Hotel Review: Century Park Hotel Manila 2018

Last March 31, we decided to spend a nice and relaxing Easter weekend staycation in Century Park Hotel Manila used to be known as Century Park Sheraton. The hotel opened, I believe, in 1974 and it's strategically situated just beside SM Store and Harrison Plaza which now also houses a Shopwise branch. Knowing that this hotel is just walking distance to Harison Plaza is one of the reasons why we decided to stay so that we could buy the things or food that we needed.


Check out our Easter Party Experience at the Century Park Hotel by clicking this link.

As soon as we entered Century Park Hotel, I was able to smell that clean and fresh scent that I always look for in a hotel because it eases the stress and helps me relax. It already gave me good vibes that our staycation is going to be awesome.

Checking in

We arrived at the hotel at exactly 2PM and we noticed there was already a line for the check-in/check-out counters. There were only two of us in line, so I expected the waiting time to be less than a minute or two. Unfortunately, I found myself standing in line for more than 10 minutes waiting for the one in front of me to finish their check-in. I just took selfies and looked around the lobby to keep myself entertained.

When it was my turn, I gave my printed receipts and reservation details to the receptionist because I made my reservations online. I also noted online that I wanted to be checked in on the 17th floor because I wanted a higher floor, which the online agent acknowledged. So when I gave the papers, I expected the process to be faster, but unfortunately, it also took a while for the receptionist to process my reservation. There was only one receptionist for the check-ins and I noticed that she often leaves her spot to go to another room to process payment or to get change, to photocopy, etc., which I think are the contributing factors on why check-in takes so long. I was asked if I wanted smoking or non-smoking, and I chose the later, and then we were given a room on the 16th floor. I no longer bothered to address that we were guaranteed for a room on the 17th floor because I was afraid it will take me another 10 minutes or more to process it. My family and I wanted to rest.

The Deluxe Room

Inside the deluxe room, we already noticed that it's a renovated room because everything looks brand new. From the carpets to the ceiling to the beds and even to the bathroom, everything looks fresh, clean, and new, which made a good impression. 

Deluxe Twin Beds

We got the twin deluxe room so we get two twin beds. The beds and their linens were so soft and clean. We noticed that the beds can be moved so if we wanted to put the two beds together, we can do that. 

Glass wall 

This is also one of the major reasons why I chose this hotel and this particular room because of the bathtub! Well, the bathtub and the glass wall to be specific. Imagine soaking yourself in the bathtub while watching TV! My kids definitely enjoyed this and I can watch over them at the same time while I'm relaxing on the bed. 

The Floor/Carpet

One of the things I noticed in the room is that the floor was divided into two; bed area is covered in a brown carpet while the area going to the exit door/bathroom is tiled. I observed the floor closely and I noticed the hotel used non-slip (or rough) tiles to prevent guests from slipping which is a major plus for me. Also, the tiles don't get cold easily so it's pretty comfortable for the feet to walk on even in an air-conditioned room. On the other hand, I also liked their carpet because it's really clean and soft to step on. They don't feel flat like old carpets do.

Flat Screen TV

The kids were happy that they have Cartoon Network channel. When they're happy, I'm happy. 

Mini bar

I kind of liked the idea that the hotel used a glass chiller. That way, we could always see what's inside without opening the door. Note that when we entered the room, the chiller was empty. I bought all the drinks before checking in and placed them all inside the chiller as seen in the picture above.

Telephone

Bathroom

Bathroom

The bathroom is complete with a clean basin, bathtub, toilet, and a separate shower room with rain shower feature. We got bath amenities such as soap, shampoo and conditioner, dental kits, vanity kit, detergent, and a shower cap. I only got weirded out because we only have one bath soap, only one. Usually, there's two; one for the basin and one for the bath. I just brushed it off because I brought body wash for me and my kids. 

Just one minor concern is that my 5-year-old can't reach the taps in the basin because the basin was placed too high for a child to reach. She had to call me every time she needs to wash her hands. I thought that was a safety precaution so kids wouldn't have easy access to the taps, but still, it was a bit inconvenient for me to be called every time she needs to wash her hands/face/brush her teeth, etc.

