HIE Manila Newport
To continue my previous post, I arrived at HIE Newport or Holiday Inn Express Manila Newport City on a Resorts World Free Shuttle Bus. You already know why, right? Oh at 0020H, check-in wasn't a breeze!
Sige I will oblige, but note that everyhing I say, is from a guest's point of view, only :)
Check-in
Midnight Check-inYep, at midnight there were something like 20 of us checking-in about the same time. Sige lang, go ra! Many in the line were foreigners. I think they arrived via the (usual) late-evening to midnight flights of Low Cost Carriers (budget airlines). Yep, travel patterns (therefore, hotel check-in also) keep changing.
Imagine that, check-in time is 2PM (at some it's even 3 or 4PM); check-out time is 12NN; but you arrive at 1AM. That means many of us pay for a whole day's rate, yet stay for not even 12hours. Lugi tayo 'no?
And that practice is worldwide. Hah, for that to change in our favor, it will still take ages!
Anyway, I didn't see any dedicated desk for IHG Club Members, so I stayed with one of the two lines. It would've been uselessly rude to even ask if there was such a desk. The only-two clerks were too busy.
Not an issue to me. I could see they were really 'loaded'. And at 0038H, here I was going to my room.
Dinner
DinnerOh yes, I needed to eat! Last was the lugaw! After check-in, I passed by the restaurant near front desk.
Well, closed but still manned - for 24/7 room service and "grab-and-go" (take-out sa atin yan)!
Wait. Did I say room service? It didn't enter my mind earlier. I just saw these while already eating:
All I did after check-in was go to that restaurant, because it is just beside front desk. And I still waited for the food to be ready, when I could have immediately gone up to this room and wait for it. Diba la?!
But I was happy with what I had. I could've been happier if I saw that red (Top Eats) menu. Tsalap huu!
Rooms At HIE Newport
My RoomThis is an HIE (Holiday Inn Express) hotel, a member of the IHG (International Hotels Group). I've been to a number of their hotel branches, so I kind-of expected what to see and/or experience in my room.
Not to mention that I'm getting to be good at taking pictures haha! Eto ang real and actual room view:
Can you see the hangers at left? That's the clothes rack, and directly below that (which you will see in some of the pictures below) is the luggage rack where you put your maleta, bayong and/or backpack.
Like many new 'budget' or 'boutique' hotels, they do not anymore have wardrobe cabinets - obviously to save on space - which makes a room look and feel spacious, but will look cluttered kung burara ka!
Queen Size Bed - also just enough for me. It's "good for two" yes, but just good enough for me!
Pillows here are also of the "soft" and "firm" combination, just like at many IHG hotels or resorts (but not all) and those words are embroidered on their pillowcases. It's one of IHG's signatures of comfort.
Bedside Amenities
Bedside amenities are modern hip and useful. Let's describe them, starting with the side table at left.
Hindi ini-uuwi yan! And be careful. Though I didn't check on that one, be aware that nowadays, simple looking "alarm clocks" like that one, may have their built-in 'anti-theft' mechanisms or configurations.
How does that work? If you detached it from where it is, it can emit alarm codes to the hotel security!
That one at upper right of the photo collage, the Bedside Control Panel or Bedside Console, is one of the most important gadgets in any hotel room nowadays, right? As you can see, my Samsung Charger is plugged to a Universal Electrical Socket. Universal as you can insert almost any type of power plug.
A touch of modernity: at the center of the control panel are two 2.1A USB Ports. That "A" though, is not clear to me, if it means "amperes" (how USB current is measured), or if it's USB "Type A" (not B, nor C).
Whatever!
Oyst, if you think your nose might already start to bleed with those things I've been describing, calma lang, it does not really matter much (to most of us), if we do not know too deeply about USB specifics.
Mabubuhay ka ng matisawasay kahit di mo alamin sino si 'ampere' at kung type nya ba si A, si B o si C!
But I will still tell you, since I know. Napag-aralan kasi namin yan in 1st Year, sa vocational high school ko. At dagdag kaalaman din yan, ayaw mo?! Ganito, the higher the number that you see, the faster the USB can charge a gadget. Kung walang number, luma yan (original USB 1.0). Ok yan mas mabagal lang.
Just FYI, as I write this, the standard is already USB 2.0 (better for bigger gadgets like tablets). But it is improving fast, there's already USB 3.0 in the market. Alangan naman palit din ng palit ang mga hotel!
As to the "type", you can even forget about A, B or C if all you do is use your phone or tablet for social media marites, youtube and games until batteries are drained. Kung 'di kasya, 'di mo isasaksak di ba?
Type A is the most common, it has a bigger flat end, like in the picture above, and a smaller other end for your gadget to charge. Type B is medyo square o kakaiba ang kabilang dulo, used by external hard drives, printers, scanners, etc., na di naman kasya sa phone mo hahaha! Lalong 'watdahel' ang Type C.
However... eto na children... makinig...
Warning: many of us just think of a USB port as "pang-charge ng phone or tablet", because that's how we commonly use it, right? All too many of us forget, or are not even aware, that such a thing was not even originally made for charging our little gadgets. A USB is for exchanging data between both ends.
