Century Park renovates rooms

MANILA, Philippines - The Century Park Hotel, one of Manila’s quaint establishments since 1976, is now proving to be still a delightful five-star hotel in the metropolis.

As the city has evolved into a hip and dynamic spot, the Century Park Hotel is also keeping abreast of this exciting progress. Its team is now introducing the beginning of the new Century.

Just recently, the hotel started renovating its deluxe floors, echoing a dramatic Asian modern feel. The elegant rooms are a total transformation of the 1980’s look, emphasizing an understated classic elegance.

The basic room feeling is an inspiration from the classic Asian wood paneling and woven mat techniques. Walls and ceilings are painted white, a contrast to the rich wood grains, while the laminates for all the furniture, cabinetry, and flat-screen 38” or 42” LCD monitor have a black wall accent. 

There’s also a new wardrobe cabinet design to better accommodate the hotel operations like proper height of mini bar and electronic safe as well as new full-length headboards to make bed mix configurations flexible and also protect the walls from unwanted stain marks.

Other practical modern amenities include Wi-Fi Internet in all deluxe rooms, and iPod dock with alarm in all the corner suite rooms.

The cushy wool carpet is also a sole pampering feature. This 80 percent wool and 20 percent nylon material is approved by the British Wool Licensees, thus guaranteeing its high quality and authenticity.

The soft furnishing colors, selected modern furniture and classic light fixtures give the whole room a bright and restful look reflective of 21st century design.

One will surely feel at home with the room’s safety box capable of keeping a laptop, plus a mini bar with see-through glass, black refrigerator.

Feel the coziness of duvet cover beds with 300-thread count of sheets and linens that come with thick but soft feather pillows.

Another major attraction of the deluxe room is its spacious bathroom perfectly designed to fit the lifestyle of a modern-day, savvy traveler. Its newly reconfigured layout features a separate rain shower, bathtub, toilet and bidet, and a large sink area.

The dark brown tiles are non-slip, finished off with the cool tone of passion beige for the walls. This part of the room is an interesting highlight as well. One can simply relax while taking a dip in the warm tub while watching a movie on the LCD monitor, strategically mounted on a wall in the bedroom and visible through the glass panel between the bathroom and bedroom. Speakers were conveniently placed above the bathtub for added comfort. For added privacy, just roll down the screen to the tub. 

The polished and neatly designed deluxe rooms are courtesy of the renowned Steven J. Leach Group, an Asian-based group of international interior design firms. The company has been around for 32 years and has completed over 1,000 projects, including hospitality, food and beverage, institutional, and retail designs.

The firm is also currently operating in 13 independently established offices in Asia and Europe, including one in Manila.

Century Park Hotel general manager Philippe Bartholomi, who is at the helm of this major project, says, “Steven Leach and Associates was chosen because of their intensive experience in interior design, professionalism, international recognition, plus proven track record around the world and network. (They) perfectly understand various cultures in Asia, that’s why it’s easier to work with them. It also makes the project run smoothly.”

The soon-to-be-launched renovated deluxe rooms of Century Park Hotel are definitely designed for comfort and enjoyment as well. At the moment, the deluxe floor renovation comprises only the first phase with target completion on Nov. 9.

This will be immediately followed by phase 2, covering 300 superior rooms.

“With the completion of the new deluxe and superior room design, we expect our hotel to be at par with any other five-star international hotel rooms, while at the same time keeping the heart and soul of the hotel which has been around for 33 years now. The contemporary and casually elegant deluxe rooms offer travelers all the necessities now provided in any modern rooms, especially with a much larger bathroom featuring four distinctive elements.”