The Manila Hotel is a 570-room, historic five-star hotel located along Manila Bay in Manila, Philippines.[3] The hotel is the oldest premiere hotel in the Philippines built in 1909 to rival Malacañang Palace, the official residence of the President of the Philippines and was opened on the commemoration of American Independence on July 4, 1912.[5] The hotel complex was built on a reclaimed area of 35,000 square metres (380,000 sq ft) at the northwestern end of Rizal Park along Bonifacio Drive.[6] Its penthouse served as the residence of General Douglas MacArthur during his tenure as the Military Advisor of the Philippine Commonwealth from 1935 to 1941.

The hotel contains the offices of several foreign news organizations, including The New York Times.[5] It has hosted numerous world historical persons and celebrities including authors Ernest Hemingway and James A. Michener; actors Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and John Wayne; publisher Henry Luce; entertainers Sammy Davis, Jr., Michael Jackson and The Beatles; U.S. President John F. Kennedy, Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden, and other world leaders.

The hotel tower built in 1977, surpassed the Philippine Plaza Hotel (now Sofitel Philippine Plaza) in Pasay City. It remained the tallest hotel tower in Manila Bay area.

When the United States took over the Philippine Islands from the Spanish in 1898 after the Spanish-American War,[8] President William McKinley began Americanizing the former Spanish colony. In 1900 he appointed William Howard Taft to head the Philippine Commission to evaluate the needs of the new territory. Taft, who later became the Philippines' first civilian Governor-General,[9] decided that Manila, the capital, should be a planned town. He hired as his architect and city planner Daniel Hudson Burnham, who had built Union Station and the post office in Washington. In Manila, Mr. Burnham had in mind a long wide, tree-lined boulevard along the bay, beginning at a park area dominated by a magnificent hotel. To execute Burnham's plans, Taft hired William E. Parsons, a New York architect, who envisioned an impressive, comfortable hotel along the lines of a California mission but grander.[6] The original design was an H-shaped plan that focused on well-ventilated rooms on two wings, providing grand vistas of the harbor, the Luneta, and Intramuros. The top floor was, in fact, a large viewing deck that was used for various functions, including watching the American navy steam into the harbor.

World War II

During World War II, the hotel was occupied by Japanese troops, and the Japanese flag was flown above the walls for the entirety of the war. During the Battle for the Liberation of Manila, the hotel was set on fire by the Japanese. The shell of the building survived the blaze and the structure was later reconstructed.  

Sure do like Edward's new hat

Greeter at the Hotel entrance

Hotel lobby

One of the massive stairwells

Lobby

Registration Desk

Hostesses at the restaurant - they are all in long dresses

Chefs at the pizza buffet

Entry way to the seating area

Here we come - ready or not!

Pres. Wong, E/S Pitts

E/S Dial - he is my sister-in-law Jane's cousin

Our meal, which we shared.  It is a whole wheat
bread bowl with the bread cut out and our four level
club sandwich.  The fries are in the cone and they were
the best I have ever eaten!

After lunch we were able to tour the Douglas McArthur
Suite.  Wow!  It was grand.  We were told that he
had the entire fifth floor and his suite had a
24 hour butler with a full kitchen which McArthur
could request food any time day or night.  One can
stay here for $3,500 a night, butler included.  Don't
think we will be staying there anytime soon!

E/S England, E/S Kresge, E/S Dial, E/S Pitts, Pres. Wong

All the furniture in this room had this carved into it.

I don't quite look like Douglas, but close!?!  Guess I needed a hat.

Pretty posh bed.  I wonder if it is comfortable?

Mosquito netting as there was no air conditioning and
with open windows, it could be disastrous without it.

Cool carving of a Filipino family

The first comfortable chair since leaving home.

Navy ship, taken out of hotel window.

Orchid

Room for wedding receptions

More beautiful gowns.  The hotel provides all the
assorted wear for the employees.