Citi & Dusit offer 50 percent off at Basix

Sometimes, you want to get a taste of the different cuisines in the world. And sometimes you still just want adobo. In one meal.

Dusit Thani Manila’s all-day buffet restaurant Basix offers its customers just that. “We have a great selection of both international and local cuisines because we feel it’s important to have what our primary market wants, so we make sure we have a good selection of adobo — different varieties each day — and other local favorites,” says Chris Orta, Dusit Thani executive manager for F&B. “What sets Basix apart as well is our service, it’s very attentive but not intrusive.”

Now, the hotel’s partnership with Citi Philippines — a first for the two brands — is sweetening the deal all the more. Diners using their Citi credit cards get a 50 percent off on their buffet tab, whether it’s lunch or dinner, every day of the week. Instead of P1,450 for a buffet lunch, Citi cardholders pay only P725, and for the regular P1,700 dinner, they pay only P850. For the Sunday Lunch buffet, Citi cardholders pay only P925 instead of P1850.  The offer can be enjoyed by a party of at least three, to as many as 12 diners.

 According to Citi Philippines CEO Batara Sianturi, “The market is getting more and more competitive and the consumer is bombarded with multiple offers. At Citi, we are focused on bringing our clients the best value and promotions that are relevant to their lifestyles.”   With more than one million credit cards issued in the Philippines, Citi is widely recognized as a market leader.

 â€œOur customers also like simplicity – not having to remember so many terms and conditions to be able to enjoy a particular value.  And they like to have a compelling value for dining promotions,” adds Citi credit payment products head David Stoughton. “Something like this, a generous discount which we like to call a fall-off-your-seat offer with easy mechanics, works best for our customers. We like to communicate to them a very simple message.”

Alex Willats, Dusit Thani general manager, says, “What Chris and I are trying to do is to focus more on the local market rather than what we think the international travelers want because we think there will be some synergies there anyway. That’s one of the reasons we’ve already upgraded our local offerings in the all-day dining restaurant.”

Basix offers a wide array of appetizers, entrees, desserts and drinks — and also live cooking stations, from barbecue to pasta, steak and chicken satay,  that let you choose your ingredients and are brought to your table piping hot.

“It’s great to partner with Citi Philippines for this promotion.  They have a large number of cardholders who are willing to dine and utilize their cards here in Dusit,” adds Chris. “We thought it’s a great position for us to go ahead and drive their business and introduce their members to what we have at Dusit.”

Alex, who was appointed head of Dusit this year, has some big plans for the hotel and its loyal clients. Early this year, the hotel opened its P55-million executive club lounge, the largest and best-designed hotel lounge in the city. With touches of Thai elements and contemporary furniture, the 900-sqm. club lounge was designed by Grace Eleazar of Green Works,  taking a holistic approach toward relaxation, balance and aesthetics. Using rich fabrics and textures, narra wood planks, tracery reflecting Thai elements, bespoke furniture and lighting, the lounge is set on a neutral palette with colorful accents here and there. It has an outdoor area and bar, a library, a meditation room, and fantastic views of the surrounding villages of Makati.

Alex is also keen on offering alternative events at Dusit like the staging of The Elephant Man by the National Theater of London on Dec. 8 and 9 at the Dusit Poolside Pavilion.

Coming from the United Kingdom and having worked in hotels around the world including London, Bahrain and Thailand, Alex brings a little of his “Britishness” to Manila. “You get a little bit of slant on things,” he says with a wink.  “I think we’ve got a good balance here with Chris being from the US and having been in Asia for a number of years, we want to bring different influences into the hotel. We always have one or two Thai events on our calendar, but we don’t want to double up on the events, so we’re being more creative.”

“For next year, we’re playing with the idea of an a la carte buffet, so people just pay for what they want to eat, ,” says Chris. “Because some people don’t eat a lot and you don’t want to charge all that money, though some customers do make the most out of the buffet spread.”

Alex adds, “We do staycations for local residents, we have a very good spa, and there’s a number of things we can do with an institution like Citi whose members are high-income people who dine out and travel often,” he continues. “For our executive club lounge, we have just recently launched a private membership for people who are not staying at the hotel but are local residents, perhaps in the corporate field who would like the opportunity to bring clients to the hotel. Essentially, it’s acting as a private membership club as well, and we’re getting a lot of good interest from it.”

“Just hearing Alex and Chris talking about the strategies around the bend, we are excited to partner with Dusit. These are the things we like to work on with our partners, we want to do more than just a discount, we want to build relationships.”

Batara adds, “We look into a segment and see where our customers are spending and we like to have strategic partners in those areas. We value our partners and it’s a strategic fit with Dusit. Dining out is a lifestyle for our cardholders and this is what a great city living is for our customers.”

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Citi credit cards and Dusit Thani Manila’s 50 percent off at Basix promo is ongoing until Jan. 16, 2014.The promo is not applicable during the following blackout dates: December 24,25,31, 2013 and January 1, 2014. For inquiries, call 238-8888, 238-8840, log on to dusitthanimanila.dusit.com.