Makati Shangri-La reopened today, August 8 at exactly 8:08 a.m., with refreshed stay and dining offers for guests who are eager to experience once again the hotel’s legendary brand of hospitality. The hotel suspended operations two-and-a-half years ago during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Makati Shangri-La is an iconic landmark that has long been woven into the rich history of Makati City. For the past three decades, the hotel has provided a tranquil sanctuary within the city’s bustling business district,” said Udo Wittich, hotel manager at the Makati Shangri-La, during a recent lunch with the media at the hotel’s Sage Grill. “The reopening symbolizes a fresh beginning for Makati Shangri-La. It presents us a unique opportunity to provide guests with refreshed experiences and colorful joys of life that span our accommodations, dining destinations, and even in the ways we work with our community,” he added.
The hotel is reopening with a limited number of guest rooms which will be upgraded on a regular basis in the next few months, according to Wittich. Three F&B outlets will also be available to guests starting on August 8 such as the Sage Grill, Shang Palace, and Lobby Lounge. All 19 function rooms will also reopen on the same day including the 1,000-seat ballroom, Wittich shared.
“Coming up on that iconic driveway, it is just really touching once again that Makati Shangri-La would be reopening after a two-and-a-half-year hiatus,” said John Rice, vice president operations (Philippines) and general manager of Makati Shangri-La.
Rice has been associated with the Philippines, six years in Manila and a couple of years with his long-distance relationship with Philippine hotels out of Singapore.
“One thing that’s been incredibly touching is the support that we’ve had from anyone in the Philippines not just for Makati Shangri-La but certainly for our brand. In good times and bad times, we always appreciated and enjoyed the support of the community. And particularly for this community, it spans many many generations, it’s very nostalgic, and it has touched the hearts of many people. We look forward to welcoming generations of people from Manila, also from around the Philippines, and from around the world,” he shared.
Refreshed dining destination
Makati Shangri-La’s acclaimed dining outlets will also reopen albeit progressively. The hotel will also be reintroducing a range of Asian and Western cuisine to suit any mood and palate.
For the first stage of the reopening, guests can once again experience the light snacks and refreshments at the iconic Lobby Lounge, complete with picturesque views of the revamped hotel gardens.
Helmed by a new Chinese executive chef with more than 17 years’ experience in Chinese fine dining cuisine, the hotel’s Cantonese dining staple, Shang Palace, will feature a brand-new menu highlighting among others, eight new signature dishes designed to showcase the very best of Cantonese cuisine. The executive chef will also oversee all Chinese banquet menu preparations.
Sage, the hotel’s signature grill restaurant also makes a return with an updated look and a highly focused culinary approach that prioritizes sustainably sourced quality ingredients. Guests can enjoy signature beverages such as the Sage Martini, handcrafted using the hotel’s own blend of vermouth and sherry infused with sage or the Sage Negroni as a post-dinner cocktail.
Other dining establishments such as Circles Event Café and Sage Bar are slated to reopen in the upcoming months.
In addition, Makati Shangri-La’s renowned events and banqueting spaces will all reopen from August 8, ready to host people to the colorful joys of life through memorable events and banquets.
Elevated stay experiences
To further elevate its status as one of Makati’s leading corporate business hotels, Makati Shangri-La will be introducing a first-of-its-kind Horizon Club Business Room in the Philippines, designed to provide business travelers an enhanced in-room workshop that provides the perfect blend of comfort, convenience and functionality.
Each Horizon Club Business Room comes equipped with a range of remote work-friendly amenities such as a Omnidesk adjustable standing table paired with ergonomic chair and fuss-free modern electronics featuring dual-screen 4K monitors, speakerphone, mobile stands, and fast-charging cable adaptors. The business traveler-centric design offers a conducive and distraction-free environment for work, ensuring elevated productivity.
Other hotel amenities such as the Health Club also return to provide guests with state-of-the-art weight training and cardiovascular training systems, as well as a host of personal relaxation options such as the jacuzzi and cold plunge. Amenities such as the outdoor pool, children’s pool, and tennis courts will also be ready for families who desire outdoor activities.
The hotel spa will reopen in the first quarter of 2024.
Recharged commitments to sustainability and community impact
To protect the environment and care for the community in which it operates, Makati Shangri-La remains committed to running its operations in socially and environmentally sustainable ways.
“If you happen to have an electric car, you will be able to [recharge] your electric car at our hotel. We have so far identified four parking slots and we will provide more [electric recharging slots] in the future,” said Wittich.
The hotel is transitioning even more facets of the hotel’s operations towards sustainability. For instance, forgoing single-use toiletries, and shifting to wooden key cards to reduce single-use plastic usage in the hotel, according to Wittich. It will also embrace a garden-to-table approach to produce. Key to this is a planned garden at the patio to cultivate herbs and vegetables to be used in certain food and beverage offerings.
As a long-standing member of the Makati community, Makati Shangri-La has entered into a partnership with the University of Makati (UMAK) to provide internships and potential full-time employment opportunities for students enrolled in the university’s Hospitality Management program. The partnership will provide additional opportunities to learners eager to begin a career with a world-class name in hospitality.
For room reservations, kindly email reservations.makati@shangri-la.com. For dining reservations, kindly email dining.makati@shangri-la.com or call (+632) 8813-8888.