Examples:
i) My phone and PC when transferring photos; ii) My keyboard and PC, so I can type; iii) My mouse and PC, so I can navigate. In all of those, gadgets are being linked to "communicate". That is not charging!
Now therefore... bakit ka nakiki-saksak sa dingding na yan? Alam mo ba kung ano ang meron doon sa kabilang dulo? That other end could already be copying ALL your data, while you were 'just charging'!
Mabuti nga kung copy lang, eh kung lagyan ka pa ng kung anu-ano, o di kaya burahin lahat ang buhay ng talepano mo? Then you just discover later, your sensitive data have been used. Patay kang bata ka!
Aw, for a hotel (management), it'd be ridiculous to do such bad things. Eh yung mga tao nila, aber?
That's why I'm not a fan of USB charging ports, especially at 'very' public places. Even at hotels, I still trust the usual electric socket and my phone's charger. Di bale na kung sa banyo pa ako maki-saksak!
Oh, after the two USB ports, there are also two light switches on the right edge of the 'bedside control panel'. One says "Bedside", the other says "Reading". Let us talk about them in the next collage below.
Anyway, still on that photo collage above, you should see that piece of white paper on foreground. It's printed with 'Thank You'. Ah, let us discuss that later too, when the topic is on bedsheets and laundry!
Let's go to the right side of the bed, yes the other bedside table, for more bedside amenities...
Can you see the light switches? There are 3 on this side. The 3rd one is labeled "Master". And as we all already know it, from the word alone, it turns everything in the room either on or off. It's nothing new.
'Master' controls had been in many hotels even in the 1970s - when I was young and had no sense! But the gratifying part now is, it is within reach, together with anything that you need to plug to an outlet.
There are also 2 USB Ports, and there is another universal electrical socket, just like on the other side. I said above "you can insert almost any type of power plug", since it is not really all but, 'a majority of'.
You may not be able to read it in that picture, but if you look closely, there is that orangy note on the socket itself. It says: not for schuko plug. Thus, it is not really really universal. Almost lang, not 100%!
Come to think of it, I haven't yet seen a wall socket, that can be used for "really ALL" kinds of plugs!
What is a schuko anyway? Aw, that is the kind of electrical plug that they use in Germany, Poland and many European countries (but not all)! You probably have seen that from balikbayans and/or tourists.
That's why I always tell Europeans who want visit our country, bring a Universal Power Adapter.
Teka, just to make clear, an electrical socket is what electricity students call a "female plug". In almost all Philippine languages and dialects, we refer to it as: Saksakan. But in Cebuano we say: Saksakanan!
In this HIE, it's at bedside, and at table level - di na kelangan tumuwad o lumuhod para sumaksak. Da! Sina MarianoJunior, Doktorita atbp., are probably now laughing at the words - tuwad, luhod at saksak!
Hayaan nyo sila. They're my very imaginative-creative friends! Okay, back to the picture collage above.
And there is the Landline! Yeah, the telephone! Trivial as it may seem, let me tell you, that that gadget is now often called "landline" - because what we now refer to as "telephone" are our cellular phones!
Yeah, landlines are slowly getting to be useless in our homes and elsewhere. Goodbye PLDT, and even Bayantel hahah! I just remembered, in the late 1980s to the early 90s, the "waitlist" was about 3 years!
Yeah, 3 years, from the date of application, before PLDT could give you a number and install a unit. Sa BF Parañque-Tahanan Village area na yan. Ay, many places weren't reached, even after Bayantel came.
Oh I remember too, ang susungit ng mga tao sa PLDT. Monopoly kasi. Pero, walang "forever" di ba?!
Anyway, for us travelers, it would be good to note, that so many hotels (big or small), even motels and other accommodation facilities still have landline phones - and the new ones still install them. Why?!
Well, I learned, because landline units are now dirt-cheap, some of the smaller buildings use them as "intercom" (without telco lines), not necessarily as a phone system interacting with the outside world!
As for big reputable hotels like this HIE, landlines are still "a standard", although it is clear to anyone, that they are rapidly declining in usefulness! I can bravely forecast, the landline is about to dissipate!
Not that I'm advocating for the disappearance of the landline hahaha! All I am saying is: it is about to fizzle out due to better technology. So, we better start piling our memories of the telephone landline.
For example, I don't anymore dial 108 or 109 hehe. Young folks now won't even know what it was/is!
But there's an 'amusing look' of landline phones inside hotel rooms. And they're the same everywhere in the world (I think). Well at least the better ones! Look at that one in the picture. Napansin mo ba?
The hotel's complete Name and address is usually printed on top of everything, then followed by the Room Number. Have you ever wondered why? No, it is not about anti-theft since you can easily erase it if you want! It is because, when people are on a call, they often need to tell the other end about it!
It is a fact gathered from research and surveys! Ah, you might find that funny or ridiculous. But, when you're a busy executive (or a busy latagaw like me), you have no time to be memorizing those details!
That's how the practice caught on, until now, where it's even already part of excellence standards!
