Pen reopens tomorrow

The Peninsula Manila will reopen for business tomorrow afternoon, none the worse after the siege in the hotel last Thursday led by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim.

Repairs on the front lobby entrance of the five-star hotel, which was rammed by an armored personnel carrier (APC) to provide an entry point for an assault team, are expected to be finished soon.  

“We will open at 3 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 3,” The Peninsula Manila public relations manager Joseph Arias told The STAR yesterday.

In a separate statement, The Peninsula Manila general manager David Batchelor said the hotel is prepared to welcome back its guests and patrons especially now that Christmas is fast approaching.

“While last Thursday’s events were certainly a confusing and distressing experience for everyone, we are extremely pleased that everything is back to normal and we are able to open the hotel again so quickly,” Batchelor said.

“We look forward to welcoming back our guests, patrons and friends to the hotel to celebrate the holiday season with us,” he added.

The Peninsula’s pre-Christmas concert scheduled on Dec. 8 will also push through.

During last Thursday’s siege, guests were immediately moved out of the hotel and were taken to nearby hotels.

They returned to The Peninsula the next day to collect their belongings.

The Peninsula also intends to invite newlyweds Guderian Montano and Ma. Estela Magpayo to return for a complimentary weekend stay at a premier suite of the hotel.

The two were scheduled to have their wedding reception at the hotel but were overtaken by Thursday’s events.

In an announcement posted at manila.peninsula.com, the hotel’s official website, officials asked guests with arrival bookings before Dec. 3 to make alternative arrangements for their visit to Manila.