Gen. MacArthur Stayed at the Manila Hotel in WWII

Planning a trip? Those who love to travel know the essence of all travel is about you and your enjoyment. Travelers know that the destination is a major part in planning a trip, experiencing and delving deeper into an unfamiliar places, people and culture is paramount.

Expand your horizons and set your sight to the Philippines, an off the beaten path travel site! An undiscovered paradise made of thousands of islands and white sand beaches all around! A tiny dot in the map of the world, and yet a haven for travelers, backpackers, retirees and even passersby.

It offers awesome tourist attractions, magnificent beaches, hot spring resorts, colorful festivals, hundreds of scenic spots and world-class hotels and facilities. Not to mention the tropical climate, the affordable prices as well as the friendly and hospitable, English-speaking people! You will be glad you came, and we’re sure, you WILL come back for more FUN in the Philippines!

MANILA HOTEL

manila-hotel

Photo from: igougo.com

When staying in Manila, try our grand hotel, the Manila Hotel. This is an 80-year old hotel that has been a part of the Philippine history.

Photo from: philippines-travel-guide.com

The Manila Hotel is a 570-room, five star hotel in Manila, Philippines, located in the heart of the Manila Bay area. It is the oldest premiere hotel in the Philippines, built in 1909 to rival Malacañang Palace, where the Philippine president now lives, and opened in 1912. It was built on an area of 35,000 square meters (380,000 sq ft) along Roxas Boulevard. It was the residence of General Douglas MacArthur from 1935 to 1941.

Photo from: photos.igougo.com

The Manila Hotel’s conference halls can seat 7,000 and it can accommodate another 2,500 guests, for wedding receptions, anniversaries, conventions, and exhibitions.

Photo from: pahof.de

The hotel contains the offices of several foreign news organizations, including The New York Times.

It has hosted numerous historical persons and celebrities, including authors Ernest Hemingway and James A. Michener, U.S. President John F. Kennedy, The Beatles, King of Pop Michael Jackson, Actors Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., and John Wayne, publisher Henry Luce, entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr., Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden, and many various world leaders.

From its own website, http://www.manila-hotel.com, this is the history of the hotel:

The Manila Hotel which opened in 1912 is a Philippine landmark, a scene of many historic events.

1898- Judge William Howard Taft issued of the first decrees of the Second Philippine Commission, to create an urban plan for the Manila. Architect and city planner Daniel Hudson Burnham drafted a wide and long tree-lined boulevard that would begin at the park and at the spit’s end of the bay, a boulevard that would be dominated on one end by a hotel.

1908- William Parsons was appointed to continue where Burnham left off. He supervised the design and construction of Manila Hotel and was completed four years later. Soon, a magnificent, white, green-tile-roofed California Missionary-styled edifice emerged housing 149 spacious and high-ceilinged rooms. Since then, it is a hotel that commands the best westward view of Manila’s fabled sunset, the fortress of Corregidor, the poignant ruins of the medieval fortress that was Intramuros, and the palm-lined promenades of Luneta Park.

July 4, 1912- On the commemoration date of the American Independence, Manila Hotel was inaugurated and officially opened. With the Hotel garbed in full regalia, four hundred handsomely groomed and elegantly attired guests were ushered in for a dinner of American roast, Philippine lobster, and French champagne.

1912 to 1935- Manila Hotel was visited by some of the most prominent and notable personalities.

1935 to 1941- Commonwealth President Manuel Quezon invited General Douglas MacArthur to build the Philippine Army in 1935, Gen. MacArthur responded to the request of his long time confidant and sailed back to the Philippines. During his tenure as the Military Advisor to the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines, Gen. acArthur, his wife Jean and son Arthur made Manila Hotel their home.