Alright, one last thing about that photo collage above, is the complimentary Note Pad and Ballpen! Ah yes, its almost always placed beside the phone. At times there would be another set at the work desk.
Another "pasalubong material", because yes, pwedeng i-uwi yan. Take note though, only the note pad and the pen can be brought home. 'Di kasama iyang leatherette na lalagyan! Hahanapin nila yan sayo!
Hahaha! Too many things to describe. I think this is going to be one long story. But, sige gora!
Here's a view from the desk to the rest of the room and the entrance door...
Clothes Rack (No Closet)
Clothes RackLet us talk about that 'corner' for a little bit. In olden days, that would have been a 'closet' or 'cabinet' or 'aparador' whatever else it is/was called. Same purpose: to keep (usually hang) your clothes, right?
So why does/did it have to be in an enclosed bulky structure for just those clothes when your room is (supposed to be) as clean as inside a cabinet? And for just 1, 2 or 3 nights, who needs the "aparador"?
Most important to me is that thing at the bottom, the luggage rack, which is not usually even part of a wardrobe closet. Who has time unpacking everything and arranging them neatly in a cabinet? Do you?
And after a night or two or even three, you have to pack them again? Hasola ba!
That is just me and my traveling style, however. Because others (especially the older ladies), consider it almost a crime, when they don't see a clothes cabinet hehehe! Bahala kayo mga lola, basta, I like it!
Translucent Bathroom Glass Walls
The Silhouette WallThe more interesting (especially for you old men) should be that glass wall just beside that 'wardrobe corner'. It's translucent glass (not transparent). Ah, you may have guessed, in there is the shower area!
When someone is in there, they appear as a silhouette or shadow from this vantage. Not totally clear, just interestingly titillatingly "visible" - depending on your artistic-creative (a.k.a. lustful) imagination!
I think I remember, there are other HIE (or IHG?) facilities that have that same kind of bathroom 'wall'. My room at HIE Phuket was just like that. I assure you, it is not transparent. Unless you press your wet body mismo on that glass. Pag ganoon, aw ayun, makikita ang iyong kahindik-hindik na langit sa lupa!
Juice me yo! Tama na yan hahaha!
Bedroom Table
Bedroom TableAnd this is the small work-desk, also similar to those at other HIE branches that I have already seen.
Notice that the room's 'safe' is right under your coffee-maker. The door is open since I just placed my 'medyo-important' documents in there, when I suddenly thought of taking that picture for this article.
Imagine, madaling araw na, working on things, nakuha pa mag-kodak! That's how I love my readers!
And by the way, under the safe is the room's mini-fridge that I hoped would have Coke. Hesumalusep, 'alang laman! No worry, there's a 7-Eleven store downstairs just beside the hotel's back entrance door.
Being electronic, a hotel (at least someone in their management) has the ability to reset its lock, even if you did not - kunwari nag-checkout ka na. So is it really 'very safe and secure'? Some camps say no.
What about if there's power outage and at the very moment you need to leave for the airport to catch a flight? Da! Patay kang tanders ka! Di mo naman pwede ngatngatin yan. Hanap ka nalang ng palakol?!
OMG hahaha! I heard (heard lang ha, di ko pa nasubukan talaga), that those boxes have battery power back-ups, so they still function "for a time". Hiyay, eh during that "for a time" you are still out on tour!
Someone told me that many of those safes have manual/mechanical 'key override' (ibig sabihin nyan nasususi-an pa rin). Wheh! Eh wala naman sa atin ang susi. Therefore, that safe is not really safe? Hay!
Ambot na ani oi! Maybe when it comes to these 'safety boxes', let us just trust our individual levels of ka-praningan (paranoia). Ako, other than my wallet, it's just the passport that I need to protect. Kayo?
Okay, still on that photo collage above, under the safe is the little fridge. I really hate it, that such tiny a thing is almost always placed at floor level, in almost all hotels of the world. Well, I remember Hotel Indigo of Kaohsiung (also an IHG hotel) is an outstanding exception! Their little fridge is at desk level!
Gurang na kung gurang, tanders na kung tanders... eh the reality is, most guests who can afford hotels with refrigerators are not young. Therefore, hotels should cater to their (our) physioligical limitations.
Me mga rayuma ang marami dyan, ako wala (pa), so it's not comfortable for them, that the tiny 'ref' is at floor level. Ako (na walang rayuma) nahihirapan "lumuhod" o "tumuwad" to use that fridge. Eh sila?
Maybe I should start a campaign or an advocacy - "itaas ang predyedir ng mga hotel, itaas" hehehe!
Now... on the right side of that photo collage... makinig children! Everything consumable in that setup, pwede i-uwi, i.e., tea, coffee, sugar, creamer, Splenda. I always do, since hindi ako mahilig sa mga 'yan.
In case you did not know, some of the most respected 5-star hotels (not this one, I guess) throw every consumable to trash once you check-out. They do not re-use, even if it looks like you did not touch it.
OA ba? Ah, somehow yes, for us na mga hikahos hehe. But that is just part of their safety and security principles. The rationale behind is: "what if a previous occupant secretly did something bad to those"?
