Kabayan Hotel — Hotel in Pasay

KABAYAN HOTEL REVIEW (Superior Room)

PROS:

Newly built modern hotel Nice and clean rooms Comfy bed & pillows Superb toilet and shower room Amazing minimalist interior decorating especially at the lobby Good value for money Good location (near NAIA, Jollibee & Chowking and other shops Friendly staff (most of them) Superior Room has a high ceiling Acceptable internet wi-fi speed MRT Station is near The food is OK Good hospitality

CONS:

The building has very poor sound proofing/insulation. You can easily hear the noise of passing vehicles along EDSA (horns beeping, sirens wailing, motorists revving) as if the windows are opened. Moreover, you can hear the people talking adjacent to your room. In fact, I've even recorded the voices of the people next to my room using my cellphone. You can even hear the splash of water in the toilet located above your room. The TV is smart but the setup is NOT. The use of smart TV is temperamental. You will definitely call for assistance because of the cheap digital box installed. No buffet breakfast only a la carte. The price of a la carte breakfast is misleading. On my first breakfast I was charged P250 for a meal that only cost P200. On my 4th day it happened again but this time I complained. A la carte serving is comparable to a kiddie meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner) Mediocre buffet merienda (mostly carbs) Albeit the building is new and the location is good, the surrounding area is very busy, noisy and unmodernized. Loads of street/sidewalk vendors and the feeling of danger everytime you go out. Most of the time it takes ages for the reception to answer the phone. SPEEDTEST shows only 2.93 Mbps of download speed and 2.97 Mbps of upload. The slow Internet affects the quality of streaming on the smart TV but good for your phone or laptop if you just browse the Internet, use YouTube and other social media. Checking in is a tad slow. Sometimes only one receptionist is at the front desk. Some minor room issues such as: Smart TV not smartly installed. Aircon a bit noisy and less cold. Forgot to put towels in the toilet. Requested a room make-over and it took almost two hours to arrive. Lack of smile at the front desk. No hair dryer Limited parking

A Typical NEW 3 Star Hotel in Pasay. Had a staycation for 18 nights on a Superior Room and overall my experience was up to standard at the New Kabayan Hotel. I always prefer newly opened hotels (this is the main reason why I chose this hotel). Had to transfer to another room because of TV and aircon issues but it was a smooth transition. From 3rd floor to 10th floor the view was better as well. An inclusion of a hair dryer would also be nice but there wasn't. My check-in was a bit slow but smooth. However, I heard other customers complaining about their room was not yet ready causing delay and long queue. The lack of smile at the front desk was unwelcoming. The food taste nice but very limited serving. I prefer buffet breakfast than a la carte. Good thing I booked room only with no breakfast included. Otherwise, I would be disappointed. Nevertheless, despite all these shortcomings I would still rate this hotel 3 out of 5 stars simply because it's NEW.

Tip: Unless you want a better view, it would be better if you choose a room not facing EDSA because the traffic noise...

