Dusit Thani Residence Davao — Hotel in Davao City

My first time in Davao in 30 years so I looked forward to what’s new and the best possible. This is located near the Sasa wharf and ferry but a bit further (15minutes) to downtown Davao.

Going by price, I booked Dusit Thani Residences and was terribly disappointed. Apart from some plants and grass in the driveway, this is located in a concrete jungle. Exiting the hotel by car is through the basement parking area.

Bell service staff did not meet us as we alighted from the car and waited for us to wheel our luggage into the lobby. Lobby was not big and immediately opened into a lively lobby lounge. If they used any air freshener, it didn’t smell good.

The corridors leading to our room also smelled musty and moldy. From our room, we had a view of the sea far off in the distance after seeing a spread of concrete rooftops. The room was a good size but had only one electrical outlet for 2 beds and another one on the table, a big shortage in this day and age. The hot water kettle located below the microwave did not have an outlet, it had to be brought to the study table for use. The fridge in the room was empty.

Since we booked the residence (more expensive than D2, their hotel), it had the addition of a microwave and a sink in the bedroom. No soap was provided for this sink. No additional cutleries apart from the cup and saucer for coffee fixings for being a residence (vs hotel) was provided either. Very stingy with water. Only 2 bottles of 350ml given for each room.

The toilet space in the toilet bath was so small that if I weighed a bit more than 100kg, I’d have a hard time squeezing in. There weren’t any towel racks in the bathroom, only 2 hooks, so towels were laid on the bed for our use. Only the rain shower worked but when we reached out, they sent someone from engineering within 10 minutes and they were able to fix it within 15 minutes. Service quick but it should have been in working condition in the first place. Getting dressed again after a long trip to wait for a shower is ….

Gym is open 24 hours and quite well equipped. Pool is nice and open 6am-10pm. The spa adjacent to the gym is a quiet, clean and serene space but didn’t have time to try. There were many restaurant outlets including a Thai restaurant that they are very proud of in the basement level.

They have a cozy coffee and bake shop (Espresso Nook) that serves Starbucks coffee and their home made cakes and pastries. Apart from this, they also have the Madayaw Cafe where buffet breakfast and full meals are served...

I was really looking forward to a great experience, unfortunately that was not what i received. The hotel is beautiful and the staff is friendly and accommodating, but there were many problems with the room and when i shared these with management, their response was entirely unsatisfactory.

The first problem we noticed was the front door lock and security hasp would not close. We couldn't lock the door to the room! The next day, engineering came by and we had to sit there and wait while they banged on the plates as they tried to get things aligned for about an hour.

The bathroom has not been stocked or properly cleaned. There were no towels, washcloths, or soap. There was garbage on the floor, uncleanned faucet handles, and non-working vanity lights. The bidet water pressure was so high you could cut a bar of soap!

The kitchen in the room was nice, but there were so few items available to cook with, and an equally few ways to clean, if you choose to cook. 1 pan, 1 slotted turner/spatula, 2 plates, bowls, forks, butter knives, a cutting board, and 4 wine glasses. Any other cooking necessities we had to provide. No dish soap, sponges, dish towels, and no automatic dishwasher detergent for the dishwasher.

The most offensive part of the kitchen was the 2 times the filter box under the sink overflowed and spilled foul smelling muck all over my feet and the floor. In both instances engineering was dispatched and spent about an hour cleaning up the mess. This happened twice!!!

The rooms are listed as soundproof, but the sounds of construction or remodeling were heard throughout the day. Do not expect privacy from "soundproofing" as the sounds of people walking and talking in the hallway easily permeates into the room.

I shared my dissatisfaction with management and they offered to relocate me to another room for my last few nights or treat me to a buffet in their restaurant.

A beautiful hotel with lots of potential, but their attention to cleanliness and customer satisfaction leaves much...

Relatively new building, perhaps the best I davao. Nice clean styling, nice pool, rooms are large. Guest services are lacking seriously. I’m sorry to inconvenience the staff by calling to ask for an extra blanket several times. None of the requests were acted on. On arrival in the first evening,we went to the buffet dinner. On arrival they hostess asked if we had a reservation, we did not and were promptly told the restaurant was fully booked. No “I’m sorry” offer of alternatives, nothing short of go away, we are full. As we were walking out, she offered us to sit at a table outside. Why didn’t you say that in the first place?? First morning, breakfast until 10:00. Arrived at 9:30 to find very little left to eat. So I recommend if you want the free buffet breakfast, show up early when; there is food. Last morning, showed up at 9:00 to see a little improvement. No fruit, the juices didn’t work, etc. an overall sad experience for a hotel wanting 5 star stature and is relatively expensive.

The location is a bit dry. You’re pretty much stuck there. It’s a taxi ride to anything else, which is what we did most days. No gift shop. No way to buy water or drinks outside of room service. They provided just 2 drinking bottles a day, small bottles.

I would not recommend this hotel. Too many rules, not good service, nothing but a pool to do, food service is sad at best.

The highlight was the bar in the reception area. Better service than the restaurants and the drinks aren’t bad. Music...