DRAKE HOTEL — Restaurant in Angeles

Stayed for 5 nights Oct 26-31, 2023. Originally booked room through third-party website and then changed it because the hotel website had it for 25% off. When we get to the hotel they said the room needs to be paid for so okay I said do you accept credit cards and they said they didn't. What hotel in 2023 does not accept credit cards for payment? We got put into a room right next to the front desk their deluxe suite. A little strange but it worked. The safe was more mechanical than digital but it served its function and they have CCTV. There is no key card and they give you a block of wood with two keys and a little device to somehow to lock the safe which proved to be somewhat difficult. Definitely needs some renovation in this department plus decor in the lobby was a little gaudy but maybe not for a carpenter or wood cutter.

Room: 4/5⭐ Stayed in room 101 which was their deluxe suite. Quite large for two people and the shower heads were quite nice. Entire room super clean after running a UV/black light throughout. Bed was very comfortable and the AC nice and cold with a good sized TV and lineup of streaming apps. Internet always consistently up. Room needed an extra trash can and the hygiene products were by the bed instead of the bathroom.

Staff: 5/5⭐ The shining star here. Frank especially was very helpful in answering our questions and helping us get what we needed in a very timely way. Front desk personnel were courteous and helpful printing out forms and answering our questions even late into the night. Front door security guard both shifts were helpful getting our luggage in, hailing down jeepneys and opening vehicle doors for us. Very classy! Owners Papi and wife are very engaged with customer experience.

Food/bar: 4/5⭐ Ate breakfast here once. Chose the biscuits and gravy and it was okay but probably needs a little bit more flavor. No breakfast buffet but don't expect too much from a 2⭐ hotel. Did not utilize the bar. Atmosphere seemed to be warm and welcoming for foreigners.

Amenities/location: 3/5⭐ It's pretty far out there but a potential customer would know that when they pick this place. That being said, initially staff said there was no jeepney so we started to use Grab but found that the jeepney does pass by it's just maybe every 15 to 20 minutes. It is walkable to 7-11 about 200m away and then the same direction a laundromat which is 70 pesos to wash, dry and yes fold 5kg load and then around that corner is the VFW which served a really nice breakfast and had a nice staff. If you're expecting a pool and a gym get ready to be disappointed. I knew that but after a while it would have been nice to have it.

Recommendation: Overall 4.25🌟s. Will we stay here again...maybe! We will look at hotels which are closer to the SM Mall and have more amenities. Yes, the price will be higher as we paid $176 for these 5 nights. Not too bad but keep your options open...

decent budget hotel if the price is right.

i decided to try it after my flight got cancelled for a few days

the cons: and some work arounds

does not accept credit cards but require one to book a room on thier website..

1000 peso deposit (you can charge food to your room which is good)

no elevator (they will carry your stuff for you though)

atm was down (7-11 very close though with atm)

room advertises fridge but i had to request someone bring one in as there was none (they did and it was fine)

no ac remote and tv remote was non working.

room smelled like smoke so bad one day i had to make sure there was no fire.. turns out people nearby were burning stuff and it comes through the ac.

no window (i personally dont mind as i like to sleep in except when the room smells of smoke)

had to flip the switch on breaker to get the shower hot water heater working

pros:

price was cheap (but factor in trike rides both ways foriegner price when you go out cause everythings a far distance unless you really like walking. (7-11 right next door though)

room was clean

bed was comfortable

wifi was zero issues

aircon worked great after a day or so to drop the temp.

they accommodated my early checkin

also they mentioned the price is going up in september as it will be busy and they no longer have to give rooms away. their words.

its possible because i only stayed a few days , my booking was kinda last minute and got a cheap room rate that they gave me a lesser used room which would explain my issues. so other rooms may be better.

i think alot of the ratings here are more for the resteraunt...

I was very disappointed with our stay at this hotel. The room was not clean at all. The toilet was dirty, with visible stains and built-up dirt in the bowl. The towel provided had a red spot, and the bed sheet even had what looked like dried saliva. There were no free slippers provided, which is a basic amenity in most hotels. The floor felt sticky, which made walking around uncomfortable. The room’s design and paint were very outdated, giving the place an old and neglected feel. Another big issue was the lack of accessible power outlets. There weren’t enough sockets to charge our devices. The only available plug was on a multiple socket outlet where the TV was also connected, so only one slot was usable. There was another outlet near the bed, but it was located behind the refrigerator. If you wanted to use it, you had to pull the fridge out, which was very inconvenient. I suggest the management add more accessible power outlets, especially near the bed area.

On the positive side, the Wi-Fi was fast and stable throughout our stay. However, there was poor mobile signal inside the hotel, particularly for Smart and Globe users. There were several dead spots, especially in the outdoor areas.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend staying here unless significant improvements are made in cleanliness, maintenance, and guest...