Shangri-La Mactan, Cebu — Attraction in Lapu-Lapu

When one pays the price to stay at a Shangrila, they expect a certain level of care and service; smooth, efficient, seamless, where staff do their utmost to make their guest's stay as pleasant as possible. This is doubly expected when one chooses to host their wedding and have all their guests stay there for the event. Unfortunately Shangrila Mactan fails so utterly on all these counts, I almost can't believe this was possible of such a reputable name.

My experience was as follows:

Events works at a snail's pace. Information is provided in bits and crumbs in a span of weeks and months, particularly when the wedding is still some time away. Details you expect they'd have on hand like packages and menus somehow take a very long time to be confirmed. Also, you will have to keep following up with them, they will not bother to contact you. Inefficient, frustrating and very poor with timely communication.

For non-local guests, their recommended wedding coordinator list is of very poor standard. Most will not even bother to respond to a simply query. The one that was touted to me as very hardworking and experienced local coordinator turned out to be extremely incompetent at her job, have very poor communication and time management skills. Very surprising and disappointing of this Shangrila to endorse this kind of substandard service

The various departments in this Shangrila do not seem to communicate with each other. Rather than having one person as point of contact for the entire wedding planning, I was forced to communicate with Events, Group Reservations and even the Front Desk just to ensure all was booked and sorted for the guests. Even then mix-ups still occurred. Notable ones include:

An international guest being unsure whether he had a room or not. He was told by the hotel that he had a room booked, then later was told that they were full. When I inquired, front desk couldn't find his booking but apparently according to group reservations he did have a room which I had to confirm for him.

Shangrila failed to book a cruiser for the entire bride's family despite it being prebooked weeks in advance. Instead of owning up to it and taking responsibility, front desk pointed to group bookings, group bookings didn't bother to turn up, this was then escalated to the front desk manager who then passed it on to Concierge. No one was willing to concede to the mistake or offer compensation for the entire family almost missing their flight.Paying overinflated rates for the security of having Shangrila take care of transportation and being treated this way is ridiculous and downward infuriating.

This is the big one. The wedding day was a comedy of errors. The wrong breakfast was provided during the morning to the bride. Another one was sent 30 minutes again and it was still the wrong food. The wedding cake that night was not placed in the fridge and so rotted away uneaten and wasted. The bridal suite was not cleaned from the morning's preparation. The bride and groom arrived on their wedding night, tired, to see furniture everywhere and piles of half eaten food from breakfast, lunch and coffee mugs all over their room. The bed was not made and pillows were all over from the day's shoot.

This was the most memorable of my stay at Shangrila Mactan.

Absolutely no effort was made to make the couple feel special on their wedding day - No champagne, free spa time, even a measly congratulatory card wasn't provided. The local restaurant down the road makes more of an effort to celebrate special events with their guests. Then again if a clean room for the couple could not even be provided, perhaps anything more is beyond this Shangrila. Astounding lack of care and atrocious customer service.

I can only surmise that senior management is sleeping at the helm and relying on the brand name to carry them through. A worse service, I cannot name and I was so happy to leave this hotel and...

Most often than not, when we experience something bad, we would usually rant and express our sentiments and when we receive extraordinary service, we would just leave happy and tag along with us memories fully satisfied but forgetting to leave a note of gratitude for the extemely great service we experienced through rendered services by someone or a company.

I cannot however in good conscience let this experience pass without proper commendation and recognition in all forms. Extremely great service and value deserves special highlights and attention.

I went to Cebu and booked early on for a business trip with leisure on the side. This also includes one agenda on my mind to properly educate my staff whom I brought along with me to learn and experience first hand what 5 star customer service should look like. That kind of service I always demand them to give and share with our own clients backhome in Nueva Vizcaya.

The experience was mindblowing. First, the approach from all personnel was totally personal as if they had known me even before we came in. I was probably researched on before I came under presumption that I should have been stalked in a good way ofcourse. Haha.

Everyone I met along the corridors knew me. It was unbelievable - every rotating managers and receptionists on duty seems to be familiar with me. They knew me very well and they know the room I was checked in without the necessity of asking me which room. This is personal service on a different scale. And for such uniformity and familiarity by all people on duty for a particular client like me is an insane level of service. Note that the hotel was fully booked and that level of personal approach kind of service among all hundreds of guests would definitely be 7 star sort of service.