That said, we are only talking about bringing-home consumables. The water heater, cup and teaspoon are not. So, 'wag mong tatangayin ang mga yan. Bawal! Kung hindi ka takot mahuli, mahiya ka na lang!
Dahil pag nahuli ka, bayad ka na, pahiya ka pa. Who knows, baka makulong ka pa nga eh! You want?!
FYI. Aside from reading materials and menus, there are informational display cards that you will also find on the desk. If it's your first time, read them all. Example: the blue card beside the water bottles.
It says "drink up", "it's on us" and "with compliments". Syaro di pa ka ka-gets ana! Yet if you don't read them, you will not know that the two bottles of water are your "daily complimentary water". Yes, free.
Still on the desk, there is a reading lamp or reading light. If you want more illumination while working on things. We call it "lamp shade" in our houses! At 'di rin pwede i-take-home yan - kahit gaano kaliit!
Oh, I do miss Handy. It's not in this hotel. Well, not all of IHG or even just the HIE brand have them :(
Finally, still on the work desk, usually there are also information display cards like these:
As for that white info card at left (plastic pa yan, at hindi lang cardboard), you know what that means, right? And look closely, the "penalty" is now P5,000 not anymore P3,000! I say, it should even be more!
Yep, I'm a smoker. There is no day that I can can't smoke! But I myself hate enclosed spaces that smell of cigarette smoke - itanong nyo pa sa driver ko at mga boss kong hapon, na lahat chain-smokers din!
Kahit sa loob ng sasakyan, I/We hate cigarette smell. Dapat talaga sa labas mag-yosi. 'Wag nyo naman kami itapat sa exhaust fan ng gusali. Tao rin kami. Yun mga kriminal nga sa Bilibid inaalagaan nyo eh!
Accent Chair
Ang Sopa-sopahan [mini-Sofa]!I also liked the size and softness of this 'accent chair' - my favorite 'tambayan' in a hotel room!
In your homes, you probably have full sofas or sala-sets. But for small hotel bedrooms, this would do. They call it accent chair. As I said, it's good for lounging around, including when puttig your shoes on!
Huwag ka sanang maging "accent lover" - na pampa-ganda lang ng image ni labidabs mo!
More About Accent Chairs
Hey, being my favorite tambayan, I do have my "specifications" to say I like that kind of chair. As I said above, I liked the size. It's not too small like the normal chair that we usually see at offices, lobbies or living rooms, where we have no choice but to 'sit properly' - meaning 'stiff', na dapat lang, kasi public!
Yet it's not also too wide as in a 'double-seater' or a 'love seat' or even wider, so that I can stretch my luscious body beacuse... the tendency is... pag pwedeng humilata, that means pwede akong matulog!
It's a 'lounge chair' useful for like watching TV, listening to music, reading a book or magazine, or even answering txt msgs and/or social media whatever! Hindi yan tulugan, sayang ang malambot na kama!
Na! Grabe sa "criteria" 'no?! Eto pa: I also said above I liked the 'softness' of that accent chair. Actually, it's more on the 'hardness'. I do not like it being too comfy soft dahil nga makakatulog ako. Cannot be!
And good that the upholstery is of a rough kind of material (cloth) - not silky soft nor leathery soft. As they say in my favorite hometown, mangarangara! So you can't sleep, but can sit in any tambay mode!
Ano, ID (Interior Designer) ka? Don't me! Pag ako ang kinausap mo while designing things, dudugo ang ilong at tenga mo! I just already know so many things now, that I did not even dream of learning. They just entered my 'awareness' because of moving around. I got to know not only things but also my self!
Ah I keep saying: Travel Is Education. Kung pwede sana 'magbuhat ng sariling bangko' (ay, accent chair nga pala!), I think, I already earned a PhD in Passenger SSCC (Safety Security Comfort & Convenience)!
Teka, it should be Major in Airline Travel & Hotel/Resort Accommodation hehe! Kasi yon ang madalas kong mga naging at nagiging experiences. And the beauty of all that is: from a 'customer perspective'!
Seriously and teka hep hep hep... enough of my dreaming na dilat ang mata (mag-uumaga na)!
Here's another view of the room, from that accent chair's vantage, na naging mitsa ng PhD ko heheh!
I just realized, the ceiling height (I think), also affects a person's feeling of how comfortable a hotel is. I have encountered hotel rooms like that. Example is the "premiere something" rooms of Quest Hotel. If the ceiling is higher than average or the usual, you feel you are in a very spacious room. Ganun ako!
Toilet & Bath
Toilet & BathOkay let's explore the CR. Yes da banyo, palikuran, etc., etc. This was it, in my Room 7106!
Oh! Now I have something to say nga pala! Two things actually: 1] that bright light on the right edge of the picture collage above. Yep, on the glass wall... do you see it? That's coming from the ceiling above.
Why is it angled to that glass wall instead of down to where you'd be standing when taking a shower?! Sirit na? The answer is: so you don't get too brightly illuminated and clearly seen from the other side!
What other side? The bed side area of the room. We talked about that glass wall above, remember?! It is not really transparent, it's some kind of a "smoked-glass", it's just titillatingly translucent, not clear.
