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Friday, March 29, 2024

Dreaming in the city…again

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After a very tiresome week at the office, I decided to treat myself to another special weekend and, since I wanted to try out something new, I checked in at the Hyatt City of Dreams.  I was also curious to find out how the present-day Hyatt is, compared to that of “our era” when I was the Director of Sales of the former Hyatt Regency Manila, now the Midas Hotel.

Hyatt City Of Dreams

1 The cavernous Reception area with attractive light-bearing ornaments hanging from
the ceiling 2 The swimming pools of the Hyatt, Nobu and the Crown, as seen from my
room 3 The very comfortable beds with non-allergenic feather pillows 4 The southern
part of the metropolis, from my window 5 My former student, Romer Garcia, now a
Front Desk Receptionist at the hotel 6 They probably knew I am a chocolate lover, so
they placed this on my bed 7 This stand-alone tub was so inviting, I just had to have
my bubble bath 8 A huge pot of fresh orchids greets everyone at the hotel’s main
entrance 9 The welcome amenities in my Club room

By just walking through the main entrance of the hotel, I was already awed by its de luxe interiors and immediately realized it was foolish of me to want to compare the Hyatt of 40+ years ago, albeit belonging to the Hyatt Regency category, to this ultramodern structure, although just a Hyatt Hotel category, but with standards that are clearly many notches higher than what I had experienced before.  What made the “welcome” even more impressive was the presence of my former student, Romer Garcia, who now works at the Front Desk of the hotel.

Hyatt City of Dreams Manila is one of more than 60 Hyatt Hotels worldwide. It has two gleaming towers and was created by award-winning architects Asya Design, with interiors by Arlen P. De Guzman Design Associates. Its 365 rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows, and are furnished in striped woods and shades of mustard, paprika and chocolate. The impressive marble bathrooms are equipped with twin vanities, a stand-alone tub and a walk-in shower.  I also like the 47-inch LED HDTV fronting the beds and the non-allergenic feather pillows.

The entrance to DreamPlay, as seen from my camera

I was fortunate to have been assigned to a Club Room which gave me access to the Club Lounge on Level 7 of Tower II.  This exclusive area offered personalized check-in and check-out, Continental Breakfast, Cocktails and light snacks throughout the day, and hors d’oeuvres at sundown.

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Since I stayed just for a night, and because of the complimentary food and beverage service at the Club Lounge, I did not have a chance to try out the hotel’s main dining area, the 24-hour Cafe, where chefs perform their cooking tricks for guests at different food stations. The hotel also has the Lounge, a stylish venue for drinks and light snacks, with tapas available in the evening.

Wall of Destiny entrance

With all these impressive facilities, modern equipment and exemplary service at hand, it certainly was a delightful weekend for me, as I look forward to doing it again sometime soon.

Dreamplay

The Furious Five Academy

Since I was already at the City of Dreams, I thought it best to walk towards another corner of the 6.2 hectare integrated resort, to check out the newly opened DreamPlay, the world’s first family entertainment center from DreamWorks Animation.  After braving the long queue of children and their parents, I felt like a child again as I lost myself in this 2400-square meter  “fantasyland.”

Stairway to Heaven

DreamPlay is an integrated blend of live and digital play spaces, featuring DreamWorks’ beloved characters—Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar and How to Train Your Dragon.  It introduces education-based, interactive entertainment, encouraging children from 6 to 12 years old to learn through play.  This one-of-a-kind family fun venue includes a 165-seater café; a store; and three themed party rooms.  If you have children and you want to take their enjoyment quotient to a higher level, bring them to this fun, colorful destination, and you’ll be happy you did.

Personality Of The Week

Jonathan Badon

The Pacific Asia Travel Association Business Assembly which I attended recently featured an interesting personality who entertained us with his signature songs while lunch was being served.  Jonathan Badon is called Prince of Popera because he can easily switch his singing style from classic opera to pop and vice versa. No wonder he has wowed audiences whichever part of the world he stages his concert in.

Jonathan  is a graduate of the University of the Philippines College of Music with a degree of Bachelor of Music in Voice.  He was so good at our event, we would have asked him for several encores if only we didn’t have a business agenda to tackle after lunch.

YOUR MONDAY CHUCKLE 😀

A married couple are out one night at a dance club. There’s a guy on the dance floor giving it his all—breakdancing, moonwalking, back flips, the works. The wife turns to her husband and proudly says, “See that guy? Twenty years ago, he proposed to me and I turned him down.”  The husband says, “Looks like he’s still celebrating!”  Months later, the husband is reportedly still recuperating from broken bones.

 

For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrad@gmail.com

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