One of the many reasons why I like this hotel-by-the-sea is its continuous stream of new offerings to the public.
I remember that, before this pandemic set in, I was always at Conrad Manila witnessing the launch or the opening of its many delightful social and food and beverage events. Now that quarantine restrictions have eased up, the hotel is at it again, with exciting new developments.
To me, this de luxe property has become synonymous with the joys of life!
The hotel recently introduced its incoming general manager, the affable Linda Pecoraro, who previously occupied the same position at the Hilton Kota Kinabalu. Being a part of the luxury chain’s drive to empower women in leadership, Pecoraro is determined to further elevate Conrad Manila’s standing in our country’s hospitality industry.
With her more than 20 years’ experience, I am sure there will soon be exciting innovations in the hotel’s operations. I had the privilege of breaking bread recently with this cheerful lady and, while listening to her discuss plans for the hotel, I couldn’t help but also get carried away by her excitement.
Although the hotel’s previous general managers, Harald Feurstein and Laurent Boistron, both did very well in building the stature that Conrad Manila has now, I am sure the much-heralded “lady’s touch” of a female boss will prove to further bolster the hotel’s lofty position.
The other “good news” from the hotel is the reopening of its main restaurant, the award-winning Brasserie on 3, which now offers “Feast of Flavors,” a wide selection of culinary favorites carefully chosen by the energetic and friendly Executive Chef Daniel Patterson. He has laid out a mouth-watering array of impressive flavorful delights in three sections—the Asian Favorites, The Grill, and the Pizza-Pasta, for dine-in customers to choose their main course from.
The Asian Favorites section includes Singaporean Laksa, Ox-tail Kare-Kare, and the restaurant’s signature Beef Bulalo. The Grill offers Wagyu Beef Burger, Organic Chicken, and Sirloin Steak, among others. Pizza-Pasta features Truffle Four Cheese, Chicken Pesto Flatbread Pizza, Fettuccine Carbonara, and Spaghetti Bolognese.
To conform to the required health and safety protocols, the restaurant makes available to the guests a digital menu which can be viewed by scanning a QR code, for contactless ordering, as the usual buffet set-up in any restaurant is no longer allowed. The customers will have to give their choices to the wait staff, then Chef Patterson’s kitchen team will prepare them and have them delivered to the customers’ table. Other stringent measures in place, to ensure everybody’s well-being, include the physical distancing set-up on the tables and the use of acrylic table barriers.
Furthermore, it is very reassuring that Conrad Manila employs a Hygiene and Services Manager who ensures that each dish is prepared in compliance with the highest global and Hilton standards. The Food and Beverage staff is mandated to undergo daily health checks and observe stringent hygiene practices at all times.
Another very interesting new feature offered by the hotel is its “Meetings To Go” Package. This is a unique and pioneering initiative which caters to those attending virtual events, making it easy for them to go on with their business discussions while enjoying the perks of a de luxe hotel.
When the host of an online event avails of this package, each virtual attendee gets a box, delivered to where he/she is. The box contains an eco-tumbler, handcrafted bamboo utensils, and the hotel’s signature takeaway Hot Box meal specially prepared by the very creative Executive Chef Patterson.
You will find this Hot Box very interesting and definitely one-of-a-kind. It contains a full-sized meal, i.e., a meat dish, salad, mashed potatoes, and dessert, and all these are placed in a specialized silver dish which has a string underneath. When you are ready to eat, you just have to pull the string and wait a few minutes, then you’ll notice steam coming out from under the dish, heating your meal. So, you get to enjoy the meal hot and could have it simultaneously with the rest of the online event attendees.
Very curious about the mechanism used in this unusual food and beverage innovation, I made sure I got the explanation on the process involved. But I’d rather keep it to myself, so the hotel can continue enjoying its monopoly of this technically advanced and unique device.
I’m glad Conrad Manila always has interesting offerings up its sleeve. In fact, I’m thinking that, when Eleanor Roosevelt said almost a century ago, “With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts,” it probably was her way of predicting that a trendsetting hotel like Conrad Manila would eventually rise in our midst.
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YOUR WEEKEND CHUCKLE
ELEPHANT (laughing at the camel): Ha ha ha…looks like you have two breasts on your back!
CAMEL: With a face like yours, I’d just shut up!
For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrado@gmail.com.