Astoria Greenbelt
Big Things Come In Small Packages
We came to Manila
for a visa appointment for our Lisbon
trip
this coming May and we arrived at almost noontime at the
Astoria Greenbelt after a short plane ride from Naga City.
We were expecting a skyscraper for a building like their original hotel
in Ortigas, the Astoria Plaza, which we had a chance to stay about a
decade ago, but what we saw is an unimpressive box- like structure.
Astoria Greenbelt had a beautiful, modern but tiny lobby,
…that had multi- layered shelves on the lobby wall,
...and reminded us of a similar concept
at Midas Hotel in Roxas Boulevard,
…and looked like a smaller version of the latter two hotels.
Check in was a breeze, as the people
at the front desk were efficient friendly,
...and we were immediately on our
way to our room at the 4th floor.
Stay
Ours was a Prestige Room, it was moderately sized
and apparently one of their largest available guest rooms.
It had two firm and very comfortable
twin beds, enough for a family of four,
It had a huge flat screen TV,
..a working and reading desk.
…a closet that had two thick and fluffy bathrobes,
two pairs slippers, and an electronic safe.
It had microwave and a kettle for
a coffee maker at the minibar,
…and a small refrigerator.
It had a moderately sized toilet,
with a nice shower area,
…provided with basic amenities,
….and sufficient toiletries.
The room had frosted- glass windows that was
shut down as it apparently didn’t have a view.
The room had only one land line phone at the bedside,
The Wi Fi connection was very fast and complimentary.
The kids loved the room’s trendy room ambiance,
and adored the chic artworks on the wall.
Stray
The Astoria Greenbelt
is centrally locatedat Makati’s
Ayala Center Business Disrtrict.It is directly across the posh
Greenbelt Mall and a short walk away from Glorietta.
…and just few blocks away from the Greek Embassy,
where we have a visa appointment for our Lisbon trip.
There is no Portuguese Embassy in the Philippines, so
it is the former that issues visas for them at the moment.
Play
The Astoria Greenbelt
is a small hotel and doesn’t have a
pool or a gym,
but its close proximity to some of the most
upscale malls in the
country compensates for everything.
Guests will never run out of things to do in
when it comes to leisure and entertainment,.
Feast
Tableu
The breakfast buffet is served at the hotel’s a beautiful
in- house restaurant located near the lobby called Tableu.
It serves a decent spread in the breakfast buffet,
…and also serves delicious meals all day.
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Astoria Greenbelt is
a small yet beautiful hotel;
and centrally located at the bustling Ayala Center.
The rooms a clean, comfortable- not as spacious
compared to the hotels we have stayed in the past,
… but this lovely hotel proves that the classic adage that
says;‘big things come in small packages’-
is for real.
The service rendered of the staff was utterly rave- worthy.
From the time the hotel’s transport service fetched my
family at the airport by a very courteous and helpful driver,
who again took us back to the airport upon checking out,
…to the front desk staff who offered us a room when we
unexpectedly checked- in too early, and even accompanied
us to inspect the new room as it was not the one we reserved.
From the door men who goes out of their way to stop
the traffic and guide us whenever we cross the street,
…to the ever attentive restaurant staff who always provide
us what we need before we could ask for it. It made us
ponder
if they have been trained how to read other people’s minds.
We got to meet the gracious hotel manager Ethel, when she greeted my family
while we were dining at the Tableu. She was very hands on and always visible
at the lobby, very
welcoming and treats everyone like her personal guests. She
was very
warm,friendly and never intimidating, despite being the hotel
manager.
The Astoria Greenbelt
is small and doesn’t look impressive on the outside, but
what you see is not necessarily what you get. Once you stay here one would come
to a realization that it’s not the big things that count, but the small ones that
matter
The smallest attention to details in hospitality service by a competent and
friendly hotel staff, determines how awesome and exceptional our stay
would turn out to be. This is what makes this hotel a cut above the rest.
A David among the Goliaths.
