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Manila hotels, restos blessed with brisk business during papal visit
By KATHRYN MAE P. TUBADEZA, GMA News
The five-day visit of Pope Francis in the Philippines was a blessing not only for the Filipino faithful but for businesses and vendors as well.
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Hotels near Quirino Grandstand and Rizal Park were fully booked even weeks before the scheduled arrival of the Pope.
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The Corporate Inn Hotel in Ma. Orosa St. corner T.M. Kalaw in Manila was already fully booked a few weeks ago.
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It has a total of 58 rooms.Â
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Geryl Lebrilla, of the hotel's sales and marketing department, said they are usually fully booked during the holidays.
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"Isa ito sa pinaka-puno ang hotel," she told GMA News Online.
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Hotel H2O, just behind Quirino Grandstand, was also fully booked. It has a total of 147 rooms.
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According to a reservations staff, the hotel was already full last month.
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Manila Hotel, which has 500 rooms, was already fully booked even before January.Â
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For the branch of Wendy's in Taft. Avenue cor Kalaw St., Jan. 16, 17 and 18 were big days for them.
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"Sobrang laki ng volume, triple yung dami ng customers," Norman Lalic, its branch manager, told GMA News Online.
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Lalic said there was even a time that their supplies were not enough for the number of customers.
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Liony Dimapawi, a 65-year-old woman, went to the Manila Cathedral, Mall of Asia Arena, Apostolic Nunciature, University of Santo Tomas and Quirino Grandstand.
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She did this not just to see the Pope, but also to sell her items.
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Dimapawi sold t-shirts and hats with Pope Francis' picture printed on it.Â
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She sold the items for P150 each.
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"Maganda ang benta, marami ang bumibili," she told GMA News Online. —NB, GMA News
Tags: papalvisit, popefrancis
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