Gran Prix Econotel

I did not know about this "econotel". I just needed to stay overnight in uptown Cebu due to a very early morning engagement somewhere there as I needed to setup things before start of day. My client said she knows a good place in the area and volunteered to booked me a room - on her! Thanks and yehey!

On arrival of OceanJet, I took a cab from Pier 1 to this place - I did not even pass by my house, so all the labadami from Tacloban were still with me hehe! When the taxi arrived, I was like "a, mao diay ni"?

Following day, I went out to take this picture. Ah, this/my hotel was already a hotel since early '90s!
I said I did not know about this hotel, but of course I know this area like... ah, basta I know this area! This was already a hotel alright - make that hotelS (plural) - as I know this had a lot of name changes!

In the early '90s nga, when my previous employer would book me at Cebu Midtown months on end (do you know where that is?!), I would always pass by that corner. I think I was even already passing by when that building was made. Gosh! That bank also had a lot of names already! I remember there had been a "brutus" something eatery also somewhere at ground level. Lami ang ngohiong sa likod!

Ayan, nag-nostalgia na, hahaha!

Paano ba naman... I have stayed in almost all floors of that tall building at the back! I ate countless breakfasts, lunches and dinners, even watched the Sinulog parade while drinking at that circular thing atop the mall! I even know "asa ang lottohan dinha" and where men sell cute puppies in that corner!

Many names have changed! Anyway, back to my Gran Prix, which must be the nth name of this hotel...
This imposing humungous name and logo is at the marble staircase going up to the hotel's lobby.

Tiny lobby (if we can even call this a lobby) and an equally minute frontdesk, always unmanned!
I am not a fan of darkness without windows, so my first comment when I arrived was "ngitngita oi"!

This was my room... I said okay naman. It is just too dark, you always need the lights on.
Well there is that small window high up, that when you open the shades, it let's a little light in hehe.

That airconditioner is old but still good, not too noisy...
Oh that black square thing is called a television, about as big as, and sounds like a tablet!

This is how they present the amenities to your room. I just placed the envelope for reference.
I want to blow-up and frame this picture. The title will be - "different shades of white and gray"! Look at them for a while... notice that the only thing "supposed to be grey" is the TV remote control. All white?

This is the dining area. It's clean and does not have aby offensive smell of scrap food

And this was my breakfast. Murag gi-take-out ra man ni sa pungko-pungko!

But if there's anything I can appreciate in this place are the artworks on the walls. Ngitngit lang :(


Oh well, at least I got to experience this econotel in uptown Cebu. I now wonder if all other places in this area are like so. Did you notice, almost all of these accommodation places along the Mango (Gen Maxilom) area and the Fuente Circle already changed their names?! Maybe that's the trend nowadays.

Maybe I should aready also change my name. Because these places are about my age!

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