New World Makati Hotel — Hotel in Makati

I feel torn on how to review the New World, because the staff DO try, but I feel misled by them. When I was looking to book a room in Makati, I came across their website which is so shiny and glossy and the pictures are so professional and everything looks so new…..much different from my experience in my room. Either they have some “new”, refurbished rooms that they used for their photos, or they simply used photos from another hotel. Even the pool area looks so nice in the (managements) photos, but when I was there in real life….totally different.

Sorry….this is a nice hotel, and we enjoyed our stay, but it definitely IS NOT a 5-star hotel as displayed on their web page. Even by Philippines standards, this is a 3 to 4 star at best. Go visit the Grand Hyatt Hotel in BGC, and then you will see what a real 5-star hotel is.

Let’s just start at their price; you aren’t going to stay at a 5-stat hotel anywhere for $75-$100 a night. The Grand Hyatt in BGC starts at $200, Raffles Hotel starts at $260. These are 5-star prices.

The New World Makati was built in 1988 and was renovated some years ago, but it feels like it is fast approaching yet another renovation. Yes, when it opened in 1989 it WAS a 5-star hotel, but the Philippines was a much different country in 1989 and standards have changed.

I liked my room, it was very spacious, but some of the furniture was run down and the windows were so dirty and covered with grime one could barely see out of them. No idea when they had last been cleaned, but any picture we tried to take of the view was worthless. The pictures of the pool were very glamorous, but when I visited it on my 1st day, it was just a simple…pool. Nothing fancy.

Anyway…..we were on the 19th floor, and there appeared to be a huge stain right outside the elevators. Like, 6ft by 4ft stain on the carpet. Look at the photo. In my room, they had black duct tape around the window for some reason. To keep it from falling out? The lampshade on the tall standup lamp was soiled and stained, looks like water damage; easily replaced.

In the bathroom, there was some weird white liquid stain dripping down from the sink area onto the wood below, maybe paint? Maybe some kind of sealant? And under the cabinet that held the sink, there was paint or wood-stain running onto the wall. Sloppy workmen, but should have been cleaned up by someone. While I sat in the bathtub, I could see all this and made me wonder how New World calls themselves a 5-star hotel.

One other gripe…when we checked in, no one “showed us the room”, if you know what I mean. We didn’t get shown where everything is. We stayed there for 11 days, and I had to go out any buy some dishes, cups and silverware so we could eat in the room. Then, just one day before we checked out, my wife went over to a counter to check something and discovered a hidden drawer containing all the things we needed! It was a perfectly hidden, seamless drawer under a counter that had silverware, dishes, etc! When the drawer is closed it totally blends into the cabinet! I really wish someone had shown me that when we checked in.

Lobby is huge and very nice, I'm sure when this place opened in 1989 it was probably one of the best hotels in the city. The staff was friendly, polite and professional, no issues with them at all.

There is a restaurant in the lobby area, but the food is really expensive, much more expensive than the restaurants in the mall across the street. We went down one morning to eat breakfast, but it cost 1200 peso each ($22) as of August 2022, which is insane for the Philippines. That is $46 for two, including the tip.

Oh, and they add on 10% as a “service fee”, which simply goes to the management, not the workers. They had a nice layout; pancakes, sausage, rice, soup, cheeses, eggs….no complaints about the quality, just the price.

Anyway…..the best thing about the New World Makati is….it’s literally 50 feet across the street from the...

This Hotel is a Joke – AVOID at All Costs If I could give zero stars, I would. This was supposed to be a five-star hotel, but my experience was beyond frustrating. Let me break it down:

Smoking Problem on Level 21 I was initially assigned a room on Level 21, and the entire walkway reeked of cigarette smoke—in a supposedly non-smoking hotel. Other guests were clearly smoking in their rooms, and the hotel's response? Placing an air purifier outside my door. As if that would magically fix the problem. Spoiler: it didn’t. The smell was still there the next morning, after breakfast, and throughout the day.

Cockroach in the Bathroom + The Hotel's Corporate Lies While taking a shower, I found a cockroach in the bathroom. In a five-star hotel. Unacceptable. Gross, but it gets worse—I later discovered TWO MORE COCKROACHES. That makes a total of three cockroaches in what is supposed to be a luxury hotel. Absolutely unacceptable.

