New World Renaissance Makati City

This is the only place I stay in Manila. I always stay here my last nite or two after long trips in the PI just to get a dose of civilization and western living before going home. Practically a 5 star hotel at $90 a nite- try to find that kind of rate in any other world capital.

Attractive lobby- I like the waterfall on glass thing. The metal detector and security gate are a bit of a drag, but after the muslims targeted the Mariott in Jakarta a few years back, totally understandable.

The service is professional and exceptionally courteous, the views from all rooms of the Manila chaos below is great and the beds are very, very comfortable.

The club level (free upgrades to Marriott Gold & above) is above average, with all the booze you can drink and good free breakfasts. The club room is classy and relaxed.

The restrooms are spectacular- great showers and amenities- a real break for the 1st world resident who has been slogging through the 3rd world for awhile.

One of the best things is, of course, the Ayala Mall across the street- as modern as any you can find in the States but massive- I always catch movie at the great 4th floor theatre. Warning: It is very, very easy to get lost in here- pay attention to where you are going.

In short; I love this place.

I'm a simple, patient traveler who has stayed in more hotels than a person should in one life time. One thing I've discovered, NO HOTEL, regardless of claim or price paid, is perfect. Enjoyment of a facility is about one's attitude of expection. The New World is one of the most well decorated, clean and unexpectedly lovely hotels I've ever stayed in. Given that this hotel sits in the middle of Manila, a location with little in the way of clever and upkept decoration, cleanliness or lovely demeanor, I found the hotel to be heavenly reprieve!!

I stayed for almost 8 days and yes, the hotel is not cheap. I had expected to find a nice hotel for less money in the area but local friends steered me to the New World. In the end the locals knew what we visitors do not...that hype and marketing is a poor substitution for a very solid, well kept, fantastic staffed alibeitly slightly expensive hotel! Many hotels claimed to offer the same levels of quality found in the New World...but after looking into several others once I arrived, it was obvious that the New World is best of the best for hotels under $100 a night. Hands down. No question.

That the Green Belt shopping area and park, THE BEST SHOPPING OF MANILA, is 9 iron shot distant, just across the street, should be enough said for most visitors. Aside from the Intermuros section of town where one MUST visit St. Augustine's church...the oldest church in the Philippines, EVERYTHING worth experiencing in Manila is in walking distance of the New World. The staff is top notch, friendly almost to a fault...the food is top notch. My room was immaculate, state of the art Net hookup, 5 star king size bed, spacious, more than I could possibly ask for. That the staff, like most of Manila, take in an average monthly salary of less than $250 working 6 days a week should make travelers a bit more patient with some of the cultural/economic differences they may encounter in Manila.

Perfect...no...but the absolute best in Manila for the money spent.

We stayed quite recently for 2 nights, with a group booking consisting of 5 rooms all up. From the driveway it was obvious security of guests is important to this hotel. The service was impeccable and very accomodating. All rooms available to us were clean and serviced daily. Its location is perhaps the best in the city. Greenbelt plaza with its luxury stores is literally across the street from the hotel. Another bonus is the well equipped gym and huge outdoor pool area.

Highly recommended.

I stayed at the New World Renaissance for one night on business in July 2005. Although it was a brief stay I have some strong impressions of the hotel.

The property looks very nice with a great lobby. The rooms look nice on first impression, reasonable size and good features. The hotel is "tired" however, close inspection shows that the fixtures are old and need of replacement, the wooden paneling in the bathroom shows signs of multiple repairs, and the the sheets were clean but a bit ragged (one had a 4-5cm/2inch triangular tear). The property is in need of refurbishment, but for the price of the room (king bed, non-smoking at USD$42) it can't be beat.

I had lunch in the Lobby Bar and room service for dinner. In both cases the service was prompt and friendly, the food was perfectly prepared and tasty, and the prices were slightly less than I expected (about USD$7 for lunch, and $10 for dinner including a beer).

The most impressive thing about the hotel was the commitment to service and guest satisfaction. I had a meeting in the Business Center which is located on the lobby level. Unsure of where exactly to go, I asked one of the hotel employees as I left the elevator. Rather than just give me directions or point, he walked me to the center. Not that it was hard to find, but he wanted to make sure I felt "taken care of." 1 point for service.

