I decided to book a hotel room at the newly built Holiday Inn Baguio City Centre on a whim one night as soon as I learned they're already open. The summer capital of the Philippines is also home to tons of hostels, transient homes/serviced apartments and local hotels but I don't want to let the chance pass without checking out the spanking new Holiday Inn since it's the first international hotel franchise in the city of pines.I also remember my sister promised my niece a staycation at any of the local hotels provided her average for the final quarter falls at 86% or better (passing is 75%) and no failing marks or final grade below 80%. However, she needed to break it to our niece the promised staycation won't push through anymore because the kiddo had a seventy-nine-point-something in Math (which, if only rounded off to the nearest tens could've been an 80% but failed short by just a few points aww) which, of course, she did not take nicely and the poor kid cried a river one morning whilst were having breakfast. I wasn't part of the deal that's why I was in a state of bewilderment with the whole 'cry-me-a-river -scene.' Nevertheless, I helped my sister in explaining to the kiddo that an agreement/promise isn't meant to be broken regardless because it defeats the purpose of having one (although I thought t'was a total miscommunication on both parties or the message may not have come across as crystal clear thus explains the situation).
We explained to her it wasn't a repercussion because her grades weren't good when in fact they were, it's just that it did not make the cut as agreed upon. We also told her that getting good grades isn't something kids nowadays should only do in exchange for a reward because it's for their own good as well if they excel in school. Anyhow, I decided to put the matter into my own hands and booked a hotel room at the Holiday Inn three days prior to mend the child's broken heart and as a consolation prize for a seventy-nine-point-something in Math under one condition, it'll just be an overnight staycation since it's just a discretionary merit which purpose is to acknowledge her hard work for the previous school year which of course she was so jubilant about. Her happiness was to the roof and I'm not exaggerating.
I decided to find the lowest possible room rate I could book since it's just an overnight stay anyways and even went the odds of finding my old rewards club membership number which I was lucky to find after countless trial and error punching in one email addy after the other because it's been ages since I last used it. Let's not forget that I also got a roughly 4% discount for being a member lol. Three days later off we go to the spanking new Holiday Inn hotel here up north.
I was undeniably excited myself to stay at the Holiday Inn once again because it has always been one of my favorite hotels not that I'm being biased because I used to be an employee at IHG (which owns all Holiday Inns). I'm saying this from a personal viewpoint and majority of IHG hotels really deliver service wise and I always enjoy my stay whether it's a Holiday Inn, Crown Plaza etc. Going back, the last Holiday Inn I stayed at was the one in Ortigas which was the the Holiday Inn Manila Galleria few years ago before I flew to Hong Kong.
Holiday Inn Baguio City Centre
Address: 56 Legarda Rd, Baguio, 2600 Benguet
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| The brand new Holiday Inn City Centre. Some of the photos were taken by my sister @m00nchildr0cks |
The hotel isn't very noticeable even if it's along the road because their parking lot is situated right in front of the hotel obscuring the view. They only have eight floors and 185 guest rooms which was good because high rise hotels can be pretty scary since Baguio was once devastated by a high magnitude earthquake back in 1991 which left the Hyatt hotel (one of the biggest hotels in Baguio back then) in rubbles among many other business establishments.
Holiday Inn Baguio isn't as vast as I have imagined in real life. The interior was very straightforward: front desk is just steps away from the main entrance, full service restaurant to the left and a sitting area across from reception. I'm going to say I miss the citrusy signature scent and soothing music at the lobby I have gotten used to with the other Holiday Inns I've stayed at.
Reservation
I phoned the front desk that morning to raise a quite disconcerting flaw on my reservation. I noticed my reservation says 3 adults whilst I specifically put it for 2 adults and a child upon booking (I booked it directly through the hotel's website) hence explains the Php1,200 extra person charge which changed the room rate a hefty. Good thing I kept my confirmation email and printed out a copy thus made it easier for front desk to modify/edit my reservation. We arrived 20 minutes ahead of check in time thus explains the minutes of wait time although I kind of noticed their check in and check out process takes longer than usual compared to other Holiday Inns. If it's your first time staying at an IHG hotel or maybe any other hotel chain per se, be ready to pay for a refundable incidental fee upfront and Holiday Inn charges Php2,000 upon check in on top of the room rate which they will 'hold' on your credit card.
The hotel is so brand new and everything is still shiny and spotless clean from the lobby to your hotel room. I kind of noticed the carpeting, the floors are no longer fully carpeted like they used to. I also loved their light touch switches which was something new, they are so aesthetically pleasing although they're not very responsive as oppose to regular embossed switches. I also liked that they now have bidets in the toilet like pretty much all asian hotels I've been to I remember the Holiday Inn & Suites in Makati do not have one though. I also prefer the old brand of toiletries they use to have because the new ones called SOAK weren't as fragrant and the shampoo and conditioner were kind of very drying to the hair and I don't know if its just me or the old brand they use to carry out was really better.
