Breakfast and more than business as usual at The Belmont

Photos: Belmont Hotel

The Belmont Hotel marks Megaworld’s fourth foray in Resorts World Manila’s growing lodging portfolio. Neighbors such as The Marriot, Maxims and The Remington make up the hotel township developed by Megaworld chairman Andrew Tan.

Andrew Tan has a dream. What would one of the country’s richest men and successful real estate tycoons possibly want in this life, you ask? The ambitious entrepreneur wishes to be the Philippines’ biggest hotel developer in the next five years. That’s 12,000 rooms under his belt by 2020, which puts my goal to shame as I merely strive not to gain five pounds in the next week.

Though Andrew Tan and I are worlds apart, I dare say that he needs the likes of me to make his dream come true.

I travel for business three times a year. I barely stay three days on those trips, but when you travel that much for work, a few economic factors come in. A destination meeting on a corporate budget urges you to skimp on a few luxuries to get the job done.

I’ve stayed in a number of business hotels to know not to expect accommodation that befits a queen. However, there’s accommodation that’s “bare necessity living” and then there's “barely even living.” The unfortunate trend with business hotels now is how true they stay to their purpose: business only. Throwing in a futon in the middle of an enclosed space and calling it a “double deluxe” doesn’t make it a hotel room. A note to these shacks: you don’t need to impress me, but please, don’t depress me.

Enter Belmont Hotel, which I think uses this stigma to their advantage—they managed to make business a bit more comfortable.

Rates

Superior rooms are on the offer for P5,300++ a night. This is pretty steep for a business hotel whose counterparts average between P3,000 to P3,500 a night.

The hotel

The 10-storey, 480-room building looks like Jenga on steroids with colorful lights.

The façade may not be to everyone’s liking, but even the Louvre will need a bit of pizzazz next to the flashing lights and sounds of Resorts World Manila.

The Belmont at Newport City is the flagship hotel for all Megaworld townships. More are soon to be seen in Boracay and Cebu. The hotel touts a green conscience, pledging that water is recycled. Some foliage is maintained in their atrium. This seems to be the theme of the interior décor as well, with the glass lily ornaments hanging from the ceiling and the palm green and dark wood motif.

Location

The hotel is located within Resorts World Manila, an integrated entertainment and tourism complex in Newport City. The Belmont sits right next to The Shrine of St. Therese Church and across The Marriott Hotel. It also directly faces NAIA 3, where a connecting pedestrian bridge will be constructed in the future to swiftly bring travelers into Newport City.

Rooms

The Belmont Hotel is very practical lodging. No space is wasted in the 28.9-square meter tranquility room. These trim rooms feature an open closet, luggage rack, a writing desk, a petite lounge chair, and a wall-mounted flat screen TV.

The room is pretty spare and no frills are ensconced, but what the room lacks in accoutrements, it makes up for in stylish furniture. The art deco lounge chair upholstered in cloud gray fabric has bright yellow piping to match the headboard and the bubbles on the carpet.

The bathroom is one of those peepshow showers—one side of the bathroom is complete glass that looks into the rest of the room. Voyeurs rejoice! But for bath addicts, expect a straightforward bathroom for your stay. As with the room, the bathroom is a bit cramped—the sink served as my shower caddy, so that should paint you a picture. Toiletries are special though; all are organic and smell divine.                                                                                                                     

Dining

The Belmont Hotel is home to Roof Deck 11 and Café Belmont. To my dismay, both were still being fine-tuned when I checked in. Chef Dean Manalo, previously of Seda Hotel and Kasbah Restaurant, gave me a glimpse of their menu. Lobster ceviche, slow-cooked sea bass and roasted chicken were on board. All have a very contemporary palette with a distinct Filipino taste—full of savory hints and sauce. I was told to come back for the chocolate moon cake with salted egg, Café Belmont’s signature dish.

Amenities

There’s a fully functioning gym on the second floor and a pool on the roof deck where plans for a poolside bar are being conjured.

What to do

Whisper with me: Resorts World Manila! You can traverse the road and land your feet in Manila’s best casino or wash away your sins in the Shrine of St. Therese Church, both open seven days a week.

I walked a dangerous 5-minute walk to Emperador Building where S&R Restaurant and Recovery Food were located, but it was worth it! Food prices between Resorts World and the likes of Emperador Building are miles apart but if you were just like me, you’d opt for comfort food over fancy, expensive dining any day.

Rating

For a business hotel, The Belmont is a refreshing place to stay. No tacky wood headboards and overly starched sheets here! This hotel manages to offer what you need with some style. — BM, GMA News