But, if it is too bright in there... your "interesting details" become a little too vivid hahaha!
Pragmatically speaking (yes, meron din akong ganun paminsan-minsan), it doesn't really matter, if it's your spouse, lover or partner seeing you from the bed side. Paano kung officemate mo or even friend lang ang roommate mo? For most Pinoys, it's medyo dyahe! Maybe for the young generation, oks lang!
Hindi naman sya mala-Anito Lodge or Victoria Court! Medyo lang!
2] soap dispenser. Still on that portion of the collage, near the bright light at right, notice that by the shower set, there's a dispenser. I know many of you will say "argh"! I did! It says "hair and body wash".
That's it for their "shower amenities". I saw that coming, but OMG not this soon! Argh pa rin, Aaaargh!
Hahaha! If you're one of those (like me) who collects as souvenirs, those fancy little plastic bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, etc., etc., the start of their end has already begun. It's goodbye na!
If I may just say.., this is where pictures or even videos prove useful, in keeping memories of our past trips. The cute little bottles may soon vanish, but if you have pics of them, pwede pang balik-balikan!
Do you take photos of those? Me not all the time, but I did in some instances such as here, here, here, here, here or even here, here, here, and here! Aw, dami rin pala! Search "hotels" on this blog for more!
All those will soon be gone, because of our earth's fight against unnecessarily using plastic. Now I am inclined to suggest: "you can use little glass bottles, ok lang s'amin, we won't be sad, pramis" hehehe!
O ayan na ha? To those of you who keep asking me to bring home those fancy little plastic bottles for you, mawawala at titigil na yan ha?! Prayer: sana ipagbawal na rin ang fridge magnet. Daming bilin eh!
Still on that dispenser topic, I can almost hear in my head, many of you my Pinay readers, exclaiming: "ay, ano yan, as in isang liquid lang, shampoo ba yan o sabon, saan ang conditioner?". All I can say to you is "oo nga" hahaha! Well, the label says 'Hair & Body Wash'. 'Di naman yata "Joy" yan. Malay natin!
Hahaha, I'm laughing just imagining your faces! But when in doubt, there's a 7 Eleven downstairs!
Anyway and by the way, did you notice on the left section of that collage there's also a dispenser near the sink? Its label says 'Hand Wash'. Obviously, 'liquid soap'. So bye na rin sa cute little boxes of soap?
It looks like ganun na nga. And mind you, that seems to be the latest trend among hotels worldwide.
Goodbye souvenirs of fancy little shampoo bottles na, goodbye little cute bars of soap pa! Budget!
A 3rd observation is 3] "placement" - just for my dear minions in Process Review and Re-engineering hehehe! Guys look at the whole counter-top setup, and tell me in our next meeting: "what is wrong"?
Speaking of little amenities, even without shampoo bottles anymore, this hotel doesn't come short...
For those of you (like me) na mahilig mag-uwi ng kung anu-ano galing sa hotel para ipam-pasalubong hehe, it pays to read the fine-print, wherever it may be written! O ayan, hush ka lang, sekret natin yan!
Many travelers don't know about that (because they don't bother to read), and many hotels offer that kind of service (for obvious reasons - economy). If you really need them, go to front desk to get them!
Malabo ba da pektyur? Here here, it says: "We're pleased to provide these with our compliments: comb, shaving cream, disposable razor, toothbrush, cotton wool and female sanitary products. Simply call Front Desk and then head down to collect the items you need". Ayan.., libre lahat yan. Sugod na. Go Ra!
Of course, I don't have to remind you: "mind your manners, bare your breeding"!
Huwag kang gahaman, sakim, ganid na parang taga-mainland. Hindi 'yan buffet! If you are a male and traveling alone, why would you ask for a sanitary napkin? If you're female and traveling alone, aanhin mo ang shaving cream araw-araw? Hotel yan, at hindi relief center ng latest sakuna sa probinsya nyo!
Notice too, there's already the "Dental Kit" in your room. Hihingi ka pa ng toothbursh? Over na yan!
But FYI lang, some reputable hotels do have (free) things for your baby such as diapers. Pero, mahiya ka naman at huwag mag-maangmaangan, dapat kasama mo si baby (mo) na naka-tira sa hotel na yan! And why would you ask for a dozen diapers eh overnight lang naman pala kayo? Hotel yan, hindi RHU!
Hahaha, tama na muna yan, at baka kung saan mapunta ang usapan natin!
Towel Cleaning Policy
That Towel ThingThat's the blue message in the above picture. Yes, also the latest trend among hotels. I already said in previous stories (I think), but no harm repeating it: You have to read, as it can differ with other hotels.
For this hotel (and most IHG hotels), the message is: put that towel on its towel rack, if you don't want them to change it with fresh ones - up to 3 days. Beyond that, they will change it automatically - even if you still hang it on its rack! But, if you want it changed even after only a day, just put it on the floor.
"Put on the floor" means ilapag mo lang sa sahig, na makikita ng housekeeper. Hindi sinabi na itapon mo sa ilalim ng kama, silya o refrigerator. At hindi rin sinabi na gawin mo munang basahan ang towel.
Intiendes?!
