Fire hits The Manila Hotel

The Manila Hotel faced a fire scare only weeks after the historic Manila Central Post Office was razed almost to the ground.

The hotel is the oldest premiere hotel in the Philippines and is located in an area of Manila which has managed to hold on to many historic buildings. So it must have been terrifying to find that a fire had taken hold so soon after the loss of the beautiful post office close to Intramuros.

The fire at the hotel occurred on Thursday afternoon, July 13, 2023, as reported by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), with its source being pinpointed in the hotel’s Wellness Center, which is located outside of the main building.

The BFP advise that the fire escalated to a third alarm before being fully extinguished within an hour. In a statement, Joey Lina, the President of The Manila Hotel reassured guests that the hotel’s emergency response team, along with firefighters and volunteers, swiftly responded and contained the incident.

Fire at The Manila Hotel July 2023 — Fire Crews outside The Manila Hotel

The fire did not spread to the main building, and the hotel’s operations remained unaffected. The health club within the Wellness Center will resume its services once the area has undergone a thorough clean-up and inspection by the Bureau of Fire Protection.

The Manila Hotel, established in 1912, holds significant historical importance as the oldest premier hotel in the country. William Parsons supervised the design and construction of the hotel, to represent the epitome of colonial class and luxury.

The build took four years to complete delivering 149 spacious high-ceiling hotel rooms, many offering views of a Manila Bay sunset, the fortress of Corregidor, Intramuros or the promenades of Luneta Park.

Its past distinguished guests include General Douglas MacArthur, members of the royal family, celebrities such as Michael Jackson and Marlon Brando, and writer Ernest Hemingway who said of the hotel:-

“The Manila Hotel is one of the most important landmarks in Manila. It presents a great story for the Philippines. It is the perfect representation of the city, if not the country’s resilience, vitality, versatility and hospitality.”

The hotel has shown some resilience of her own!