One great place in Tagaytay

MANILA, Philippines - As youngsters, we looked forward to long drives to Tagaytay. The cool breeze and natural scenery were enough to make us forget about school blues. We are pretty sure the young ones of today, as well as the grownups, are writing down their Tagaytay trips in the memories of their minds, blogs, and Facebook accounts.

Of course, what’s different now is there are abundant choices in Tagaytay. Now we see new restaurants and establishments lined up along the way. Surely all these are meant to make trips here a little more unique for individuals. At any rate, we spent one weekend in someplace new — the One Tagaytay Place Hotel Suites.

Almost a year old in the business — indeed very young by hotel standards — One Tagaytay is fast gaining a reputation as the newest venue for business and social events, as well as a relaxing getaway for the harassed city folk.

One Tagaytay general manager Karl Velhagen says, “Even though we opened November last year, we have already established ourselves as a destination hotel here in Tagaytay.”

One Tagaytay should not be hard to find. Its unique front, a commercial center along Barrio Sungay, leads guests to a cozy lobby. Even cozier: the bedroom, which felt homier than your standard hotel room. It’s probably the soft pillows that immediately lulled us to sleep, or the intimate mood that the room offered. Whatever the case, it was fun being holed up in a room that has its own DVD player, flat screen TV, free Wi-Fi Internet, individual balcony, among others.  

Accommodations in One Tagaytay come in deluxe room, one-bedroom suite, and premier suite configurations. The three-bedroom suite can house up to six adults, and is flexible enough to accommodate smaller groups on planning seminars and creative workshops. And with the classic view of the Taal Lake and green scenery, it’s easy to lose oneself here.

The hotel’s Azalea coffee shop offers a la carte specialties, including its own version of bulalo, the famous beef broth of the city. The café has a dining room for private gatherings of up to 10 guests.

For those who prefer to enjoy themselves outside their rooms and away from the café, One Tagaytay has city-hotel facilities such as adult and children’s swimming pools, a fitness center, a business center, and viewing decks for guests who want to enjoy Taal. We highly recommend the in-house treatment center Regenere Spa, too.

The newly opened Aurora Grand Ballroom is already generating buzz among corporate and social clients. A 300-seater venue, it is ideal for conferences, trainings, seminars, product launchings, press events, and social events as anniversaries, weddings, birthdays, and milestones. It boasts of the latest audio video equipment, built-in widescreen, and an overhead projector.

Velhagen shares that One Tagaytay is constantly beefing up its operations to meet the constant flow of guests. “Under the guidance and management of Genesis Hotels & Resorts Corp., we have a reinforced team from food and beverage to sales and marketing. We are also adding another parking space next door — steps that show we do not take things for granted.”

This month, the hotel is opening its new restaurant Tower Lounge Steak Bar.

He acknowledges that being young in the business has not deterred people from checking out One Tagaytay, saying, “We have stressed that service is very crucial to the success of our operations.”

“Our team is there to listen to what our guests want,” One Tagaytay sales and marketing director Odette Aguilar chimes in. “We want it to be a win-win situation for everyone, especially to our guests.”

“When we make a promise, we make sure we deliver,” Velhagen says. “We go by the principle of ‘Take the H.E.A.T.’ — hear, empathize with, appreciate, and thank our guests. It is a program that works.”

In addition to these, One Tagaytay has ongoing promotions. The “One More For Less!” promo lets guests stay in a deluxe room for only P3,500 net per night with breakfast, with the second night at P2,900.

The “Stay at the Top!” promo offers a maximum of four guests at the premier penthouse suite for only P6,300 net per night, inclusive of breakfast.

Weekday treats come in the form of “Manic Mondays & Ruby Tuesdays!” as a deluxe accommodation for two persons at P2,900 and P3,400 in a one-bedroom suite. It includes breakfast for two and a 20 percent discount on the a la carte menu in Azalea.

The all-suites promo “One Suite Treat” comes with spa, and one-bedroom to three-bedroom accommodations, for two to six people. The rate starts at P4,888 per night.

One Tagaytay is also loaded for its “Halloween Trick or Treat” on Oct. 31, 3 to 6 p.m. Entrance for kids is at P388, and for adults, P488, with merienda. It includes a clown and magic show plus trick or treat games.

And for those on a sporting mood, boxing fans can watch the much-awaited Pacquiao-Cotto fight live via satellite at the grand ballroom on Nov. 15, inclusive of a buffet brunch.

Indeed, there’s so much to be enjoyed at One Tagaytay Place. If one can’t have a great time out of these, then we don’t know what will.

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For more information, visit onetagaytayplace.com, call 818-8318-19, or e-mail at sales@onetagaytay.com or reservations@onetagaytay.com.