New World is a hotel brand owned by the Hong Kong-based jewellery conglomerate, Chow Tai Fook. In spite of its long history dating to 1985, it has mostly gone under the radar, having operated hotels in joint ventures with other brands. In fact, for a time New World was the owner of Renaissance Hotels until it was sold to Marriott in 1997. As such, it is no surprise to see that the 1994-opened, 584-room New World Hotel Makati was known as the Renaissance Makati until 2014. Ever since its grasp by Sonia Cheng under the Rosewood Hotel Group (owner of Rosewood Hotels), the brand has undergone a renewed resurgence, expanding aggressively in the Asia-Pacific region.

Booking New World Hotel Makati

Having stayed near the airport at the Belmont Hotel Manila on my last layover, I decided to mix things up and stay in a proper hotel in Manila this time. Specifically, I looked into staying in the Makati central business district, particularly between the New World Hotel and the Dusit Thani. Despite both hotels’ similar price ranges, I ultimately chose the New World due to its sleeker-looking rooms and proximity to Greenbelt Ayala. I booked this stay via Agoda.com and paid a rate of about PHP 6,200 (~USD 110, GBP90).

Location

As its name suggests, the New World Hotel is located in Makati, Manila’s main central business district and The Philippines’ financial hub. This area can be reached within a 15-minute drive from Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3, making it ideal for layovers. Given the hotel’s convenient location on Makati Avenue, it is across the street from Greenbelt Ayala, a mega complex of five shopping malls set in a park-like setting.

Arrival and Check-in

After arriving in Manila from my Cathay Pacific Economy Class flight, I took a quick and easy 15-minute Grab ride to the hotel. Since I got to the hotel at 17.00, I arrived well after the check-in time of 14.00. Following a brief security check at the lobby, I was greeted by a porter who offered to take my bags. I proceeded inside to see the hotel’s grandiose and sprawling lobby to find the reception right across the entrance.

At the reception, I was greeted by a warm and very friendly agent, who welcomed me back to Manila. After confirming my reservation details and taking a copy of my passport, I was kindly asked to fill in a registration form. Following that, he issued my room keys having taken a security deposit on my card, and wished me a pleasant stay.

Being tired and hungry by this point, I quickly dragged my carry-on and myself to the lift lobby and headed up to my room on the 18th floor. This is so that I could spring over to Ayala Greenbelt after getting settled in my room.

My Deluxe King Room

After making my way up to the 18th floor, I took a brief moment to appreciate the view from the window at the lift lobby. The window looked straight into the Greenbelt malls in the Ayala Center and the Makati skyline, which I thought looked spectacular.

Despite that, pretty views definitely didn’t alleviate me of my hunger ;). As such, I quickly walked down the corridor to get settled in my room before going out again for dinner.

Bedroom

Sized at 34 sqm or 365 sqft, the Deluxe Room is the lowest room category to feature the hotel’s sleek and refurbished room. Making use of a Asian minimalist theme, the clean lines and the beige and cream tones of the bedroom definitely made the space feel premium and modern. Having no expectations from a New World Hotel, I was pleasantly surprised by the look of the room. In any case, this design reminds me slightly of something you’d expect from a Park Hyatt hotel.

Bed

At the centre is the large king-sized bed, which I found to be just firm enough and very comfortable. I more so loved the plush and soft duvets and pillows, which were very cosy in the cold temperature of the room. As such, it was no surprise that I slept very well despite usually being a light sleeper.

Across from the bed is the television, which rests on a long shelf. Although not so much a problem, I did find this area of the room to be slightly dimmer than I’d like. For one, the room could definitely benefit with a few extra lamps, particularly above the television console area.

Desk and sofa

Located by the window side of the room is the room’s relatively small wooden desk, alongside a stylish-looking daybed sofa chair. This area is complemented by an abstract-looking artwork on the wall, as well as a long storage console that doubles as one of the nightstands.