View from the Bathtub

The bathtub was complete with safety features and it was also equipped with a hand shower so you can wash your hair/body while in the bath. Water was also strong and the water turns hot easily when we wanted a hot bath. 

I thought it was going to be a relaxing moment when I soak myself in the bathtub and watch TV, but then this happened :D I just had to close the blinds to have peace of mind. 

Kids definitely loved the bathtub and glass wall combo

Bathroom Door Has No Lock

Another unconventional thing we experienced in the room was the bathroom door has no locks, no locks. The bathroom door was a wooden sliding door that you just slide sideways when you want to open or close it. No locks mean there's no privacy so whenever we take a bath or go to the toilet, our children can go in anytime. We just tell them that it's going to be stinky inside the bathroom whenever we're going to use the toilet so that they don't go inside. Was this another safety precaution? Maybe.

Swimming Pool

Century Park Hotel has two pools. One pool which was the Olympic pool was under construction. It seemed like a great pool to practice swimming, especially for athletes. 

Olympic sized pool (under renovation at time of visit)
I also noticed a registration table where guests and walk-in guests can register for the Lozada swimming lessons for the summer. 

Swimming Pool

The second pool was a big oval-shaped pool. On one side, it's only 3 feet and then as you go to the other side, the depth becomes deeper up to 10 feet if I'm not mistaken. 

Swimming with the kids

Swimming time

We only stayed on the other side of the pool. My 5-year-old still can't reach the bottom so I had to watch over her. It's a good thing we brought a vest for the kids so they can easily float on the pool. The hotel provided free towels for us to use during swimming. 

Swimming Pool Selfie

The View from the Room

I mentioned in my previous blog post when we stayed in a condo in Pasay that one major impact of a good staycation is the room's view. Well, Century Park Hotel definitely did not fail me on this one. After a tiring day of swimming and loitering around the hotel (haha), it was definitely breathtaking to see the famous Manila Bay sunset at the comfort in our room. It was really amazing. I just kept on taking pictures of it every day during our stay. We could also see Harrison Plaza from our window. 

Manila Bay sunset

Another picture of the Manila Bay sunset

Harrison Plaza 

Checking out

We checked out 1:30PM because that's their late check out time. When we reached the receptionist, I gave the room cards and I thought we were ready to go. The receptionist said we need to wait because they need to check the room that we stayed in. So we waited about 10 minutes standing up. There were not enough chairs available for check out guests to wait in the lobby while their room is being cleared, so this was one concern I noticed. After they checked our room, they said we were ready to go.

Pros and Cons

To sum up our 3-day, 2-night stay in Century Park Hotel, here are the pros and cons that we experienced in no particular order: 

As soon as you exit the hotel door, you could already see Harrison Plaza and SM Department Store. 

Pros: 

• Location: It's located just beside Harrison Plaza where there's Shopwise, SM Department Store, and lots of kiosk stores giving the hotel guests the convenience of buying food and other needs. It's very accessible to everything. 
• Service Staff: 5 stars for staff service such as the security most especially the ones guarding the elevators because they always keep the door open for us whenever we go in/go out. 
• Room: Newly renovated. The beds were comfortable and clean. The bathroom was superb except for some minor concerns which you can read below. The carpet was clean. The room was excellent overall. 
• View: Since I could see the Manila Bay sunset from our room, this is a major plus for me. 
• Pool: Has lifeguards available and always on the lookout. 
• Price: It's a 5-star hotel with a 4-star price. 

Cons: 

• Long Check In and Check out process.
• Bathroom door has no lock
• Basin was too high for my 5-year-old to reach. 
• Intermittent to slow WIFI. I really hope they could improve their WIFI speed. 
• There was no kiddie pool where you can let the kids swim freely. 
• No Pokemon Gym nearby (my son said I should include this in the cons list - haha)

Conclusion

All hotels has its pros and cons, but for Century Park Hotel, the pros definitely outweighed the cons. All in all, we really had a wonderful stay. They hosted a wonderful Easter Party for the family, our room was clean and relaxing, the hotel staff was excellent. We did not experience any negative impressions from any of the staff or their services. When I asked my family if they wanted to go back, they happily responded, "Yes!"  

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