I booked a Superior room with 2 Double Beds which was alright. It was quite small which is typical in almost all Holiday Inns. I also requested for a room with a view in a quiet floor which the hotel kindly granted. One thing I noticed though, the room we were assigned do no seem to have fresh beddings/sheets because they do not smell fresh as opposed to the Holiday Inns I've stayed at before, you will really smell the overwhelming scent of the detergent the hotel washes them with (not that it's bad) if you know what I mean. The room seems still unprepared for the next guest as well because it's missing another set of dental kit (toothbrush and toothpaste), there's only one bath robe (there's usually two of those if there's 2 adults sharing the room) and the survey form left by the previous guest before us is still sitting on the desk. The Holiday Inn pen usually sits on top of the work desk with the notepad is also not there which is just a small thing but if you often book a room at an IHG hotel you can't help but notice. Nevertheless, the room was spotless except I just wish I had a fresh survey form that's all so I could leave a feedback for the benefit of other future guests.
Guest Request
When we stepped inside our room I noticed we're missing one dental kit and another keycard since there's three of us in the room so I had to call front desk to request for those. My sister also had to follow it up with front desk after roughly an hour of waiting and no extra toothbrush is coming which I totally understand since front desk people are multi-taskers, they answer the phone and personally attend to guests' requests. I appreciate that someone from the front desk went upstairs to personally bring the dental kit and keycard. I think they are is still quite understaffed because every time you call front desk to request something, it takes a while before someone turns up. Nevertheless, all their hotel staff were very pleasant and courteous and tried their best to attend to everyone.
Blip
I don't know what's up with the frequent bathroom lights blip but it's kind of weird when the lights flicker then suddenly switches off while you're taking a bath? It comes back on though but if you're afraid of the dark then that's scary like my 10 year old niece we had in tow, she panics during power outages. This happened countless times during our stay and I don't know if that's really the case to conserve energy or some power glitch.
Water Pressure
I know the hotel is fairly new but the water pressure in the toilet bowl and sink is so weak which makes washing your face quite time consuming lol. The water pressure in the shower is alright though.
Just a quick run down on the basic in-room hotel amenities in case you might be wondering what the room comes with.
Room amenities:
-Air conditioning
-Flat screen TV (Sky cable)
-Wifi (it was quite fast when it comes to downloads but upload is kind of nay); the wifi down at the lobby is exclusively only for hotel guests because you have to input your last name and room number.
-Light touch switches
-Bedside table with iPod dock*/charger/radio/digital clock, notepad
-Work desk with LAN, phone, lamp, notepad, hotel directory, food menu
-Sitting area (a couch with small coffee table)
*iPhone 5 and higher
Closet:
-Few Hangers
-Bath robe (typically they provide 1-2 if there's for 2 guests in the room)
-Iron & Ironing board
-In-room safe
-Laundry bag
-2 sets of slippers
-Hair dryer
Mini Bar:
-List & prices of minibar items
-Minibar items for sale: nuts, chocolates, cup noodles
-Coffee/Tea making facilities: complimentary black Nescafe´ coffee sachets, few sugar packets, few creamers, about 4 pieces of Dalmah tea bags (1 of each: Jasmine, Green & Black tea); coffee/tea pot of course
-2 tea spoons
-2 complimentary bottled water
-2 coffee cups
Toilet & Bath:
-1 set of SOAK toiletries: A tube of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, hand and body lotion.
-2 sets of Dental kit (toothpaste & toothbrush)
-2 shower cap
-Cotton buds and few square cotton pads
-2 small soap
-2 rolls of toilet paper
-facial tissues
-Glasses for tooth brushes + coasters
-Rain shower head
-Heated shower
If the room amenities I mentioned here aren't that detailed or thorough enough then I don't know what is lol. Overall, I had a great stay at the Holiday Inn City Centre and I am looking forward to stay there again in the future. I know the hotel is not as popular yet in Baguio (since they just opened last June 5) unless you're an existing or former IHG employee, a business traveler perhaps then you might've heard of Holiday Inn. I also read somewhere cab drivers often confuses Holiday Inn with Holiday Park hotel so when in doubt I suggest to book a GrabTaxi instead since they have GPS or better yet use Waze, Google maps or whatever works for you. It is also across Route 55 (the resto) and is exactly right beside Pines View Hotel.
To know more about the Holiday Inn Baguio City Centre please check out my video below 👇🏻
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