The Manila Hotel, hotel in Manila, Philippines
The Manila Hotel is a hotel near the shore of Manila Bay, built in the California Mission style with a white facade and a green tile roof. Inside, a grand lobby with twin staircases leads to large rooms with high ceilings, many of which face the water.
The hotel was planned as part of a city development scheme approved in the early 1900s and opened in 1912, with Daniel Hudson Burnham involved in the design. It was heavily damaged by bombing in 1945 and rebuilt before reopening at the end of that decade.
The hotel stands at the edge of the old walled city and has long been a place where Manila's social life played out in full view. The lobby and its grand staircases still carry the feel of those evenings, and the space is used today for ceremonies, weddings, and public gatherings.
The hotel sits near Pier 7, making it easy to reach from the port and well placed for getting around central Manila. A rooftop garden offers open views over the bay and is worth visiting in the late afternoon when the light changes over the water.
A former employee named Walter E. Antrim started as a dishwasher and worked his way up to hotel manager during the 1920s. Along the way, he created a cocktail called Lintik, meaning lightning, which had to age for two weeks before it was served.
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