The hotel looks reasonable but as you know pictures can be deceiving I hope you read the reviews (preferably from non Filipinos) and that it comes up to scratch, and more importantly that it is safe. Did your wife or someone else recommend the hotel, best if they did?
Yeh I know that the reviews look good and yes my fiancé did and her parents have done a recce for me and there happy that's its safe and adduquett just wanted another opinion cheers Timmers.
Well, if your missus and family are familiar with the hotel then that counts for a lot in my book, there is nothing like local knowledge in these matters. I've stopped in many hotels in Manila over the years and in general I have been reasonably happy at the places I've stayed.
I think this is a link to the hotels website: http://www.lancasterhotels.com.ph I can never understand why some hotels take such pride in practicing towel origami, folding towels into faux Swans, Elephants, Crocodiles and other strange creatures, and placing them on the middle of the bed. Towels should be neatly folded and left in the bathroom in my opinion. Mind you, I was fairly impressed by a multi towel crocodile last time I stayed in Cairo.
I think the main reason behind the towel origami is that it encourages some people to leave a tip for the chamber maids
I looked at the reviews and the overall review score and I think you can do much better at a lower cost. It has a review score of 6.3 on booking.com. The nearby (and similarly priced) Jinjiang Inn has a score of 8.9 and the (cheaper still) Red Planet Ortigas a score of 8.1 Complaints about the Lancaster which pop up regularly are poor checkout service which takes about an hour, poor breakfast choices, slow lift, mega-slow internet and inadequate bathroom/kitchen facilities. And quite a lot about it being smelly. I realise that the comparisons might not be like-for-like, but a good hotel in Manila is as good as anywhere in the world. A bad hotel in Manila can leave you needing therapy.
Booking.com usually have a free cancellation. Last time I went, I stayed at a Red Planet hotel which was actually the third I had booked. I cancelled the first two without a hitch. I can say no more than I would book a Red Planet hotel in heartbeat next time I'm in Manila. I'm fussy about pillows and don't sleep well if a crappy pillow has been supplied. There could have been a typhoon and earthquake and I wouldn't have known, so perfect was the mattress and pillows at the Red Planet Amorsolo where I stayed.