Hahaha! Actually it's not really that much of a money value that they save, but that act is help enough to our dear planet by not depleting too much water. Itanong mo pa sa NAWASA, nauubos din kasi yan.
Beddings Cleaning Policy
The Bedsheets TooIt's the same thing with the linens. Yes your beddings. On arrival, there's a card you see on your bed:
Crude but interesting a la James Bond messaging system, right? Some reputable commercial banks, or other similar institutions with sensitive resources, employ a similar kind of 'no-talk' communications.
Alam nyo ba yan? I'll give you an example: all tellers are not to enter the branch in the morning, if one curtain is not raised to a certain level. Or if a flower pot is not placed to the left of the door, and so on! It changes daily. If you don't follow, baka pag-pasok mo me robbery nang nagaganap, ma-Hostage ka!
Mala-secret agent messaging di ba? That card by the way, is the white thing you saw 14 pictures above (on the bedside table)! Syempre remove it from the bed when going to sleep. Laminated yan, matigas!
And Other Little Things Around
Since we're already talking about 'little things', here are some that I think are worth describing...
Room Key
Your 'Room Key System' and what it can or cannot do!The one at left is a Key Card Switch. It has many names (depending on the country, location or hotel) such as Key Card Slot, Card Key Receptacle, Power Slot, and many more. Technically, it is just a switch to activate electrical power to the room when you insert your room's Key Card in its slot. What is that?
The Key Card? It's your susi in a card form. That's the blue-colored plastic that looks like a credit card. It has varied functions (depending on how high-tech the hotel is). Its two most common uses are 1) to open a room's door; 2) to activate/deactivate (switch) the room's electric power on or off (e.g., lights).
Note that item 1) is electronic - meaning computerized; it uses some amount of data communications to function. It doesn't have to be your personal data. It can just be a code like 7106 in the card, which, only Room 7106 will accept, when transmitted to the door's receiver as you tap (or swipe) the keycard.
Did you notice that last word? Yes, keycard as a 'portmanteau' (a word composed of combined words) is now very widely used and accepted in many industries & the academe. Let's use that, from now on!
On item 2), a keycard's function to switch your room's power on or off, is/was purely mechanical, like how our light-switches work at home. Do note, I said "is/was" because the technology is evolving fast.
Evolving fast, but many hotels in our country (the world, actually) could not cope with the changes as fast. Mahal kasi yan! Older versions were purely mechanical while newer ones are electro-mechanical.
Hmm, this means we better talk of the other functions of that keycard to illustrate that point!
But before that, let me share with you a cool way to check if your hotel's keycard switch is old or new:
Once you are in the room, use a credit card, ID or phone card and place it on the receptacle instead of your keycard. If the power goes on, the keycard and actually the hotel's security system is old hahaha!
If it doesn't work, sorry ka, their system is updated na! Meaning it is electronic, or more appropriately, electro-mechanical na! Meaning? That thing needs to read electronic data from your real keycard, and even from the hotel computer system, for it to trigger the mechanical switch to connect the power on!
That, is the modern setup - which is more safe and secure.
Trivia:
Asus, in the past, especially in the Philippines where the pipitsugin hotels give only one keycard even if there were 4 of you in the room, what we would do was insert a torn cardboard or thicker magazine cover on that slot. Ayos na! Companions go out with the card and return without knocking, I watch TV.
Trivia pa:
Some hotels and resorts haven't upgraded their systems yet. Don't throw your load cards. Alams na!
Trivia pa more:
Some hotels seem to have gotten fed up with having this kind of system! They still issue a keycard at check-in, but when you open the room, power is on, and there is already a keycard inserted (by them) into the keycard slot. That card may have labels that say "do not remove" or "room power only", etc.
Why is that? No one is telling me (yet). But I suspect, it could be one or all of three things: A) frequent on-off switching degrades or ruins appliances, light bulbs, etc., due to inrush current or power surge; B) negligible or no savings at all - starting/re-starting appliances with motors (aircon, ref, etc) require more power, thus the 'in-rush current' in item A), which offsets any savings made by turning them off!
And, probably the clencher from a management or marketing perspective is: C) surge in complaints of discomfort & inconvenience! I am one of those who complain. Example: you are charging your laptop, phones, power bank, but you need to go down for the buffet breakfast. You remove the keycard, argh!
Kasama na dyan yung I have to go down and out to smoke. That's only about 3 or 5 minutes. I remove the card so I can get in when I return. Eh paano kung madalas nga yan (stressed)! Sira ang appliances!
That's the reason I demand to have 2 keycards, even if I'm alone in a room. And this is mostly at many pipitsugin Philippine hotels and resorts: they insist to give just 1 keycard, regardless of the number of occupants in a room, I insist for 2. For me it is not about entering the door, but keeping the power on.
It's so inconvenient that everytime you go out the power goes off. So people complain, naturally!
That's most probably the reason why some of these hotels just permanently put cards in the slot. The ones they give you at check-in are solely just for the doors na lang. That's betterer na hehehe! Haiszt!
