Hotel Okura Manila — Hotel in Pasay

Disappointing Experience at Hotel Okura: Poor Service, Lack of Transparency, and Avoid Room 515

Considering the Php 19,000 nightly rate and the hotel's reputation for advanced technology, this experience was deeply disappointing. The engineers and staff should have been transparent about the issues and could have saved me 3 hours to relax. I would recommend staying at Shangri-La or Fairmont Hotel, even if they are a bit farther, for a more reliable and great customer service experience.

Again, the worst customer service at Hotel Okura considering it is a Japanese 5-star hotel. For a Php 19,000+ per night room, they didn't even know how the speakers worked, and their engineers tried to hide the problem of the speakers malfunctioning and being stuck on high volume. I had to go back and forth for more than 3 hours with them. Here’s a quick timeline below:

8:00pm: Called housekeeping/front desk. They didn't know how to turn on the Bathroom speakers, so they called me back after 20 minutes to tell me which buttons to press. 8:30pm: Called again. The buttons were not working, and the speakers remained off. 9:00pm: Two of Hotel Okura's engineers arrived. They assured me everything was in working condition. All they did was plug something behind the TV that had been left unplugged the whole time. I was disappointed that they didn't remove their dirty shoes before entering the room, as is customary in Japanese hotels. 9:30pm: The engineers left, and we tested the speakers ourselves. The speakers turned on, but the volume was set too high, and the volume button for decreasing the sound wasn't working. I had asked them to test it before leaving. 9:45pm: Repeated the issue again and was rudely answered by Carrie at the front desk. Just because you use "po" in your sentence does not excuse a rude tone. 10:00pm: Another engineer was sent out. He honestly admitted that the speakers were malfunctioning and that the only way to fix them was to bring a ladder to access something above, but even that fix wasn't guaranteed. I told them this should have been addressed before check-in and asked them to inform their manager. 10:45pm: The senior duty manager, Benn, knocked on my door after being unable to reach me by phone. She only offered wine as an apology. Given the late hour, I didn't want to repeat everything that had happened. I had expected a follow-up at check-out, but there was none.

Please note that all of this occurred while I was using their Hinoki-yu Bath Tub or showering. I had to interrupt my relaxation repeatedly over the course of three hours to answer their calls and open the door. This level of customer service is unacceptable. Offering a bottle of wine as compensation is insufficient. Furthermore, Benn, the duty manager, seemed more focused on ending the issue quickly rather than genuinely addressing our concerns. Here is part of the...

Considering the Php 19,000 nightly rate and the hotel's reputation for advanced technology, this experience was deeply disappointing. The engineers and staff should have been transparent about the issues and could have saved me 3 hours to relax. I would recommend staying at Shangri-La or Fairmont Hotel, even if they are a bit farther, for a more reliable and great customer service experience.||Again, the worst customer service at Hotel Okura considering it is a Japanese 5-star hotel. For a Php 19,000+ per night room, they didn't even know how the speakers worked, and their engineers tried to hide the problem of the speakers malfunctioning and being stuck on high volume. I had to go back and forth for more than 3 hours with them. Here’s a quick timeline below:||8:00pm: Called housekeeping/front desk. They didn't know how to turn on the Bathroom speakers, so they called me back after 20 minutes to tell me which buttons to press.|8:30pm: Called again. The buttons were not working, and the speakers remained off.|9:00pm: Two of Hotel Okura's engineers arrived. They assured me everything was in working condition. All they did was plug something behind the TV that had been left unplugged the whole time. I was disappointed that they didn't remove their dirty shoes before entering the room, as is customary in Japanese hotels.|9:30pm: The engineers left, and we tested the speakers ourselves. The speakers turned on, but the volume was set too high, and the volume button for decreasing the sound wasn't working. I had asked them to test it before leaving.|9:45pm: Repeated the issue again and was rudely answered by Carrie at the front desk. Just because you use "po" in your sentence does not excuse a rude tone.|10:00pm: Another engineer was sent out. He honestly admitted that the speakers were malfunctioning and that the only way to fix them was to bring a ladder to access something above, but even that fix wasn't guaranteed. I told them this should have been addressed before check-in and asked them to inform their manager.|10:45pm: The senior duty manager, Benn, knocked on my door after being unable to reach me by phone. She only offered wine as an apology. Given the late hour, I didn't want to repeat everything that had happened. I had expected a follow-up at check-out, but there was none.||Please note that all of this occurred while I was using their Hinoki-yu Bath Tub or showering. I had to interrupt my relaxation repeatedly over the course of three hours to answer their calls and open the door. This level of customer service is unacceptable. Offering a bottle of wine as compensation is insufficient. Furthermore, Benn, the duty manager, seemed more focused on ending the issue quickly rather than genuinely addressing our concerns. Here is part of the...

5-star hotel indeed 💕

My husband and I stayed at the Deluxe Executive King room for one night and it’s absolutely the best staycation experience we’ve had so far.

Parking: a little bit tricky because it is shared but from the hotel entrance just go straight ahead, park at either basement 3, 4 or 5 with the letter A post. Parking is free if you’re checked in.

Reception: everyone is so warm and hospitable. The lobby is so modern and aesthetic!

Room: this is such a large room for 2 pax. You have the most aesthetic entryway where you can also take a full body mirror photo. There is a living room and the sofa is so soft and comfy, best for lounging. The TV is rotatable so you can watch from the bed side or from the living room side. There is a coffee corner with nespresso machine and free coffee pods! Wait, you’re also welcomed with banana chips and chocolate, and of course water. The bathroom? Just wow! The bathroom of my dreams 😩 toilet is heated, and everything is automatic! Very Japan! 😅 y’all even the curtains are remote-controlled lol. There’s flat iron and ironing board in the room too. One thing i didnt like is the bed, maybe because i’m preggy it didnt feel as comfy, it’s firm but at the same time i didnt wake up with a sore body. Just wish the bed was softer.

Amenities: again, pool is heated. We were there on a Monday so it wasn’t crowded at all. We were just 4 people in the pool. It is soooo peaceful up there in the roof top and you can just sit there for hours and watch the planes fly. The Health Club was empty when we were there. I couldn’t do hot baths because I’m preggy but it was sooo inviting lol. We didn’t go to the gym but you can access it too.

Breakfast: not a lot of choices i would say but it’s a mix of savory and sweet so i was super satisfied. The beef tapa was the best along with the onion-vinegar sauce and pickles 😭 beef tapa was soooo good and tender! The salad section y’all with their selection of toppings and sauces! Bomb! They had this bread peach danish which was also a 10/10 definitely a must try! They had cold cuts and variety of cheeses that I couldnt try because again, preggy. The coffee though, was bomb as well. Their breakfast selection is basically a mix of filipino, western and japanese. And!!! They have cold fresh buko OMG😩 and champorado too w/c i didnt get to try lol.

Overall, Okura, for me is the best staycation place in Manila. We will...