadership of Sofitel Philippine Plaza general manager Bernd Schneider.

Truly proud is Sofitel to welcome Manila to its elite family that its top honchos — Michael Issenberg, managing director of Accor Asia Pacific, and Patrick Basset, vice president of operations for South and Southeast Asia — are flying in especially for the launch.

As a grand finale to a grand launch, guests will have their fill of the bubbly as they feast their eyes on the spectacular fireworks lighting the evening sky.

Fact is, down the bay’s hotel row, Sofitel Philippine Plaza is creating a lot more fireworks — from its grand lobby, where the bellhops are all smiles in their tres chic new and crisp uniforms by French designer Jean Charles de Castelbajac who also designed the new uniforms of the rest of the hotel service staff; to all the guest rooms, the two Sofitel Club floors, and the new Sofitel Club Lounge on the 10th floor; to the now even more luxurious ballroom, one of the largest in town; to the banquet rooms; to the Harbor Garden and Sunset Pavilion tents that are favorite venues for weddings; to the new tennis courts and aqua golf range, where the French game petanque will be introduced; to the more exciting pool that now has a stage in the middle so people can watch a show while dining in the pool area. Then, of course, there’s Spiral, the hotel’s $3-million state-of-the-art interactive, multi-cuisine main dining outlet whose popularity has spread by word of mouth — make that contented mouths — since it opened in March last year.

"We’ve received a tremendous amount of positive feedback on Spiral," says GM Schneider with a hint of pride. "If there’s something negative, it is that there’s not enough space to accommodate people at Spiral, which can seat 480 guests indoors and outdoors, so it will be very handy to open another outlet."

With a mind-blowing number of dishes (200 for breakfast, 300 for lunch, 400 for dinner, and 450 for Sunday brunch with free-flowing champagne and wines plus fun kiddie activities) and cuisines that include Chinese, Mediterranean, Indian, Japanese, Western, Filipino, and Korean, what’s the best way to enjoy Spiral?

"I think the designer was very right when I asked him that question and he said, ‘Anyone who dines at Spiral will have to do it about 10 times to determine his favorite cuisine in the restaurant,’" shares Rose Libongco, Sofitel Philippine Plaza sales and marketing director. "Because it’s so extensive, each section carries a different mood and ambience. As for me, I like to try one section at a time, sometimes I go Japanese; sometimes Mediterranean with salads, etc."

And don’t forget to leave room for dessert — lots of it. There’s a heavenly selection of desserts to make life on earth sweeter, including chocolate fondue fountains. There’s the ever popular halo-halo stand. There are freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, probably the best in town. And yes, there are sugar-free chocolates, too.

Simultaneous with the launch of the new hotel is the launch of Le Bar, a three-in-one dining concept (bistro, patisserie, and music lounge). Bound to be a bar topnotcher in this part of the world, Le Bar serves traditional French cuisine and innovative continental dishes.

"This is where guests can just have a light salad or a nice French meal with foie gras or a piece of steak," Schneider tickles our taste buds. "Here, they can have their afternoon merienda and cocktails. They can look out to Manila Bay and enjoy the beautiful sunset. After dinner, they can enjoy a little classical or jazz music. It is also open for early breakfast."

The patisserie, named Galette (a homophone for the Filipino word galit), will make you mad about cakes and sweets (which are treated like precious gems displayed in glass cases).

Certainly, Sofitel likes to do things in a grand way while keeping the charm of the place. "All over the world, Sofitel hotels are not standardized because they blend with the local environment, respecting the country’s culture, art, and history," stresses Schneider who first visited the Philippines 10 years ago, stayed at the Westin, and fell in love with the place.

Every Sofitel is unique. Like Manila’s Sofitel Philippine Plaza, which is — take note — the biggest Sofitel property in Asia and — take double note — the second biggest in the world, next only to Paris. Sofitel Philippine Plaza is big in more ways than one. It’s got the big advantage of location, location, location. It’s smack in the middle of the city, but its idyllic location makes it a perfect weekend (or weekday?) getaway. Guests swear there’s nothing like the view at Sofitel Philippine Plaza. And it comes free with your meal or your room.

It’s got a highly competent staff, who were taught by trainers from the Sofitel Academy in Paris. Its loyalty program, numbering over 6,000 members, is the No. 1 in Asia. "The reason is that people have taken to our food and beverage offerings, particularly Spiral, which have pushed the Advantage Plus membership, which is also helping us generate record revenues at Spiral," notes Libongco. "We like to keep it as truly value for money — the abundance of the spread, the attention to quality, the consistency are very important for us. And that’s also the reason why the local market has taken such a liking to it. We have very high repeat guests."

A lot of things are happening — and will be happening — at Sofitel Philippine Plaza. It will be the venue of the French Spring fashion show in April and the Jazz Festival in June.

Says Schneider, "Sofitel will the preferred choice for anyone who would like to choose a place whether for dining, leisure, or a weekend stay."

The renovated rooms, that blend French flair with native touches of capiz and coconut inlays, have been enjoying a high occupancy.

And all over, there are the unmistakable Sofitel hallmarks. Libongco enumerates some: "A key Sofitel element is its emphasis on art — and not just paintings but living art, dance, and music. Fresh flowers, fresh greens, fresh ornaments are another Sofitel trademark. Sofitel hotels boast a library of contemporary books, periodicals and a good selection of books for easy reading like cuisine, sports, and hobbies. There are boardrooms for the convenience of business guests. Breakfast is also very important to the French. You sit down, enjoy your breakfast so you have sustenance to keep you going for the day. We provide a selection of breakfasts at Spiral, where there are a lot of healthy items on the buffet. You can go for a la minute eggs and opt for only the white of the egg, and healthy breads like wheat and rye. At Club Sofitel, we have quite a good selection of special breakfast items. And of course, service is very important. The generosity of spirit is another unflinching hallmark."

As the people behind Accor would say, "We want you to be happy even just by being here."

Oui!