Sige. So let's talk about the other (newer) uses of keycards - in addition to their 2 most common uses as described above: 3) elevator access. You've already seen that one time or another, right? Like here:
Now that is a problem. Isa kang huwad, impostor, peke, manlilinlang hahaha. Go see the front desk!
Then look also at the right side panel of the photo collage. The shiny black square is a keycard reader too! It's a newer type. Ah, on that one, you just tap your keycard. A green light will also display, if your card is valid (red if not). Then press your desired floor number. Pag di umilaw ang numero.., alams na!
That's supposedly a security protocol in the building. Some floors are restricted to some people, even if they're also hotel guests. 'Authority' to access floor levels is encoded in that keycard. But I had this:
Frontdesk told me I could also use that 'elevator access' card for the room, but they advised that I use only that-one for elevators, as the other card might not work. That's what we call 'system glitch' ehihi!
Actually, to be accurate and in fairness to HIE, they did not have a system glitch during my stay. It was more of a "transition glitch" (yes, me ganun heheh)! Did you notice? The 2 elevators are not the same!
Look closely, the elevator at right (newer one I guess, since the 'tap' technology is new) has B1, B2 and B3, while the one at left has none. They're updating - that's why the temporary "elevator access" card.
Oops! By the way, back to the collage of elevator pictures, the middle photo is the PWD Console that's reachable by wheelchair-bound people, reason why I also call it a Kids' Console. That's common now.
But I hope you also noticed that there's no Number 4. It's the tetrapak thing. Aw, tetraphobia!
4) facilities access (examples: gym, spa, business center, VIP lounge, etc.). Data is encoded in the card - as to what kind of guest you are (kung bathala ba o alipin hehehe), and doors will open accordingly!
Note that because of digital evolution, some keycards now also keep information of your preferences such as: when you insert that card on the slot, your room will automatically adjust the lighting mood, thermostat settings, play your music or preferred TV channels, etc. Sana magluto din ng tapsilog 'no?!
Hey there are hotels that don't have elevator access slots -meaning anyone inside an elevator can get off at any floor- but they have 'electronic doors' at the hallways, after you get off the elevators. You'll need your keycard to open them, to be able to go to your room. An example is: JRD Hotel, Catbalogan.
5) in-hotel payment method (examples: mini-bar, room service, restaurants, casino, etc.). Card data is captured, your hotel account is charged accordingly, and you pay real money only once, at check-out.
Ah, there are more innovations coming with that mere keycard. Let's wait and see through the years!
Important Security Precaution
Other more things on that picture above...The white keycard, is the reverse side of my 2nd card, blue din yan sa kabila. Then there is the 'pouch' or little envelope as keycard holder (the rightmost). Just FYI, I usually do not bring that out of a hotel.
I just insert my keycard in my wallet. Or/But if I really need to bring it, I detach that thing they stapled to the pouch - a bad practice hotel staff may be forgetting the meaning of, OR were not trained about.
How and why is that? Security precaution. Bringing that thing out to anywhere is dangerous. Yes, that little sheet of paper. It has your room number - often even your name. Anybody who gets hold of that pouch with the keycard in it, can find your room, with or without you, for example if you were robbed.
Rereport ka pa sa pulis, and so on. By the time you get back to your hotel, baka nalimas na gamit mo! Ayy, don't ask where I learned about that, as I know you'll just laugh. But reflect on the repercussions.
Look at that piece of paper, the kawatan may even access your wifi connection! Especially if you're an IHG Club Member, as you automatically have the same acccess, at whichever of their hotels you go to!
Door Hangers
Door HangersThe things you hang on the outside of your door's handle - as another 'communications tool' with the staff. In IHG hotels, they have a unique place to keep them when not yet in use (before you use them).
Door hangers usually have the messages: "Do Not Disturb" or "Please Make Up Room" in other hotels. But at HIE, you see "Hang on, I'm busy" and "Make me up before you go go" respectively! Kaaliw di ba?
They make an otherwise boring thing into a fun/ny part of the day. That is one reason why I call them "unique". If you are an '80s kid, I am sure, you just didn't read one of those signs. Kinanta mo! Aminin!
Be careful with your lyrics... yung sa kanta, it's Wake me up before you go go...!
Oh, about that laundry thing (the Laundry Bags, I mean) - and even those 'signage'. Yes pwede naman i-uwi ang mga yan (a staff told me) but they don't encourage us to do so. Not the clothes hangers, ok?
Just FYI on those door hangers. In other hotels, they have another card to hang - the 'breakfast menu' - where in the evening you tick what you want, hang it outside your door, then they pick it up at night. In the morning, depending on a time you ticked on that door hanger, your breakfast will be available.
But that's not needed at HIE hotels, since everybody has free buffet breakfast.
Buffet Breakfast
BreakfastAhuh, speaking of breakfast, I went there this morning since it was my first time in this hotel. I am not an avid fan of breakfasts, especially at business or budget hotels like this, but as always, just curious.
Maaliwalas! Yet if you want more, you can enjoy everything 'al fresco' out in that garden.
Like anywhere, since this is a buffet service, there are those smilingly welcoming girls at the entrance. That is an etiquette that Filipinos have in their genes. Oh, I should say we Filipinos have in our genes!
