The little hotel that could. I certainly admire the vision of Selah Garden Hotel. It's an oasis in the middle of the city. A complex-like structure of resort-nature themed rooms, surrounded with large trees, a good sized pool in the middle (with varying depths), a faux (but acceptable) green grass yard with a swing, and a multitude of outdoor activities hanging above (zipline, etc).
When we arrived, it was a chaos of people lining up at the reception. I cannot fault their staff. Everyone was accommodating and truly hardworking. IMO, their system of managing each transaction was flawed. Yes, there were too many people. But that's why there should be a system.
Cons during our stay:
- They only checked which room to give when the guest was already at the counter. The front desk guy personally went to the room instead of call on housekeeping to prep. Took a long time. Each guest has a reservation in advance, so it's not unrealistic to expect that rooms were at least pre-assigned. Took us about 1.5hr just to check-in.
- Overlapping rooms given in confusion, non-updated key cards. Fortunately, the key card was updated the next day so we can all leave our room if we want to, and not have to make someone stay inside at all times.
- Un-endorsed breakfast stubs for guests. Resto staff won't allow you to eat if you can't prove that you've paid. We were never given breakfast stubs because they ran out of them and haven't printed new ones yet. Anyway front desk lady promised to personally take care of it but forgot.
- Beddings for extra bed was also promised to be taken care of. We had to request 3x, and finally someone came up around 7PM to properly arrange the extra bed after our 4th request. Complimentary towel, toiletries, slippers were included.
Most of my rants were circumstantial. Staff were willing to help, but without a system in place, they can't do their job accordingly. Usually, hotels prep in advance the rooms, food, activities, especially if you've made advance payment. They're expected to anticipate the number of guests or rooms to be occupied because of the data from the reservations. Anyway, if you're in a bad mood or hungry, the waiting could really get on your nerves.
Pros:
- Friendly staff
- Good-sized rooms
- Good water pressure, water heater works
- Efficient room service. 15-20mins delivery of food
- Food serving sizes were large, good for sharing
- Nice, overall ambiance with lots of plants, trees, fish ponds (with turtles)
- Convenience store next to the hotel open 24/7
- Good WiFi connection, 2 gadgets allowed per room
- Generous number of electric sockets in the room, around 5+ (pairs)
We got the Twin Room (Php1860 via Agoda). It was roomy, with closet, TV, A/C, thermos, cups, complimentary bottled water, mini fridge.
Mirror on the door, vanity desk and chair.
Extra bed (Php800, pay at hotel) with complimentary breakfast buffet.
Toiletries include toothbrushes, toothpaste, soaps, shower gels. Hair dryer on the wall. Towels provided. You can ask for an extra toilet paper roll if needed.
Breakfast buffet (Php300, no leftovers, no sharing) Applicable to walk-in guests as well. Selection was pretty decent. Expect few to several flies, depending on the hour.
Rice (plain/garlic), tocino, beef tapa, mechado, pasta, soup/congee, coffee, cereal, bread + jam/butter, fruits, salad, juice
Tabla Restaurant doubles as the buffet breakfast dining area. Tabla is open for lunch and dinner, a la carte orders, and room service. Nice narrow fish pond by the plant wall.
Since it's summer, people mostly came for the pool. It's well-maintained and seldom empty. Even at noon, guests blew off steam by swimming and lounging poolside. Up until 10PM, I found guests enjoying the pool until the staff signaled that it's time. Pool Hours: 7AM - 10PM
I feel like this hotel does have it all, in theory. At the 2nd level, next to the elevator and stairs was the path leading to the tiniest Spa I've ever seen. It's cozy, if not borderline DIY.
This pocket Spa was a mini hut, with sheer white curtains. Inside were 2 massage beds. Our masseuses were very capable. They do room service massages upon request.
Body Massage (Php480, 1hr) Foot Massage (Php220, 30mins)
Pool at night.
Selah Garden Hotel pool and grounds
Remarks:
- Overall, it was a good stay. After the unusually long check-in queue, some minor mishaps and delayed processes, we enjoyed our stay once we've settled in.
- This hotel offers something different. It has a pool, open air dining, pocket spa, numerous trees and fish ponds at an affordable price.
- Wind was always blowing during our stay. The slats made it possible for breeze to flow throughout. Plus the outdoor activities for peers, and even scuba diving lessons make this is a compact all-in-one hotel.
- Hopefully management continues to maintain it at a functioning level.
- A handful of parking slots available (around 10 or less).
- Recommended for the location, facilities, and price for quality.
Selah Garden Hotel
2715 Park Avenue, Pasay City
Metro Manila
Tel: 02 - 5089141
/travelspeedx