Hotel Sogo Pampanga — Hotel in Luzon

ROOM: Booked the only available room on Agoda for the dates we needed to be in Pampanga, an Executive Room w/ Garage for 4 nights' stay at 6k+ only. Having limited information on the room based on the photos, we were shocked at the Roman-themed room that we were given. It was a huge room, sitting on top of your own private garage, with king-sized bed flanked with pillars and a mirror on the ceiling, a huge mirror on the dresser as well with low & medium hair-dryer settings, dining table and chairs for two, television with different channel options, accessible bedside telephone for local & international calls or just for front-desk assistance. Air conditioner has adjustable temperature, and with easy on/off switch on the bed headboard with other light switches for lamp, pinlight, dresser, toilet, dinette. It was a nice room since it feels you have your own space and we didn't hear any noise from our neighbors. We can hear cars parking, but it's completely normal for a hotel, though. There was no cabinet but there are shelves which you can temporarily store your used clothes (we keep the clean ones in our luggage).

BATHROOM: Again, was surprised at the huge bathroom! We weren't expecting [I think it was] a Jacuzzi tub, even. Clean toilet with exhaust fan on top, shower & faucets are with temperature controls, clean towels & towel rack, complementary toiletries (comb, toothbrush & paste, soap, shampoo, though of little amount) & slippers. It is TOO clean though, I think, because I felt every surface of the bathroom still has cleaning 'soap' or whatever it was they put there, that when put into contact with water becomes very slippery. Also, the shower handle needs to be fixed. Still, just minor problems for the bathroom.

SECURITY: We have a safe-deposit box in the room but we haven't used it as it was locked, and to be honest, we didn't need to, as we came back with no one touching the room w/o our permission. There are no keys given to us (I think this is for the rooms along the drive-in section) so when we go out, we just need to lock the doors, and will ask the staff to open them for us upon return (not a hassle, really, as they were very accommodating). There are guards there 24/7, as well as some staff.

FRONT-DESK & ROOM SERVICE: Staffs were trained in Japanese hospitality so they greet everyone with a bow and "Hajimemashite" (it was advertised you get half-fried chicken if they didn't do the traditional greeting). Front-desk checked our booking, asked for ID, and let us sit for a while as they prepare the room. Then a staff escorted us & carried our luggage (while on a skateboard, yes!) to the room in the drive-in section, and bowed out. Whenever we got hungry, we just call for room service via phone, and w/in several minutes, the food will be delivered by the staff who will ring the doorbell (they also use skateboard, I think, for faster delivery). When we can't answer the door fast enough, they leave it at the antechamber before our main room and collect the dinner wares from previous orders. Food taste is on the 'normal' level. Nothing 'wow!' or 'eww'. Upon checkout, you just need to inform the front-desk, then go to the lobby to pay for the services.

LOCATION: Very good! It is just in front of SM City Pampanga, so you can do your shopping, eat at restaurants, visit Sky Ranch (which we did - look for my review on this), and hop in & out of buses & jeepneys to wherever you want to travel to at the terminal in front. A Robinsons Mall was also near, and a Mercury Drugstore. To go to the hotel, we rode a Victory Liner bus from EDSA-Cubao terminal for P111. Drop-off is at SM San Fernando.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: I think it IS meant for 'honeymoon' people (there were couples checking-in every time we pass the lobby) but, if you will look past the obvious signs of it being one (like the over-the-top themes, mirror on the ceiling, leather cover underneath the bed sheets for 'stains' prevention, Jacuzzi tub and an 'adults' channel on the TV) , you can be able to stay at a very clean, comfortable & hospitable...

I, with my pregnant wife and toddler, booked for an executive room (Japanese-theme at room 104) in Sogo Hotel, Mexico, for 24 hours as an escape during the New Year's Eve. If the price tag in the room is akin to a run-of-the-mill motels, you can never hear any complaint from us. But for a hotel that claims to offer an executive room, it should live up to its promises; unfortunately, not in my family's experience. Let me break down the reasons:||||1) Price - I booked my reservation in travelbook.ph with insider's discount but it was not awarded to us. We were charged for a regular fee.||||2) Cleanliness - You can easily deduce that the previous occupant smoked cigarette. You can still smell the third-hand smoke up from the ceiling to the bed. It's suffocating to breath at first especially for me who has sensitive nose.||||3) Aircon - Sleeping was hard as the noise of the aircon is like a nearby jackhammer, or a motorboat's engine. We were forced to turn it to fan just to silence it at the expense of sweating up.||||4) Light - There was no light at the dining area and I called for an assistance twice. No one came to fix the bulb.||||5) Security - We left the room to have a dinner and we asked for the concierge to lock the room (we were not given a spare key, that is their policy). However, the concierge was adamant to lock our room and claimed that it was safe even if we left our room open. I insisted on locking our room before leaving and the concierge showed unwillingness to do what I requested. The security guard looks frightening. We're not on to discrimination but you'll understand us if you were in the actual scene. Imagine a silhouette from a bit far. Then up close, he suddenly cut and blocked you and see an image of a drunk man wearing a guard's uniform. Coupled with this, he asked us in an interrogative tone if we were going to leave and asked our hotel room's number. I understand that inquiring is part of his work but at least he should pepper it with a smile or courteous tone. However, his approach caused us to be cynical in giving information especially with the premise that the concierge is unwilling to lock our room. I was about to put out my cellphone to record his hoodlum-like gesture but he suddenly stopped asking us and just radioed the concierge.||||6) WiFi - Imagine a crippled turtle that is forced to run. That's how slow the hotel's WiFi in the room is.||||7) TV - You cannot find lots of channels to watch on. Thankfully, we brought our own movies.||||The only thing that we enjoyed above all in the room is its spacious toilet and bathtub as my toddler enjoyed swimming while bathing. But generally, as a family-friendly hotel, you cannot expect it to be "so clean, so good". You have...

During my recent trip to Philippines..we stop by the only available hotel in this area for a night as it is very near to SM Pampanga. We settle down in the only room available (deluxe room). The hotel charge by hourly, 12 hourly and 24 hourly rate. At some point I think that is reasonable as you can chose the timing you wanted to check in and start counting from there. With the rate you are paying, we get a room that holds a queen size bed and a decent bathroom merged with toilet. Surprisingly the hotel was well maintained after all the year it is opened, right from the corridor till the room wall paint and tile feels new. Everything was decently good except for the so call "blanket" they provided, I will rather call it a thin bed sheet that can't keep you warm at night. You might be thinking I can raise the air-conditioning but unfortunately the control switch are all set to the lowest and can be controlled. The unique features in this room are the mood light with is in red colour, guess you but want me to tell you what it is...