MANILA, Philippines - Despite its location along a busy street, Hotel Celeste manages to give itself a self-contained atmosphere that is more inviting than invasive. Soon as one enters the hotel, one forgets that it is in the middle of a busy road. Then again, that is the purpose of a hotel, to provide an escape from the outside world.
On our part, we would not complain of a comfortable escape, the kind that Hotel Celeste offers. Sitting on a space that was memorably occupied by the now-defunct Mars Disco, Hotel Celeste is a 30-room boutique hotel featuring deluxe rooms and suites.
“Hotel Celeste is the brainchild of Cely Sarabia,” explains Sally Bongalonta, Celeste’s resident manager. “When we started a year ago, we wanted the hotel to become a second home for guests. To achieve that, we made sure that our difference from other hotels lies in the way we deliver our personalized service, which we call ‘chamberlain service.’ Our front desk people are called chamberlains.”
“That type of personalized service matters the most to guests,” marketing manager Tricia Sarabia pipes in. “My mom’s concept was to make guests feel more welcome in an intimate setting. With 30 rooms, you know that our staff will be able to remember you. In fact, we offer a welcome foot massage when guests check in.”
One type of room is the deluxe. With its European-inspired design, the 25-square-meter room features wood floors, a separate work area, wireless Internet access, and white marble bath with walk-in rain shower, among others.
The suite, on the other hand, occupies 60 square meters of space and boasts of its own living room, a bedchamber, a dining area, a kitchen, a stand-alone bathtub, and others. The five suites are named after French queens - Marie Antoinette, Eleanor, Catherine, Blanche, and Isabela.
Rooms also feature Dream Amenities from the “not-so-mini” bar that provides an extensive lineup of drinks and bites, as well as the Dream Vanities Menu wherein guests can choose specialized pillows and beddings, DVDs, and other items to make sleeping a dream.
Interestingly enough, the interiors are all hand-painted, while the textures and colors are described, in the hotel’s own words, “matched in willful contradiction.” That’s right: no two rooms are exactly alike.
“Each room has a design different from the others. That translates to 30 different experiences in our hotel,” Sarabia says. “Guests who check in sometimes have a hard time deciding which room to get because everything looks nice and unique. Soon we will put a portfolio of our rooms in the front desk so choosing would be easier.”
The resident manager likewise cites another source of pride, their French restaurant Cicou. Masterminded by acclaimed Chef Cyrille Soenen, Cicou fuses French tradition and Asian influence in its menu.
Guests will also notice attention-grabbing artworks around the lobby. Sarabia and Bongalonta inform us that Hotel Celeste accommodates artists from time to time. Nothing like art to excite and refresh the senses.
Despite looking like a hotel plucked out of a postcard from Europe, Hotel Celeste, Bongalonta tells us, is something truly Philippine-made.
“We are proud to say our countrymen put this hotel together,” she says. “For a manager like me, it gives me a sense of pride knowing that this is 100-percent Pinoy. We will continue to make things better for the traveler. Celeste won’t just be a hotel but a home.” As heavenly as its name indeed.
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Hotel Celeste is located at 2 San Lorenzo Drive corner Arnaiz Avenue, San Lorenzo Village, Makati City. For more information, call 887-8080, e-mail at reservation@hotelceleste.ph or visit its website at www.hotelceleste.ph.