If these ballroom walls could talk

When you have APEC knocking at your door, it’s time to start looking spiffier than usual. That must have been part of the reason behind Sofitel Philippine Plaza’s decision to invest US$5 million in refurbishing its iconic Grand Plaza Ballroom.

Sofitel has already experienced a number of overhauls, including the popular restaurant Spiral and a $1 million renovation of its lavish Imperial Residences in April 2012. This is the final phase to bring the French-owned hotel up to date. According to Sofitel general manager Adam Laker: “We want to make sure the ballroom is at the same level as the rest of the hotel. We’d felt the ballroom had been left behind a little bit; so it was time for an upgrade, to feel like a part of the property, so it blended in.”

Something as grand as the Grand Ballroom could hardly blend into the background. Built in 1976 (for the IMF conference at the time), the Ballroom is an impressive, almost palatial venue. Merging French and Philippine design, it’s a fitting expression of the hotel’s tastes during the month (July) that celebrates Bastille Day. As an added bonus this month, Sofitel hosted a French cheese master, M. Gerard Poulard, and wine expert Pierre Marie David for a food festival in Spiral until July 13.

Gathered upstairs in the Imperial Residences, the hotel’s 11th floor hideaway whose five-room suite runs for about P300,000 a night, we heard from Chanelle Garvey, Sofitel’s sales and marketing director, about what makes the Grand Plaza Ballroom so special. “For the last 38 years, it’s hosted a number of dignitaries, heads of state, events and weddings, and it’s become a real institution and part of the fabric of Manila. It truly is a beautiful venue, and we are proud to improve the venue and make it more beautiful, and continue the tradition.”

Most iconic of all, perhaps, is the Ballroom’s enormous Murano glass chandelier commissioned by First Lady Imelda Marcos back in the late ‘70s. That particular ornament will stay — it’s being carefully dismantled and cleaned in time for the September relaunch of the Ballroom — along with some of the original décor.

Headed by architectural firm A. Ilustre and Associates, the makeover brief was simple: “We wanted it to embrace who we are — a French company — so it had to have elements of luxury, same as we did in Spiral and the lobby,” says Laker. “But also we wanted the ballroom to have a feeling of being in the Philippines.” Even as we sit in the anteroom of the lavish Imperial Residences — where people like Hillary Clinton, Japanese Prime Minister Abe and (it’s rumored) US President Obama have slept over — we are reminded of the Philippines: the seven Ed Castrillo sculptures lining the walls, for instance. If these rooms could talk, they would speak of the famous, the powerful, the royal — even just the plain popular, like Justin Timberlake, who once stayed down the hall in a smaller suite.

Downstairs, the Grand Plaza Ballroom is already under wraps: the new entrance will feature massive posts and murals decorated in Mindanao-inspired designs by local artists from the south. The laminated pillars will be redone by DJ and Sons of Cebu.

But of course, Gallic touches will remain such as floor-to-ceiling wooden doors with signature French scroll designs for the stainless steel handles, and intricate 19th century scroll patterns in the Ballroom walls.

Look overhead, and a touch of Philippine history will remain: “All the chandeliers were created and worked with by Imelda Marcos, and they’re very iconic so we’re not going to get rid of that, we’ll keep it.” The teardrop Murano glass chandeliers will be encased in diamond cove ceilings to preserve their “timeless elegance.”

“We’re enhancing the ballroom so it makes the chandeliers even more beautiful than before,” says Laker.

If the Grand Plaza Ballroom could talk, it would certainly tell of the many dignitaries, heads of state and VIP Filipinos who have waltzed the night away across its floors. A partial list of some of the famous who have reserved the space for special soirees fell into our hands — among them Rustan’s Nedy Tantoco, whose annual Club Bulakeno Dinner Ball has been held here for 25 years; and Rita Neri, the high-profile events planner who has made the Grand Ballroom her staging ground for decades — and it’s safe to say the Ballroom will continue to draw grand attendees.

All this sprucing up comes in time for the upcoming APEC summit in November 2015. “APEC is an amazing opportunity for Manila,” points out Laker. “It’s being held in this area, so we want to ensure we have a brand new ballroom and space which can be utilized during that period. We are reinvesting in the business continually, as a lot of hotels are, which is fantastic news for the Philippines.”

There’s an even more urgent need to get the Ballroom reopened by September: “We do need to finish by then because otherwise I’ll have a few brides who will be banging on my door with about 800 guests behind them,” says Laker.

Weddings and social events are part of the hotel’s annual bread and butter, and Sofitel — which runs at 80 percent capacity and is very popular among “staycation” guests these days — expects to be newly launched sometime in September.