safety measures – Jellybeans in the City

The Manila Hotel intensifies efforts towards safety of staff and guests

HEPA Filtration System against viruses in place at the historic hotel

As The Manila Hotel’s famed Café Ilang-Ilang and the romantic Champagne Room reopened on January 28 and February 2, 2022, respectively. The hotel chose to suspend dining operations and do general maintenance when the holiday festivities died down to ensure food quality and guest safety, as well as do spot-checks on its facilities.

Café Ilang-Ilang is still one of the best eat-all-you can restaurants in the country where diners can indulge in a wide range of food selections for lunch and dinner daily. This brings together Italian, Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and even certified Halal dishes under one roof for an indulgent eat-all-you-can feast featuring crowd favorites like the US Beef Rib Roast; items from the Churrasco station; seafood like prawns and crabs; a glorious spread of different sushi and sashimi; Filipino favorites like Lechon with truffle rice; an array of desserts including bibingka, puto bumbong, and halo-halo; and many more.

The Manila Hotel’s Café Ilang-Ilang and The Champagne Room reopens

Meanwhile, Manila’s premier destination for exquisite fine dining, the Champagne Room, serves up lunch and dinner from Wednesday to Saturday, with choices from la carte items and special multi-course degustation menus—conceived by the hotel’s Executive Chef to showcase what this dining outlet is all about. Think generous servings of Black Angus Tenderloin, US Prime Beef Rib, the Chilean Sea Bass, or the satisfying Seafood Medley; there are also choices of starters; and for dessert, don’t miss out on the indulgent sweet delight—its signature Baked Alaska. The most romantic room in the country marks the return of its fine dining just in time for Valentine month.

YouAreSafeHere will always be a commitment

As the hotel continues to accept staycation guests, social events in various function rooms, and with dining outlets reopening, it will be much safer for guests to visit and dine in the outlets as the historic hotel takes a technology-driven solution to create a safer environment for guests by installing several innovative High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) UV-Care Clean air purifying filtration system units in different high-traffic areas.

The UV Care Air Purifier with Humidifier with 8-Stage Filtration System is proven to kill 99.97% SARS-CoV2* and is a timely response to the surge of the COVID-19 Delta and Omicron variants in the country (*tested by MRI Global USA, according to UV-Care website).

According to its manufacturers, the more advanced, medical-grade H14 HEPA filter has VIRUX® patented technology with a built-in activated carbon and photocatalyst filters that, along with UV LED lamp, is proven to effectively eliminate bacteria, germs, viruses, and pathogens. Their product information also states that these air filtration units are efficient in capturing and removing airborne particulates such as PM 2.5 and other allergens, dust, mold, and pollution from the air, and provides Ultraviolet-C sanitization to disinfect the air and kill germs. When used along with the best practices recommended by the IATF, DOH and DOT, it could be an effective indoor protection for both guests and staff.

The Manila Hotel welcomes dining and staycation guests with further assurance that “YOU ARE SAFE HERE”—because it isn’t just a tagline for us, but a commitment we uphold. For air quality, the hotel also installed heavy-duty York Solution Mobile HEPA Air-Handling Units in wider areas like the Grand Lobby.

Aside from dining options, staycation and leisure stays are now at guest-friendly rates from only P6,000 nett. For more information on room and restaurant rates and reservations, guests may call the trunkline 85270011 or 09989501912. They can also book rooms by emailing resvn@themanilahotel.com, and make dining reservations via restaurantrsvn@themanilahotel.com.

Details and images provided by the Manila Hotel in a recent press release.

Hotel Sogo innovates New Normal hotel features

Experts say it will take longer before the world completely heals from the effect of COVID19. As the country prepares to ease up after the almost three months of Enhance Community Quarantine, Hotel Sogo steps up for their version of the hotel industry’s ‘new normal’.

Hotel Sogo is doing various ways to ensure the safety and security of its guests and employees against the spread of Covid19 virus, once they go back to regular operations. Top on its list will be the use of ultraviolet (UV) lights in disinfecting around its facilities and intensified the process from checking-in to ordering of food to make sure their facilities as So Clean. The ultraviolet (UV) lights are highly effective at disinfection, as its rays are capable of killing bacteria, germs, and viruses.

To prepare its employees in servicing its guests, Hotel Sogo makes sure to protect their employees from the virus by giving them vitamins to boost their immunity and provided personalized PPEs. Hotel Sogo employees have their medical check-ups and Covid19 testing to make sure that their personnel is free from the virus to make sure that the employees and not just the facilities are So Good and ready for their regular operations.

Guests need not worry during their stay Hotel Sogo ensures that operations and preparations are So Safe, as mandatory temperature checks, passage through disinfecting tent, and use of disinfecting foot tray are in place. The availability of hand sanitizers in common areas, are strictly observed, as well as social distancing from the receiving process to elevator use going to their rooms. Facilities are also redesigned and modified to protect the guests and employees, like placing the glass panel divider on top of the front desk.

All of this information can be found in Hotel Sogo’s ‘new normal’ video playbook. The video is shared with relevant government agencies like the Department of Health (DOH), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and the Department of Tourism (DOT), in the hope that the video could serve as a benchmark of other similar establishments prior to their reopening.

Watch Hotel Sogo’s ‘new normal’ playbook video to know more.

Video and details provided by Hotel Sogo in a recent press release.

SKY subscribers can now safely manage their subscriptions and ask for help online

SKY subscribers can now maximize digital platforms in managing their subscriptions as a new normal begins to limit the movement and reshape the Filipino’s way of life amid the enhanced community quarantineand beyond. As they utilize these digital facilities, SKY is able to give them their much-needed peace of mind since all transactions do not require any physical contact and can be done at the safety of their home.

As of now, subscribers are given more time to settle their bills as they are given a grace period until May 15. This way, they can still enjoy their SKY service without any interruption. This helps them continuously access the latest news and information regarding the quarantine, while still able to work or study at home.

If they would like to check their billing status online, they can simply enroll their account through mysky.com.ph/myaccounts or to SKY e-bill to receive their statement of account via email or simply open the mySKY app.

For their safety and convenience, subscribers can pay their bills through digital facilities such as via credit card at mysky.com.ph/myaccounts or the mySKY App, e-Wallets Gcash and Paymaya, and online banking via BPI, BDO, Landbank, and more. Subscribers can easily refer to a detailed step-by-step guide featured in mysky.com.ph/digitalpayment for more details on how to use these digital payment facilities.

Subscribers are encouraged to download the mySKY app (mysky.com.ph/app) as it will help them manage their account with much ease as the app offers program schedules, minor troubleshooting guides, billing information, and even allows them add more channels and streaming apps to their subscription.

If they are experiencing common issues with their service, they can quickly access Do-It-Yourself and troubleshooting guides on SKY’s official website. They can also fill up SKYServes’ webform (mysky.com.ph/contact-us) to be able to immediately inform SKY of their concerns.

In the meantime, SKY is giving cable subscribers more chances to relax and indulge in their favorite shows as they fight cabin fever with the opening more channels without additional payment until May 15. The offered channels are TLC, Animal Planet, Food Network, NatGeo Wild, NatGeo People, Lifetime, FOX Sports, FOX News, Outdoor channel, Eurosport, Baby TV, Crime & Investigation, and History 2.

To know more about SKY’s safety tools and services, visit www.mysky.com.ph.

Disclosure: I work for SKY and part of my job is promoting its products and services, especially the content it provides to its subscribers. I consider being able to share my love for TV shows and movies and the experience of watching and talking about them with like-minded people some of the biggest perks of my job.