To elaborate my experience one by one: Apparently their restaurant is not very welcoming to walk in guests, unlike other hotel restaus. I just wanted something to eat and drink while waiting for my friend checked in the hotel. Was given cold glares when they found out I was not staying at the hotel and wanted to see my ID. I've never experienced this in a restaurant ever. Restaurant is noisy. People talking loudly on the phone with no consideration for other diners. And the servers and management do nothing about it. The servers are not very hospitable. Did not even bother to serve water at the table. You have to serve yourself. Not the quality of restaurant you're looking for. I experienced weird glares from the servers. Would not give me enough time to choose in the menu. They're like 5-seconds up, "are you done now?". When you do order, majority of the meals in their menu are not available. They don't bother to update or even be apologetic about it. When I did finally get an available order after 5-attempts, I was served a very warm white wine (not even chilled), and inside a brandy glass(?). Not even the right wine glass, and there was a bit of dirt on the top glassware. The food serving of mixed fruits was not prepared well. You had to cut the fruits off yourself and the presentation was definitely off. It was just in an ordinary plate, and you almost had to cut the fruits off yourself just to enjoy the meal. I was in the middle of still enjoying the meal, when the waiter told me I had to pay already. When he asked my mode of payment which was in card, they told me I had to stop eating immediately and pay now AT THE COUNTER (far away from the table). When I asked if I could do it later after eating the meal, I was told NO. "You have to settle it NOW. Is there any issue? Is it okey lang po?" I answered, "Do I have a choice considering I just started eating?" So I immediately settled. First restaurant (not a fast food joint) that I've gone to that the payment needed to be settled in a rush while eating as if they were in fear the guest would leave the bill unpaid. One of the more senior waiters was looking at me weirdly from head to foot, took my card and looked at it from bottom to top as if implying it's fake. Was weird also, because they split my payments in two. One payment for the food. And separate payment transaction for the drink which I found too much of an overkill. When I came back to my table and seat to continue eating, one of the servers shut off the lights. I was obviously still eating and wasted time at the counter payment, and the server and bartender were not even apologetic for it. They were just like, "oh there's still a person." I did not bother to finish my meal after such disrespect and went to the restroom. The wooden door is stuck and can't budge as seems to be stuck to the tiles. You'll have to exert brute force if you wanna use the restroom. Too much effort. Was not in the mood anymore for a night out with my friend after this. If you ask me if I'll ever come back here again or if I'll recommend this place to friends. The answer is NO. Just NO. Find somewhere else to go to and get your moneys worth spending on a restaurant. For a place like this that claims to be fine dining and with the cost of the food/drinks, the service...

First time at Kabayan was on November 2023. That was when these videos were taken. We called their mobile number to book a room good for 2 and reservations desks' cheapest recommendation was a Standard Room w/o breakfast, but my mom wanted the one with breakfast. I think we were assigned to the older side of the building, and the Standard room was the one with Queen bed since we were just a mother and daughter fine with sharing a bed. The hallway leading to our room was a bit long, or far away from the elevator. It's a little creepy walking through it alone but it's okay.

It was quite pricey for a 1-night stay (paid upon check-in), but the room was clean, well furnished, and had fun light fixtures (dim lights, main lights, hall lights - there are so many lights 😂). It was air conditioned and the amenities that came with it, such as wifi and free breakfast were okay. Our flight was at the very early hours in the morning and after informing the front desk, she gave instructions on how we could still avail our free breakfast even before breakfast time. I think the hotel's convenient location (15-20 mins away from NAIA Terminals and MOA and Taft Ave. MRT/LRT Station) in addition to its wide range of room options and services add up to its high value and rate.

The hotel's overall vibe is "old school" with its bell-shaped luggage carriers, bell boys, revolving door, and wooden and leather furniture. It successfully gives off that 'classic, sophisticated, and long-established' brand and service upon entering the establishment.

The staff are so courteous and helpful, and the food at Salo (their in-house restaurant) were delicious and served in hearty portions (especially their yummy batchoy), tho their price ranged around ₱₱-₱₱₱.

You basically have to splurge for a positive experience.

Moving on, the pictures attached here, on the other hand, were taken just this month, January 2024. My mom flew solo this time and I helped her book a PAD Solo room. I looked up Kabayan's contact info again online, and checked out their available rooms good for 1, and this time dialed thru Viber (bcos my sim couldn't connect somehow??). I found out they were having their anniversary promo(?) and all selected rooms were 40% off until end of January. PAD Solo w/breakfast was at a rate of 1,800 per night if paid upon booking (paid in advance via online payment). The rate is different if paid upon check-in or at the front desk.

PAD Solo's design is very different from their Standard Room, and its design looks more similar to a tiny condo unit, or more like a bedspace. It has less amenities than Standard room, but everything is brand new. From the ceiling to the walls, the bathroom, the bed. Nothing had traces of aging or that looks renovated, unlike the Standard Room we booked last November.

It's really advisable to check out their website and research the rooms they offer to know what's suitable for you depending on how many of you are staying, for how long, what your budget is, what kind of room you are comfortable with, and other preferences and necessities that you value.

I also find Viber as their most stable and reliable channel of communication, so I recommend you use Viber when contacting...