When the Raffles Hotel is known to be negligence Singapore’s rich culture then the Manila Hotel would be the one which serves as the favorite muse of most hotels in the Philippines. This hotel is called the “living testimonial of Philippine heritage.”
This hotel was built with the Americans during the near turn of the twentieth century, the Manila Hotel stood witness for the different vital events that occurred from the Philippines including the Restoration of the Philippine Republic, Philippine Commonwealth, world war 2, Martial Law, attempts of Coup d’ etat, People Power, Restoration of Democracy, Impeachment of an incumbent president along with other important events from the good reputation for the Philippines. In spite of the wear and tear with time, Manila Hotel is still surviving and fighting for its existence in Philippine landscape and history.
The doors among the Manila Hotel were first became available in 1912. This hotel can be used to host the important festivities during the inauguration around the Philippine Commonwealth government in Manila. But since the Japanese people occupied the country Philippines in the year 1940, the hotel had become the headquarters around the Japanese along with Imperial Army. After the Japanese, the time with the Liberation came, Manila was bombed through the Americans for the purpose of attacking Japan forces that are seeking refuge within the city. It had been a miracle this hotel survived this bombing and was later rebuilt in its finest stature.
As much as the existing, it’s the one which holds the important political events and inaugurations in the Philippines. The foreign leaders and the heads of the state like Prince Charles stayed in Manila Hotel as well as the foreign entertainers like the Beatles and Sammy Davis Jr. This hotel seemed to be a house on the authors James Michener and Ernest Hemingway, time publisher Henry Luce and also the actors Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and John Wayne.
Among the notable personalities that stayed in this hotel, there’s one that truly created a mark: Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who played an important role in liberating the Philippines in the Japanese invasion. General MacArthur stayed with this hotel for a while before the War occurred in 1940. The space where General MacArthur stayed used to be preserved until now in its original form. This room was even named following the brave general who came to the Philippines and had become the love of the hearts from the Filipinos.
The major reconstruction and renovation from the hotel was made during the dictatorship of Marcos. It had been reopened in 1977 by having an even grander and even more glamorous appeal.During this time around that it may consider it is any time of the hotel’s peak of glory.It was on this era if the Manila Hotel won many international awards and gain recognitions all around the world.
If Manila Hotel could only tell stories of just what it have been through for the past century, publishers will certainly not ran from books to write. But even without speaking, the architecture, the style as well as the design from the Manila Hotel would be able to testify as to the it had experienced. So that as a symbol of Philippine culture at its finest, Manila Hotel will never cease to inform its stories for the coming generations.