iSuites Hotel opens

MANILA, Philippines - Chic, modern and no-frills: These are the qualities of the new iSuites Hotel, a 33-room, five-story boutique hotel located on Imperial St. in Cubao.

Present during the grand opening were Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte, Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson, Ronald Singson, Evelyn Singson, Caoayan, Ilocos Sur Mayor Germy Goulgart, Rep. Ryan Singson, Vigan Mayor Eva Medina, Councilor Ron de Leon, Leila Singson, TJ Singson and Ilocos Board Member Gabs Mendoza.

CEO Mikaela Singson Mendoza describes the hotel as “personalized and original.”

In the original blueprint, the hotel building was supposed to be an apartment. At the time, the idea of a business that would bring in monthly income sounded more appealing and lucrative to Mikaela’s family.

It was Mikaela’s mom, Sheila, who thought of converting it into a hotel.

“My mom thought that I would be fit for this job,” says Mikaela. “I am studying Hotel and Restaurant Management at Treston International College. My dream before was to be an F&B director of a big hotel. I never thought that I would be actually opening a hotel of my own.”

That sudden change of plans, consequently, brought forth big changes in the design and layout of the building.

“That’s why it took us three or four years to finish the whole thing because this was supposed to be an apartment. We had to knock down walls, re-do the floor layout and other stuff,” Mikaela says.

Deciding what theme to apply to the hotel interiors came easy. Mikaela and her mom just took a cue from the building’s location.

“This hotel is located on Imperial St. When you say Imperial, it sounds Japanese. So we thought of using Imperial Suites, but since there’s already an Imperial Suites in Quezon City, we just thought of using iSuites,” explains Mikaela.

She adds that they want their hotel to be perceived by the public as a vibrant, modern hotel that knows the real needs of travelers.

“We just made the ‘I’ in the logo look more Asian, Oriental or Japanese, so that when people see the logo, they would immediately think that the hotel is Asian-inspired,” she adds.

In keeping with the Japanese theme, Mikaela decided not to use numbers for rooms, instead calling them as “Kimono, Mikado, Sakura, Zen, Taka, Geisha, Shinden, Haiku, Emperor, Shogun, Sake and Geta.”

The Kimono, the simplest of all the room types, has a double-sized bed, a false veranda and LCD TV with HD channels. Rates for this room start from P1,500. Mikaela says the Kimono room is for the no-frills guests, who just want a good bed to sleep in.

“It’s really simple. But of course, we wanted it to look good,” she adds. “Our rooms are personalized; they’re really designed with the needs of the guests in mind.”

Guests staying in premium rooms (Sakura, Zen, Taka, Geisha, Shinden, Haiku, Emperor, Shogun, Sake, and Geta) and the Mikado room, have safety boxes where they can keep their valuables.

The Geta and Sake rooms, with rates that start from P4,900, are actually two-level units. They are equipped with their own living room, kitchenette, dining, mini-bar, HD TV, double-sized beds and single beds and toilet and bathrooms.

All rooms come with free Wi-Fi access and with complimentary breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant, Tatami. At Tatami, guests can enjoy Japanese food fare and other Asian dishes.

“On weekdays, we have a lunch buffet serving home-cooked dishes, priced around  P60 to P90 per dish. So it’s very affordable,” says Mikaela. “We also want to tap the office workers, because we’re very near the Araneta Center, where there are lots of banks, call centers and other offices.”

For details, call 376-4750 or visit www.isuites.com.ph.