In addition to a padded leather chair, the desk conveniently has two universal power outlets and an HDMI cord that connects to the televison. Next to the desk is the in-room minibar, which has a bunch of packaged snacks and beverages on sale. However, I really liked that the hotel used these glass water bottles, which in addition to being more eco-friendly, also looked much nicer than plastic bottles.

Behind the desk is a nice oversized sofa chair, complemented by a solid wood coffee table. Travelling solo, I found this chair to be a very comfortable place to relax and work. Although it could surely fit two people simultaneously, I don’t think that it would be as comfortable, however.

View

Since my room was located on the 18th floor, I was expecting to get a vista from the window. Sadly, unlike the great view towards Makati, I had a comparatively ordinary view of EDSA and the surrounding residential neighbourhoods. Still, it’s better than having a parking lot as a view… 🙂

Storage

Finally, located in the entryway is the room’s open closet, which features a built-in luggage rack. Hung on the closet are two pairs of bathrobes, which I found to be plush and fluffy. Inside the covered portions of the closet, you’ll find the in-room safety deposit box and a clothes iron.

Bathroom

Located by the entryway, the Deluxe King Room features a nicely appointed four-fixture marble bathroom. In addition to the sink and toilet, the bathroom features a bathtub and a separate walk-in shower. Interestingly, I found the former to be very low-rise, which is probably characteristic of bathtubs from the 1990s. Although rather dimly lit, I found the bathroom to be very clean and well-maintained.

The toiletries were Malin+Goetz branded, similar to those offered at Le Meridien and came in large wall-mounted refillable bottles. Combined with the plush and fluffy towels, taking a relaxing bath after my long day definitely felt like a godsend. When I woke up the next morning, I used the shower, which sadly doesn’t have a rain showerhead. Although I thought it had great water temperatures, the water pressure was a bit weak for my liking.

Amenities

Fitness Centre

As you’d expect from a large and established hotel, the New World Hotel has a large fitness facility, shared with the hotel’s Marahai Spa, located on Level 3. Delightfully, the fitness centre features very nice and new-looking equipment, which I hadn’t expected from the hotel. In addition to the usual cardio and weights equipment, there was also a rowing machine, which you don’t see often in Asia.

Upon exiting the lifts, there is a reception area where you’ll have to sign in to use the Fitness Centre. To the right of this counter is a small room with a few exercise bikes, yoga mats, and a punching bag. Following the corridor past this is the large and air-conditioned cardio room, which looks very nice.

Swimming Pool

Located on Level 4 is the hotel’s large outdoor swimming pool and garden area. I’ll have to admit that the swimming pool is probably the oldest-looking feature of the hotel, apart from the hotel’s exterior. Given its outdated bright blue-tiled look, I didn’t find the pool area to be especially inviting. Regardless, the large prism-shaped pool is joined by a smaller children’s pool on the side. One section of the pool is also cordoned off for lap swimmers, which is a nice touch.

The pool is enveloped by a perimeter of sun loungers, which at night is lit by a fairy-light-like row of lamps. But I’ll give credit where credit’s due since both the pool and the pool furniture still looked very pristine and well-kept. In addition, I did also enjoy seeing the towering Makati skyline from the pool area, which I thought looked nice!

Service

Due to my very brief stay at the New World Hotel, I didn’t have many interactions with the hotel staff. Despite that, I’ll say that the hotel’s staff were very hospitable and friendly. Although this is probably something you’d expect from an upmarket hotel in the Philippines, I still very much appreciated the generous smiles and greetings from the staff at the New World. In particular, I’ll have to give a special thanks to the friendly doorman, who looked out and waited for my Grab after I checked out at 06.00 in the morning.

Overall

All in all, I found The New World Hotel Makati to be an excellent hotel for a layover in Manila. Given its strategic and convenient location in Makati and its proximity to Ninoy Aquino International Airport, it was the perfect hotel for my needs. In particular, I really liked the sleek and comfortable rooms, which just made me wish that my layover was longer. Having said that, I definitely wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again or any other New World and Rosewood Hotel Group hotels elsewhere in the world.

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