The following day, as if by luck or chance, our room was upgraded at the ocean wing as a compliment. No added costs- it was an added value service for our second day. That was a totally surprising way to further heighten our stay. It was totally elating. Room was quieter, wider, and was more detailed in amenities and freebies which we had enjoyed and totally munched on.

I was advised in addition that should I check out tomorrow, I can do so at the ocean club for ease and convenience. And Indeed upon check out, with a new manager on duty, same personal and familiar approached greeted me. That was awesome, the coordination among all managers/staff which I suspect was from the initial manager, Shai, was thouroughly communicated. That was consistent through and through. As I was checking out, I was anticipating some sort of charges that I must settle. I availed for transport services going to and from airport, and other places in Cebu for ease and convenience. I was preparing to hand in payment when the manager on duty told me that there is nothing to settle as the company had absorbed all expenses incurred for transport. Wow, I was flabbergated! Speechless!!!! How do you repay such services beyond 5 stars? I dont know really- but hoping that this good review could at least influence one or two to support them. I will continue to tell this story for the good deeds, services and extreme value they rendered. If and when I happen to visit Cebu again, I would not hesitate to spend it there again and though I do not like sharing too much private stuff, I feel obligated to do this one because of the overwhelmingly excellent experience shared with me which was beyond...

Located in Lapu-Lapu City Cebu, Shangri-La is one of the highest rated resorts on Mactan island. Situated admist well maintained and manicured gardens and overlooking Hilutungan Channel - Sulu Sea, it is an oasis offering the discerning traveller a luxurious escape with a large array of amenities and world-class service. The hotel itself is very clean and well maintained. Operations ensure that the facilities are in top condition and guests have an enjoyable and memorable experience. Customer service is exceptional and is really of no surprise since every Shangri-La hotel and resort endeavours to ensure that they go over and above the expectations held by guests. The attentiveness of staff and the personal touches offered really set the tone for a wonderful experience while at the resort. Accommodations are offered in both the main building and Ocean Wing and are very clean, tastefully appointed, spacious, and well-thought out. The Ocean Wing however is a bit more exclusive and quiet with its' own driveway to the building, and direct access to the Ocean Wing pool. The highlight of the Ocean Wing rests with the rooms and suites overlooking the Channel. Waking up to the early morning sunrise overlooking the beach and sea is breathtaking and priceless.

There are five restaurants on the grounds to choose from that pretty much cater to an international clientele. Tides is a wonderful restaurant for its eclectic presentation of delicious foods from around the world that can be enjoyed from breakfast through to dinner. Staff add a lot of spark to the dinner festivities around 6:45 p.m. daily as they parade the freshly prepared lechon through the aisles while joyfully singing. The smiling faces of guests is really what it's all about, and Tides achieves this beautifully every evening. The other restaurants located on the grounds are Cowrie Cove which specializes in seafood and steaks, Acqua delivers delicious Italian fare, Tea of Spring is dedicated to Asian fare, and the Lobby lounge makes a great stop for a quick pick-me-up with its' assortment of salads, sandwiches, and beverages. To top it all off is the Buko Bar which has general daily fare and beverages, and is the place to take in the Philippine Cultural event on scheduled dates.

A private white sand beach on the Channel offers guests crystal clear waters to enjoy. In addition to swimming, the resort offers many watersport activites to engage guests. Whether it be partaking with a group in paddling the dragon boat, jet skiing the open water, taking a ride on a banana boat, or snorkeling and diving, visiting the beach is definitely a highlight of this resort. There are quite a lot of amenities to enjoy at Shangri-La, and some may insist that those amenities are the real highlight. They have a world-class spa, yoga instruction, golf course and putting greens, archery area, etc. Overall, the Shangri-La Resort on Mactan Island is an excellent choice for a family vacation. The hotel's accommodations and atmosphere, location, security, cleanliness and amenities are excellent. We were fortunate to spend our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary here and enjoy some of the most precious and memorable moments that could only be made possible here...