Grateful for a year full of great stories

The year seems to have zoomed by so fast, and before we knew it, 2021 is coming to a close. And Okada Manila is celebrating its fifth year—and what five years they were!

As the song goes, “How do you measure a year?” For Okada Manila, each year is measured by stories of real people—its guests, team members, and collaborators. Countless stories, big and small, that began and continue in its rooms and halls, gaming floor, gardens, its nightclub and indoor beach club Cove Manila, and beyond.

A truly safe place

The year 2021 is when the world began its transition from the disruption of the pandemic to the new normal. Okada Manila is proud of its team members who worked hard to ensure everyone’s health and safety so guests can book and stay in the resort with complete confidence.

Its world-class health and safety protocol, the 3T, or the “True safe. True clean. True Heart.” assured its guests and visitors of their safety during their stay at Okada Manila. For this, Okada Manila’s team members underwent an intensive health and safety training, plus fortified sanitation and disinfecting protocols throughout the property.

Through their efforts, Okada Manila achieved its official status as a Sharecare Health Security VERIFIED® destination, awarded by Forbes Travel Guide and digital health leader Sharecare. This attests that Okada Manila is equipped with proper and comprehensive safety protocols that prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

After undergoing stringent inspections and assessments for its in-property hygiene and safety measures, the iconic integrated resort received the globally recognized World Travel and Tourism Council’s Safe Travels stamp, in collaboration with the Department of Tourism that has also granted the property with the DOT Safety Seal.

Exciting milestones

Okada Manila has often been the host of celebrations and collaborations—from personal milestones like birthdays, anniversaries, and weddings, or just staycations for special days, to highly publicized and stylized photo shoots.

One of the biggest romantic gestures Okada Manila had an honor to be part of took place on Valentine’s Day. Dr. Hayden Kho surprised his wife, Dr. Vicki Belo, with a romantic stay in Okada Manila’s 1,400-sqm Villa Coron, complete with all the luxuries that she deserved.

Local and international publications also set, curated, and created their stories within its facilities.

Metro.Style brought Atasha Muhlach to Okada Manila for her first-ever cover story and fashion shoot. Liza Soberano marked her 10th year in show business with an exclusive story with Metro and an edgy fashion shoot in the property. When veteran actor John Arcilla won Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival, Esquire also did his photo shoot in Okada Manila to celebrate the amazing accomplishment.

International fashion magazines turned to Okada Manila as well for their photo shoots. Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam’s cover shot in the Grand Ballroom featuring the Philippines’ beauty queens Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach, Miss International 2016 Kylie Verzosa, Miss World 2013 Megan Young, and Miss Earth 2015 Angelia Ong was the talk of the town when it came out. Pia came back to Okada Manila just a few weeks later, this time for Vogue Italia’s avant-garde fashion spread, featuring the creations of the Kandama Collective. Okada Manila is the only Philippine integrated resort to have participated in a Vogue Italia shoot.

Okada Manila proved to be the favorite of beauty queens as it also hosted Miss World Philippines 2021’s beach beauty competition at Cove Manila.

The men and women behind the scenes

In over a year of starts and stops because of the pandemic, Okada Manila stayed in top shape, thanks to the hardworking team members that ensured that everything was working and ready for its guests. Keeping the halls and rooms sparkling clean just as they have always been is a feat in itself.

The meticulous maintenance staff also deserves much praise for ensuring Asia's only indoor pool and high-tech nightclub, Cove Manila, remains in top condition.

In a time when the hospitality industry drastically changed because of the pandemic, Okada Manila achieved its second 5-star rating in a row from Forbes Travel Guide. All the hard work of the team members paid off, a validation to their perseverance and unflagging excellence through the years.

Teamwork makes the dream work

Receiving recognition is a great icing on the cake for the people who worked hard to achieve it. Speaking of cake, its pastry chefs are grateful for being part of the team that has been winning a national pastry competition since 2019. This validation only drives them to always give the finest to Okada Manila’s guests.

Moreover, Okada Manila’s Corporate Marketing and Communications team is grateful that the 3T campaign won a prestigious Quill Award. 3T communicated the property’s health and safety protocols clearly and comprehensively to everyone, giving the public and Okada Manila’s team members a more cohesive sense of how Okada Manila ensures guests’ safety.

This year, Okada Manila also won the Hotel Sales & Marketing Association’s 7th Virtus Awards for the Most Resilient Business—Property Category. Okada Manila was also one of the finalists of the Marketing Campaign of the Year category, again, for its 3T safety campaign.

Most of all, the property’s team members are grateful for the opportunity to help many people during the pandemic as part of Okada Manila’s CSR drives. Being part of Okada has increased their reach and amplified what they can do for the community. For PGH, Okada Manila, through the Okada Foundation, was able to purchase advanced medical equipment for cancer operations at UP-PGH and to send Philippine doctors to the International University of Health and Welfare in Japan. For the Lung Center of the Philippines and the Philippine Heart Center, the Okada Foundation helped with improving their work for COVID-related care. Many communities in Region IVB, Region V, CAR, BARMM, Benguet, and Quezon Province also received food and medical supplies.

Gratitude for an extraordinary five years

In its fifth anniversary, Okada Manila is grateful for all the guests who have stayed, dined, and played in the property. Set apart by its unique blend of Filipino warmth and Japanese hospitality in a world-class destination, Okada Manila acknowledges that it is the guests and patrons for the past five years that have kept the integrated resort’s men and women motivated through all the ups and downs, especially in the past couple of years. For Okada Manila, five years are just the beginning, as the country’s iconic integrated resort looks forward to even bigger and brighter days ahead.

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Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Okada Manila.