A few months back, I purchased a Pen Card, thinking it would make my life so much easier (and cheaper hehe). Boy, I didn’t know anything about FINE PRINTS! 😛 Or the “unwritten/invisible rule” that was worse than the fine print.

Before I purchased a Pen Card. I googled to find out what I can to weigh my options. There were mostly negative remarks but stubborn girl that I am, and always seeing the glass half full, I went on ahead & contacted Manila Pen to purchase a Pen Card. It was worth 9k which included a complementary overnight (SUPERIOR) room & dining discounts. I was happy enough & booked a room after being assured that the twice upgraded room (meaning I paid 2k more than the usual 9k Pen Card rate for a GRAND DELUXE ROOM) will be the EXACT type of room I will be getting on the day of my stay.

Photos from Manila Pen’s website..

The basic/standard SUPERIOR ROOM 6,500 php 38 sq. meters

1st upgrade add 1k DELUXE ROOM 7,500 php 41 sq. meters

2nd upgrade add 1k again GRAND DELUXE 8,500 php 53 sq. meters

THAT day finally came. Yesterday, my family & I were excited to check in to prepare for our highly anticipated event. My girls & I went on our separate way from the boys to check on our events place & attend to last minute details. After 30 minutes & being satisfied that everything was coming along smoothly, we went up the elevator to our room.

We looked & looked but couldn’t find our room! 🙁 We finally asked a staff, & was told that our room was ON THE OTHER SIDE. I didn’t know there was an “other side”. So we huffed & puffed to the “other side”. I found out this was the OLD, unrenovated part of the hotel. I suddenly remembered the blogs I read that Pen Card holders were discarded to the OLD WING. At the time, I didn’t understand what it meant coz I never new about that part of the hotel.

You see, there are 2 elevators in Manila Pen. The one on the right (which we used when we were TOURED prior to purchasing a Pen Card!) leads to the new, renovated, PRETTY wing. The one on the left leads to a crappy, old, SORRY state of a wing where Pen Card holders are banished to. (Yes I know this for a fact since I observed several other innocent Pen Card holders being led to the left wing while I was waiting for my turn to talk to the Front Desk Officer.)

So I hurriedly went down to the Front Desk to complain that THIS WAS SOOOOOO NOT THE ROOM I WAS EXPECTING! I didn’t expect for a room fit for a king at the price range I chose, but the room they assigned to us was ridiculously SMALL & SUCKY for the amount I was paying for. I promise you, this was NOT the room they showed me talaga, the room we agreed on, when they sold me the Pen Card! :((

Joshua, the FDO who checked us in told me they were fully booked & could not do anything more. I said that I booked Salon the Ning for the night for a 6-figure amount, without being given a complimentary room at all -no complementary anything whatsoever. If he could just give me a little consideration at least. Furthermore, the room he gave me looked like their SUPERIOR ROOM at the very most, not the 2-step upgrade I was willing to pay for! To cut the long story short, he asked me if I was willing to pay an additional 6k for yet another upgrade, this time to an EXECUTIVE SUITE.

additional 6k!! EXECUTIVE SUITE 20,500 php 94 sq. meters

DELUXE SUITE 24,500 php 118 sq. meters

I wanted to blow my top at this point, but it was ate’s day. I had to restrain myself & behave if I wanted to save the day. So, saying goodbye to my money, I surrendered my credit card, and signed whatever needed to be signed, just to get it over with. Pikit-mata nalang! Never again, I though to myself!

Again, long story short, here is our VERY PRETTY, VERY BIG, BUT VERY EXPENSIVE ROOM! :'(( Just so you know, had they placed me at our original & intended room, I would have been perfectly happy & content. I was soooo not looking to stay in an executive suite! @_@

DELUXE SUITE 24,500 php/night!

Living Room

Dining Room

Bedroom

Bathroom

Vanity & Dressing Room

Don’t get me wrong. The executive suite was SUPREME! But so was the price that came with it. We are a family of 5 after all, reality check is we really can’t fit into 1 tiny room kahit na may bitbit pa kaming airbeds (only in the Philippines! :P), so that is the price we have to pay. Sana lang hindi ganito kataas yung presyo na binayaran ko haha. But all of us enjoyed the room immensely, inisip nalang namin mini-vacation. pampa-lubag loob.

Moral lesson of the story? You really get what you pay for! 😛 Please take my word for it, even though you don’t know me personally. If you’re getting a room there, JUST GET A ROOM DIRECTLY and MAKE SURE you get a room in the NEW WING! Wag na magpasikot-sikot at magpa-member menber just to save money. Coz in the long run, mapapasubo ka na, mapapamahal ka pa! @_@

Now dining in Manila Pen, that’s a different story. For me, Pen Card is still sulit. Just know your priority if you want to avail of a Pen Card.

PS – The contract of the Pen Card ALSO says a 20% discount is given for the private rooms in Salon de Ning (Shoe Room, Zeppelin, Boxing Room, Shanghai room). What they fail to mention is AFTER the 35k consumable per room, in excess of THAT is where they apply the discount! (or simply because the manager of SDN derived pleasure in bleeding me dry!)

Here I was thinking YAY, I get to save on the Shanghai room (consumable 35k) which I got extra for ate’s guests -for after our event (coz after 9 pm, SDN was opened to the public) so they can leave their gear there, only to find out HINDI PALA! Fine print, ladies & gentlemen. Please pay GREAT ATTENTION to the fine prints! Ang dami nang naloko diyan! 🙁