I recorded two of them on video. So this wasn’t some isolated incident—this hotel clearly has a serious hygiene issue.

So, I called the front desk to request a room change. Here’s where things got worse:

They told me I had to wait two hours for a similar room. If I wanted an immediate change, I’d have to take a downgrade to a twin room—why should I accept a downgrade for a problem that wasn’t my fault? And then guess what? When I told them I had recorded a video of the cockroach and was about to post it on social media, they magically found a room immediately. No more “two-hour wait.” Suddenly, a "higher-category" room was available. So, which was it? Were they lying before, or did they only take action when they feared bad publicity?

And yes—I still have the video of the cockroach.

The "Upgrade" Was a Joke The hotel claimed they "upgraded" my room. But in reality? It was the same category. The only difference was slightly different furniture. It didn’t feel premium in any way. Just another empty PR move.

Poorly Maintained Rooms The so-called better room was just as disappointing:

The TV didn’t work. The bathroom mirror had stains. The wooden floors creaked with every step. The bathroom tiles were chipped, making it unsafe to walk barefoot. The entire room looked old, worn out, and in desperate need of renovation. For a five-star hotel, the lack of maintenance is shocking.

Zero Empathy for Guests On my last day, I wasn’t feeling well and called reception to ask for a slightly later checkout, since my flight was later in the day. Their response?

"The latest you can check out is 12:30 PM." No flexibility, no concern. The only thing they asked? "Do you need a nurse?" That’s not hospitality. That’s just going through the motions without actually caring.

Final Verdict – NEVER Again The only good things about this hotel? The location and a few decent staff members. But honestly, that’s not enough to make up for the cockroach, the lies, the bad maintenance, and the lack of professionalism.

Would I ever stay here again? Absolutely not.

Would I recommend it? Only if you enjoy being lied to, overpaying for a rundown room, and dealing with cockroaches.

Stay somewhere else. This place is NOT...

New World? More like my new way of life. My goodness, now this is five star service I can get used to. I was indeed introduced to a new world, a world of luxury, relaxation, and a whole new appreciation for the finer things in life. This hotel blew me away from start to finish, from the gorgeous hotel room, to the quick and courteous service, to the never-ending kindness, patience, and smiles from the staff.

My newly-minted wife and I stayed at New World Makati for our honeymoon for nine days, and let me tell you, it was the best nine-day stay we’ve ever experienced. From the minute we walked in, up until our very last moment at this hotel, we were treated as if we were the most esteemed guests in the world. The room was luxurious and spacious in its design, and it even came with a lovely dessert congratulating us on our newly formed union. There was also a members-only club on the floor above us, in which we were able to drink and dine in blissful opulence.

Every single member of the staff was absolutely incredible. My wife unfortunately fell ill for a couple of days during our stay, and the staff did everything they could to nurse her back to health. The hotel had a doctor and nurse available on site, and after quickly diagnosing her ailments, the doctor then sent his nurse to pick up her prescription so that I wouldn’t even have to leave her side. The restaurant manager packed up some breakfast items from the buffet to bring back up to the room when my wife missed mealtime, and asked her about her well-being and even ensured that fruit and bread was cut up and served to the table after learning that the doctor had put her on a temporary diet. And speaking of that breakfast buffet, it was probably the most wonderfully diverse buffet I’ve ever partaken in. There was such a wide variety of food, some of which even changed day by day, that it was impossible to become bored of the first meal of the day. Dishes ranging from garlic fried rice, eggs, and longganisa, to sushi and noodles with soup dumplings, to Philippine and international pastries, plus a gourmet omelette station, made breakfast at this hotel a very exciting affair.

The fitness centre was another amazing bonus, as it literally had everything a gym rat like me could ask for. From a treadmill to an elliptical, to a complete set of dumbbells, to a squat rack and bench press, their facility had it all. Did I also mention amazing staff at the fitness centre who handed you a scented towel with a smile and earnestly wished you to have a great workout? Seriously, the smiles at this hotel never stopped.

Overall, we had an extremely satisfying stay at the New World, and it will most likely be our go-to for accommodations whenever we visit Manila. Thank you so much for making our...