Wednesday, October 08, 2008 A new landmark By Jenara regis newman
THE glass walls of the hotel lobby welcome the visitor and give him a glimpse of blue sky and blue sea. What is this place?
The new destination in Mactan! It is Microtel Inn and Suites which, with 161 rooms, is the biggest hotel in the chain.
The white background is an effective foil for the lobby’s colorful designer furniture (Kenneth Cobonpue and Raphael Legacy):
it does not forget children and has a child’s sofa and stools along with adult furniture.
The building, says Romanian Honorary Consul Grand Benedicto, was designed by Luis Nakpil, in keeping with the Microtel look. But everything inside is the handiwork of Enrison Land Inc., of which Grand is the president.
Circles are evident in and outside the rooms, giving the modern look of the building a certain youthful playfulness meant to go with the “hip fashion” and signature colors – orange and aqua green – Grand and his siblings have put into the hotel.
They’re also proud of their beds, imported directly from the U.S.A. and “approved specifically by the Chiropractic Association of the U.S.A. to ensure” the guest a good night’s sleep. The rooms are equipped with flat screen TV sets, safety boxes and refrigerators.
The main dining room (food service is a tie-up with Abaca’s Jason Hyatt, who chose Jose Miguel Lontoc to be Microtel’s in-house chef), is within the lobby area and spreads out to a terrace one step down and another terrace a few more steps down, with a panoramic view of the sea.
Several more steps down are the kiddie pool and the adult pool. At the last level, going down, is the Jacuzzi pool and beside it, the beach bar. Beyond these, the sea beckons!
Even before its grand opening, the hotel was already over 50 percent booked, said its manager, Rene “Rocky” Jorolan. That only means that soon, this sleepy side of the Punta Engaño Road in Mactan will be a hive of activity for visitors not just to the island but also the rest of Cebu.
