Valentine's day feature: The Manila Hotel is a 570-room, five star hotel in Manila, Philippines, located in the heart of the Manila Bay area. The Manila Hotel is the oldest premiere hotel in the Philippines, built in 1909 to rival Malacañang Palace, where the Philippine president now lives, and opened in 1912. It was built on 3.5 hectares (376,736.9 sq ft) of land along Roxas Boulevard. It was the residence of General Douglas MacArthur from 1935 to 1941.
The hotel contains the offices of several foreign news organizations, including The New York Times. It has hosted numerous historical persons and celebrities, including authors Ernest Hemingway and James A. Michener, U.S. President John F. Kennedy, The Beatles, actors Michael Jackson, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and John Wayne, publisher Henry Luce, entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr., Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden, and many various world leaders.
The hotel's guest facilities and other services include limousine and luxury car rental, a helipad on the roof deck, airport transfer and transport assistance, medical and dental clinic, a business center with Internet access, 24-hour full menu room service, a delicatessen, a barber shop and beauty salon, a florist, laundry service, a post office, an in-house shopping mall, and arrangement of sightseeing tours. The Bay Club, Manila Hotel's sports and health club, features a jacuzzi, two tennis courts, and one squash court. Guests also have access to a gym, a sauna, swimming pool with a wet bar, a game room, and an indoor golf simulator. Other health club services include a whirlpool, wet sauna, steambox, martial arts, swimming, massages, and tennis lessons.
The hotel has seven restaurants and bars, covering a large portion of world cuisines. They include the Champagne Room for French cuisine, the Cowrie Grill for steaks and seafood, and Ginza, a Japanese restaurant with a wide selection of authentic Japanese food. There is also a pool bar that serves drinks and sandwiches.