The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
by Alvin I. Dacanay
Last Thursday, Worldhotel Makati Inc. offered friends and select members of the media a preview of I’M Hotel, its five-star flagship property at the heart of Makati City that “aims to redefine the concept of luxury by removing dated and irrelevant excesses to focus on elements that deliver the highest levels of utility.”
Scheduled to formally open early next year, I’M Hotel, Marketing Manager Melissa Lim said during the preview, is “conceptualized to give the modern, discerning, and well-traveled individual a hotel that allows them to feel at home, and feel like they’ve never left.”
“The name I’M itself is actually a homage to [guests]. It is an invitation for them to project their personalities onto the space. At I’M Hotel, we’re all about you,” she added.
I’M Hotel General Manager Wouter Piet described the property as “unique in many ways” and boasting of several firsts. For one, it’s the first five-star hotel to rise in Makati’s Poblacion district, since it stands on the corner of bustling Makati and Kalayaan avenues.
This makes the hotel near malls and entertainment centers, as well as the Makati Central Business District, which is located 800 meters away, and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, which is only seven-and-a-half kilometers away.
Another first that I’M Hotel is proud to boast is the fact it houses the first Onsen Spa in the Philippines, which it says is also the country’s largest urban spa property. Measuring an impressive 3,800 square meters and spread over six stories, the I’M Onsen Spa houses 69 beds and presents guests with an authentic thermal bath that employs proprietary technology imported from Japan that mimics the mineral composition of that country’s famous hot springs.
The spa facility also features a wide range of rooms—from spa pods to couple suites with ensuite jacuzzis or steam rooms, not to mention three 39-to-52-sqm VIP spa suites that are perfect for small and exclusive gatherings—where guests can avail themselves of various treatments and drink experience-enhancing complimentary herbal teas.
After enjoying their treatments, guests can chill at I’M Onsen Spa’s relaxation lounges and indulge in a stomach-filling buffet meal at the hotel’s Bloom Restaurant, an all-day dining restaurant where renowned chef King Fonacier leads a hardworking team that prepares and presents food that use the best seasonal ingredients handpicked by the chef himself.
As impressive as the I’M Onsen Spa is the hotel itself, which is designed by Singapore-based interior-design firm Suying Metropolitan Studio. Its sophisticated and elegant design is evident in every area, from the neat and tastefully illuminated lobby that features a huge “I’M” near the elevators to its 434 spacious, stylish and streamlined rooms, which Piet describes as “big, comfortable, relaxing, [and] beautiful,” and equipped with “fantastic amenities.”
“Once you are in the room, you might not want to use the facilities anymore. That is how beautiful our rooms are,” he said during the preview.
These rooms—which range from the 30-sqm Classic Studio to the 82-sqm two-bedroom BR Executive Suite—include 182 suites that have a Bosch-fitted kitchenette, living room, and dining area, as well as offer terrific views of the Makati skyline.
All the rooms have complimentary wireless-fidelity internet access and minibar; a 49-inch Smart LED (light-emitting diode) television; an in-room safe; ironing facilities; and Crabtree & Evelyn bath and body-care products in their luxurious bathrooms, among other amenities.
Just as striking as the rooms is I’M Hotel’s infinity pool, which its operators deem an iconic element of the property. What makes the pool noteworthy is that guests entering the lobby can see it by simply looking up, because it is acrylic-bottomed.
According to I’M Hotel, the pool serves as an interactive medium between guests who are swimming in it and guests who are about to enter the premises, and is a vantage point for sunbathing and people-watching.
Dining and entertainment options are quite plentiful at I’M Hotel. Besides Bloom, the property also houses Empress Jade, a modern Chinese restaurant that presents a contemporary twist to the dimsum and fresh seafood dishes it serves; Mermaid, found beside the hotel’s infinity pool, where guests can relax and unwind over tasty food and refreshing drinks; and the soon-to-open Antidote Bar, which is located on the rooftop and whose main feature shall be a luminescent jellyfish tank.
As an establishment that not only caters to tourists, but also to businessmen, I’M Hotel offers spaces that are perfect for social and business functions. Its 504-sqm Narra Ballroom can accommodate 336 people and host large-scale meetings that require different kinds of set-ups, while comparatively smaller rooms—Acacia, Mahogany, Banyan, and Palmera—can seat between 48 and 96 guests.
With all these fantastic features that are sure to fascinate its guests, I’M Hotel—which is in its soft-opening phase—is poised to make a lasting mark not only on that space in Makati where it stands, but also in Metro Manila.
For inquiries and more information about I’M Hotel, call (632) 755-7888, send an e-mail to info@imhotel.com, or visit www.imhotel.com.