In the Philippines, those smiles that perk up your mornings are common everywhere, right? It doesn't even happen only at hotels, right? Well, believe me, in other countries (even at our ASEAN neighbors), those genuine "happy to see you" smiles are very rare to find even at the 5-star hotels! Lalo na sa SIN.
Kung meron ka man makita, pihado yan, sila yung mga kababayan natin na nagtatrabaho doon!
Anyway, I went straight to the buffet - that I expected would be the same as at other HIE branches.
Ayun, halos pareho nga! Ang walang kamatayang sausage at itlog! Pero me bangus at manok naman!
One thing very Filipino, someone came to ask if I wanted coffee. I said hot chocolate. Voila, it came!
Oh, I observed: breakfasts here, at least during this visit, are lively busy with many customers who are not necessarily guests of the hotel. I saw them going to front desk to pay, show their receipts to those 'entrance girls' and enjoy the buffet! Who are they? Ah, the folks who play at the casino until morning!
Karamihan sa kanila mga Chinoy, I think. At least, hindi yun mga 'OMG groups from mainland'!
Casino
In-house CasinoCasino? Yes, this hotel has a casino, apart from the big one of Resorts World, in the next building.
I got curious... so I went to see that casino where people apparently play all day and all night!
I went in and discovered something interestingly important... you may smoke in there. Wahoo!
Another lesson learned. Casinos are smokers' havens, although I guess there would at least be a non-smokers' area, kasi kawawa naman sila, ano? Da! Hahaha! Unfortunately I don't know anything casino!
Well, I know how to 'operate' those slot machines (or is that called 'play'?), but I'm just not a gambling freak. I find them too boring, I would rather roam around. BUT now I know, casinos are smoking areas!
Rear Entrance
The other sideThough I smoked inside the casino, I still went out of the other entrance of this HIE Newport (back of the building), just curious to see what's out there. No, it's not some kind of a desolate or creepy alley.
It's in fact Newport Boulevard, a main thoroughfare of this entertainment and leisure complex with (I am guesstimating) 7 hotels. It is also on this side where you find McDonald's, 7 Eleven, and this door:
Alright! Let's wrap this up as I needed to find my way to Manila Airport's Terminal 2.
Hallways
This maybe an 'express' hotel, but their elevator lobbies and hallways are respectably spacious.
Well, they probably changed the furnishings of Remington into their kind of style. Like this carpet:
Ah, are you wondering why there's a floor plan in that picture collage above? Yep, that is what you see behind each room door. And I showed that because, I wanted to tell you, I roamed the entire 7th floor!
Exercise din yun oi! Galaw-galaw pag may time!
Actually, first it was that carpet. I wanted to keep walking and see if I won't get dizzy with that design. No I didn't. Then I realized I was curious why the fire extinguishers at my hallway were so prominently positioned, as in naka-usli, they would be the first things you will notice. [see 2nd picture at the top]
So I walked around to see. Yes, all fire extinguishers are positioned like so, prominently. And it did not take long for my lowly brain to grasp. Yes, they are better seen immediately, in case of fire emergency.
I think I counted a total of 10 units, including those 2 at the elevator lobby. Wow, this must have been the most number of extinguishers I've seen on a building floor. Or maybe because they're easily seen.
See? I learned something new again! And by writing them here, I hope to remember them, forever.
Because of that 'new learning', I was still curious, I txtd a friend who works at the national fire bureau. He replied: "it is by law that extinguishers be easily seen and accessible, not more than 15 meters away in a straight line, from anywhere on the same floor, without any barriers nor obstructions, whatsoever".
Da! Pag nakakabasa ako ng mga 'whatsoever' 'whatsoever' na yan... kasama yung sila 'whereas' at 'now therefore', nanginginig ako sa takot at baka me kalaboso yan! Friend txtd further saying "read RA9514".
I haven't yet hehehe! Eh nasa biyahe pa ako eh! [Yan ang lusotation]!
Now now now... aside from that "dagdag-kaalaman" on fire extinguishers, I noted my room was in the very middle of the building. But how did that happen eh I saw that there was a window (that I did not really check, gabi ako dumating eh, di ba?). I went around remembering that floor plan. Ala-Inspector!
I don't think I did! Well, whoever saw me from their rooms across... iirahon la paglalaway!
Anyway...
Lobby & Front Desk
At check-out time, I took a picture of part of the lobby and front desk as I emerged from the elevator.
Free Hotel to Airport Shuttle
Anyhow, then I left for MNL T2, on the free shuttle bus of Resorts World Manila, that I came-in with.
Many of my fellow bus riders came from other hotels within Resorts World Manila, as I observed there were only two of us who boarded from the entrance foyer of Holiday Inn Express Manila Newport City.
This was an interesting (even nostalgic) bus ride, as I was familiar with what was then Nichols Avenue!
Okay. I'm going to CDO, let's see if there's anything I'll see or encounter that's worth sharing with you!
Woh! This was long, but I enjoyed talking... oops aw, writing about all those! I thought I was making an instructional presentation hahaha! Anyway, I hope this was insightful enough to my young requestors!
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