City Garden Hotel Makati — Hotel in Makati

We checked in late on the night of July 19, around 9 or 10 PM, during heavy rain. Unfortunately, our experience started off on the wrong foot. As we arrived and began unloading our luggage from the car, no bellboy or guard assisted us — not even with umbrellas, which were visibly placed right beside the entrance. Theywere nearby but didn’t move to help. We were left scrambling in the rain, soaking wet and panicking with our things.

Once inside, the only thing done was to wrap our wet umbrellas in plastic, a small gesture, but after being drenched outside with no help, it felt hollow.

We checked into Room 1024 and soon realized the air conditioning wasn’t working. The room wasn’t cooling, and the remote was malfunctioning — the screen was unreadable, so we couldn’t even tell what we were adjusting. We called the front desk, and someone came to check. They said they would inform someone to assess.

This began a back-and-forth of delays and follow-ups that stretched nearing midnight: • Housekeeping checked the remote and left to inform maintenance. • We waited, but no one came. • Housekeeping came again (the same person), asked if maintenance had arrived (they hadn’t), and we repeated the issue. • At this point, we requested a room change, and front desk agreed — but again, we waited with no follow-up. • I called again and asked clearly: “Will this go past midnight? If so, we’ll just sleep and deal with it tomorrow — we’re exhausted.” And front desk just mentioned that they are still preparing the room, even assured me that the preparation won’t reach midnight. • Still no room was given, but eventually Sir Louie from housekeeping returned and resolved the issue himself by replacing the remote.

The aircon finally started working, and we called the front desk to confirm it was now okay.

We thought the problem was solved — but shortly after midnight, the aircon began leaking water. At that point, we gave up. We placed a trash bin under it with a towel to muffle the dripping and finally went to sleep.

The next morning, I personally went to reception to request a room change again. I was asked if I could wait for maintenance to check the issue, but I declined. We had already waited the night before and no one came. This kind of issue should have been caught before allowing guests to check into the room.

Reception agreed and offered two rooms — one on the 7th floor, one on the 20th. I opted to check the 7th-floor room first. Sir Jherwin at the front desk called Sir Francis (the bell boy, wearing black shirt) to assist me, but unfortunately, he seemed disinterested. He was on his phone and said something like, “sa housekeeping nalang yan or sa housekeeping,” then walked off — continuing on his phone. He appeared to be the same staffs wearing black shirt from the night before who stood by during the rain and offered no help.

Thankfully, Sir Louie from housekeeping stepped in again. I recognized him from the night before and truly appreciated his continued assistance. We checked the 7th-floor room, but I noticed water droplets on the floor below the aircon and after what we’d been through, I declined.

We then checked the 20th-floor room, which was clean, cool, and fully functional. We finally transferred — and were assisted by Sir Jerald (or Gerard) who was kind, professional, and helpful throughout the move. Thank you, Sir Jerald.

Overall, this stay could have been great if the staff had been better coordinated, responsive, and proactive. I understand the hotel may have been understaffed due to the weather, but this is something management should have anticipated — especially on a busy weekend during rainy season. Proper staff scheduling, room inspections, and guest support should not be compromised, regardless of weather.

That said, we truly thank Sir Louie, Sir Jerald, Sir Jherwin, Ms. Danica, and Ms. Shane for their professionalism and kindness, they helped turn a frustrating situation into something at least...

We liked the location: close to cafes, convenience stores, the ferry stop, and within walking distance of some attractions and a market. Overall, the area was lively and not as dirty as most places in Manila. We also never felt unsafe. We enjoyed the breakfast: it was quite varied, the selection changed slightly every day, and everything was tasty (except the juices). The service was good — dirty dishes were promptly cleared, and coffee was offered regularly. The view of the city from our room and the rooftop was beautiful. The hotel itself is in good condition and feels modern. We especially loved the pool and jacuzzi, as well as the service there. Even though the rooftop café was closed due to the typhoon, the staff brought us cocktails from the bar upon our request. The front desk staff were also very welcoming and polite. The TV had a Netflix subscription, which allowed us to enjoy movie nights with a glass of wine. We greatly appreciated the chocolate that was delivered to us as part of the honeymoon arrangement. The room had plenty of towels, bathrobes, slippers, dental kits, and a tea set. Cleanliness was not an issue, and the overall value for money was quite good.

I don't want to lower the rating, as the staff clearly put in a lot of effort, but unfortunately, not everything went smoothly — the downsides are listed below. What disappointed me the most was having to remind the staff to bring the wine and chocolate that I had pre-ordered and paid for in advance for our honeymoon. When the wine was finally brought, it arrived without a corkscrew. I had to remind them again. Even then, it wasn’t delivered right away — we had to wait for about 30 minutes. The service was very slow. Because of this, we couldn't enjoy the wine and truffles upon arrival, and the magic of the celebration was ruined. Also, we saw and killed a small cockroach in the bathroom. When we ran out of toilet paper, housekeeping didn’t replenish it during cleaning. We tried calling the front desk multiple times to ask for more, but no one answered. We had to use tissues instead. Additionally, no bottled water was provided upon check-in. Even though there was a water dispenser on the floor, it would’ve been more convenient and pleasant to receive at least one bottle of water per guest at check-in. There is a sauna in the spa complex, but it was only available upon request. We were also disappointed that the pool was completely uncovered and exposed to the weather, meaning we could only use it when the weather allowed. We had planned to have dinner at the rooftop restaurant Encima, but it was closed due to the typhoon as well. All of these factors combined made our stay less comfortable than...

We stayed at City Garden Hotel under a corporate promo through Ms. Jessica. Before booking, I called their landline and confirmed that it was ₱100 cheaper, so we proceeded with the reservation.

Very Delayed Check-In Our booking was for Oct. 31–Nov. 1, as we were attending a Halloween event. Standard check-in time was 2:00 PM; we arrived around 2:20–2:30 PM. The receptionist informed us that the room was not ready and asked us to wait. She mentioned that our room would be on the 7th flr, but I requested a higher floor due to possible street noise (Request not granted but we didn't mind anymore because we wanted to rest already). During this time, there were about 4–5 other guests also waiting. After around 30 mins, we observed that some guests who arrived after us received their room keys first. The receptionist apologized again that our room was still not ready and offered complimentary drinks while we waited.

Rooftop Restaurant Was Not Well-Managed The rooftop restaurant felt chaotic. A group of guests were drinking, smoking, and swimming loudly. While I understand people want to enjoy, the behavior wasn’t respectful of shared spaces. It felt more like a private party that overtook the area. Also, the restaurant itself was not tidy. Despite being an afternoon setting, there were no fans, making the area hot and uncomfortable. The complimentary drink for the delayed check-in is a glass of instant orange juice.

Ongoing Construction During a Long Weekend Our stay fell on a long weekend, which ideally should have been relaxing. However, we were woken up by construction noise. The management could have either postponed the work knowing the hotel would be busy or assigned guests to rooms farther from the construction area to avoid disturbance.

Overall, the staff were friendly and accommodating, which we appreciated. However, the overall experience felt below expectations considering the...