Meralco facility improvements usher Manila Hotel into the next century

MANILA, Philippines — When the Philippine Department of Tourism set a target of 10-million tourist arrivals by the end of 2016, coupled with a massive country branding campaign, it was up to various players of tourism and hospitality to improve their facilities and deliver based on tourist expectations. That includes the 100-year old Manila Hotel.

Crossing the break

For Manila Hotel, the challenge was not just to upgrade rooms, but breathe new life and re-energize the home of illustrious personages now and then – and that meant a fresh and more reliable supply of electricity from Meralco.

A new electrical support system had to be put in place to meet the requirements of the hotel’s sophisticated and growing clientele, who are after a multi-use, multi-entertainment venue.

The hotel’s management, led by its President Atty. Joey Lina, came to Meralco to re-evaluate the facility and the building’s power supply needs. “We requested Meralco for an additional supply of 1 megawatt power, and it responded very quickly to our request,” he said.

Meralco promptly acted on Manila Hotel’s additional load request, resulting in an electrical supply that was now more stable, sufficient, and reliable. A switch from the generator arrangement to the Meralco supply line freed the hotel from unnecessary genset OPEX.

Beyond the brass tacks

The sudden gush of possibilities thrilled the hotel management, which soon requested for a greater fine-tuning of its energy services. “We are looking into the continued improvements here in the hotel,” Lina added.

Meralco’s subsidiary, MServ, was then brought into the picture.

One of the country’s premier energy service companies that provide vertically integrated energy solutions on the customer side of the network, MServ was tapped to leverage its engineering expertise on transformer testing and load side power quality concerns.

MServ recommended and introduced changes beyond the meter, getting the exterior infrastructure in synch with the internal. To ensure safety within the premises, MServ has re-oriented Manila Hotel’s primary facilities to observe certain safety clearances.

One hundred years hence

The Manila Hotel recently celebrated its centennial by welcoming visitors to suites that have been luxuriously renovated and restaurants fully refurbished.

Manila Hotel was the command post of General Douglas MacArthur at the height of World War II and his home for six years. The “Grand Dame” has seen countless luminaries walk down its halls.  King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain, the former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton, Dwight Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson, and John F. Kennedy, Ernest Hemingway, Marlon Brando, and John Wayne were among her notable guests.

“Meralco and the Manila Hotel share a journey that goes back 100 years. We know what being rich in tradition signifies,” said Alfredo S.  Panlilio, Meralco Senior VP and Head of the Customer Retail Services & Corporate Communications. “Companies like the Manila Hotel are institutions. And Meralco is honored to partner with that institution by prescribing the necessary facilities upgrades.”

Now at par with today’s modern standards, The Manila Hotel is again on the pedestal it once occupied. Its facilities are fully amped and its staff psyched up. Because of a decisive consultation with Meralco, power capacity is also all the way up. She has twice the allure; dually armed with old world charm and new world energy capacities. And she once again has the appeal of bringing in the top dignitaries, the A-listers, the cream of society’s crop.

A centenarian she may be, but Meralco’s support helped this 100-year old institution to remain as regal and as opulent. After celebrating its first centennial, upgrades have prepared Manila Hotel to receive a new wave of visitors for the next hundred years. advt