Oakwood Premiere offers royal treatment in new location

In Manila, when you say Oakwood, what comes to people's minds is an unfortunate military incident that occurred when it was still in Makati a few years ago. The deluxe service residence has since moved to the northern part of the metropolis, in a new building smack-dab in the heart of the Ortigas business center. "We moved from Makati because of Ascott purchasing the building," explains Oakwood General Manager Brian Connelly. In its new location, Oakwood Premiere is changing the way people think about a "home away from home." "We're a hybrid," says Connelly, a genial man who's always smiling and who likes getting to know Oakwood's guests. "We're part service residence, part condo. We have a banquet center and a restaurant." Oakwood Premier is similar to a five-star hotel in offering top-of-the-line amenities, but it is also similar to service residences because all their suites are apartments, all of them containing kitchens and most of them including their own washing machine. One of the attractions of Oakwood Premiere is that guests can stay over for even just one night (as opposed to other countries, where laws impose a minimum stay of one week to a month for places in this category). Aside from expats working in top corporations and visiting dignitaries, a surprising number of Oakwood's guests include locals in the process of renovating their homes. Of course, there are those who are simply looking for a night or two of vacation time without having to leave the city. Aside from amenities like an indoor pool and an exclusive gym, one of Oakwood's main attractions is its new location. "We really like Ortigas," Mr. Connelly says. "We believe it's an up and coming area. The area has a lot of undiscovered business. The high profile boys may be in Makati, but here, you tend to see the guys who make a difference. ADB, World Bank, Sykes... There are so many people doing business here." Oakwood's rooms range from studio types to three-bedroom units, all of them spacious and comfy, with wonderful views of the city. But what keeps people coming back to Oakwood isn't just what it has to offer physically. "We call ourselves a community," Brian says. Residents have an array of activities to help make their stay in Oakwood more pleasant. There are group classes in the gym, and every 1st and 3rd Saturday, carpools are organized to take residents to certain malls. Oakwood's restaurant Oak Room has monthly wine nights, while Thursday nights are buffet nights and on Friday nights, San Miguel beers go for four for a hundred. There's also a library of over 200 DVDs that are free to use, plus a book library. "Next we'll have a cooking class, a flower arrangement class. We'll teach people how to paint. We're going to have a variety of activities for the residents and hotel guests," Mr. Connelly says. One thing that not a lot of people know is that Oakwood is surprisingly kid-friendly, without affecting the quality of other guests' stay. There's a play room for smaller children, while older kids can while away time watching DVDs or going to one of the nearby malls. For picky kids (and adults), the kitchen is only too happy to send up ingredients that might be needed for a spur-of-the-moment dish. Kids aren't the only ones who are given extra care. The super-attentive staff treats each Oakwood resident, for lack of a better word, like royalty. "What we want people to take away with them is that the service they received exceeded their expectations. That we went the extra mile," Mr. Connelly says. Forget your phone in a taxi? The staff will help you hunt down that taxi. Lose your wallet in a mall? The staff will help you file a police report and do everything they can to help you get your wallet or phone back. These things have actually happened to guests, with positive results. "Anybody can smile and pour coffee and all that. But when you lose your wallet in a mall or your phone in a taxi, (the response) separates the average five-star from the special five-star," Mr. Connelly says. "We bring trust. If you"re coming to an Oakwood, you trust that you're going to have a safe, secure, clean and friendly experience. You'll be able to do business with your clients and not have to worry about where you live. We're lucky to be the only service residence in the entire country to receive the deluxe rating, which is only given to hotels. It's the same as five stars. That adds to the trust, knowing that you're going to be staying in a place with that kind of rating," he concludes. - YA/GMANews.TV Oakwood Premiere is located at Joy-Nostalg Center Manila, 17 ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig, Metro Manila. For inquiries, call 637 7888 or 910 8888