Occupying the site of the old Army and Navy Club, the Rizal Park Hotel is a new boutique hotel located a stone’s throw away from Luneta as well as the U.S. Embassy in Manila. The 110-room hotel was developed by Oceanville, the same company which painstakingly restored the property to its former glory.
The building housing the Rizal Park Hotel dates back from 1911. Interestingly enough, it is actually older by 1 year than the Manila Hotel which is a short walk away. The handsome building has had a varied history. It was used as a bomb shelter during World War II and saw some years of use as the city’ architect office in the 1960s. Due to deterioration, the site was degraded to become a construction site for Christmas lanterns and also as a warehouse for the Manila city hall. The restoration of the current building into the Rizal Park Hotel marks one of the very rare instances when heritage buildings in Manila are actually restored and put into good use.
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