I received a call 30 minutes after receiving my room service meal from the desk. The girl was inquiring if everything was okay with my tray, and if I had enjoyed my meal and offering to address anything which wasn't satisfactory. Everything was fine, I said ... and as I hung up I thought, "2 points for service!"

Finally I had a problem with my TV, where the signal went out unexpectedly. Five minutes after my call to the front desk I had a hotel Engineer in my room who quickly fixed the problem. Then, 20 minutes later another phone call from the manager, checking that the problem had been resolved to my satisfaction. Third service point in one night! A big "thank you" to the staff who are obviously very focused on making sure their guests are satisfied.

I cannot vouch for the area as I had no time to explore. Across the street is a large shopping and restaurant area. It looked new and safe, but between tired and nervous (more about the general political situation in the Philippines these days) I decided to keep to the hotel. Lobby security was very tight: vehicle inspections before drive-up, metal detector at the lobby door, and a luggage search before check-in. I don't think anyone could do harm inside the hotel.

I recommend to take advantage of the hotel-arranged transfer from the airport and back. Transfer from the airport is (P900, about USD$17) and return is discounted 35%. Drive time is 15 minutes without traffic, 25-30 minutes otherwise. Both transfers can be conveniently charged to your room bill, so no need to get Philippine Pesos if you are a short trip.

Accommodation is perfect, food is great, good location, courteous staff!!!! It's the best place for a perfect getaway.

I stayed there from Mid-December through late January 2005. The staff is by and large very nice and helpful. However, the laundry service I found poor, not that clothing wasn't well laundered, but when delivered, the man who did so was aggressive in trying to obtain tips, even when it was obvious he had disturbed/woken me up. Also, those who had credit cards on file had to argue their bills several times as the hotel won't allow local calls without a credit card on file. But, while hotel guests were out, hotel staff entered rooms and used the phones billing the guests for their charges. They also made room service mis-billings. The Coffee Shop staff were excellent and helpful, as well as the staff around the pool and outside bar. Very friendly and nice. Just check your bills thoroughly and dispute charges that aren't yours.

Check-in was very disorganized, took us more than an hour to get into our room. They would not accept my Visa/ATM card for payment even though I have used the same card at several other hotels in the Philippines and Singapore. When we got to the room, there were raisins on the floor of the room, probably dropped by a previous guest. The toilet dripped all night and the shower head needed replacing. Also, the shower floor did not have a mat and was very slippery and unsafe. The television had very poor reception until I started checking and found a loose cable connection. Maintenance is obviously very poor. Also, the only access to the pool is by a steep winding staircase outside the physical fitness center that is not easy for a person like me with a bad knee to use. I have difficulty climbing up and down stairs. We checked out of the hotel when we were told that they could not provide us with an extra pillow, but would place us on a priority waiting list for a pillow. We were supposed to stay 2 days but checked out after the first day. If you like a 2 star hotel after you get through the nice lobby, you will love the New World.

This hotel is by far the best choice for travellers to Manila. I cannot recommend it enough! We stayed for almost 2 weeks because it was so good. It's not the cheapest option in the area but you definitely will get your money's worth.

The service is excellent, with staff very friendly and more than happy to help, and although security is very tight, it can be quite comforting and makes you feel safe.

The rooms are quite spacious, clean, very well furnished and is very comfortable. The breakfast is complete with every food you would ever want to have for breakfast and more!

The best thing about the hotel is its LOCATION. It literally can't get any better with the restaurants, bars and shopping of Greenbelt and Glorietta just across the road. The area is very clean and safe especially for non locals. Will definitely recommend this to anyone who asks and we're already planning the next trip back!

Top Class Hotel! :)

This hotel is a world class. All the staff are helpful and are very professional. Very accessible to the shopping mall, airport and restaurants. I will highly recommend this hotel to all.

just came back from makati last week and the new world renaissance was amazing. it has the perfect location of being directly across the street from the "green belt" mall. the rooms are clean and always well kept by the maid service. the food from room service is good, arrives quickly, and is considerably cheaper than the buffet. note: the breakfast buffet is overpriced and does not have much selection, stick with room service. the staff are extremely helpful, and even do "follow ups" to make sure any request you made was met. the spa and massages are good as well. i have not been to the shangri-la or madarin oriental, but the renaissance has the best central location. definetely going back next year. hope this helps.