My friends and I have started an annual tradition wherein we have a staycation every December. It serves as our Christmas get-together. Last year, we booked an overnight stay at Somerset Millenium Makati.
About Somerset Millennium Makati
Somerset Millenium Makati is a serviced residence hotel located in Aguirre street, Legaspi Village, Makati City. It has several spacious and contemporary apartment types with room amenities such as a kitchenette, separate living and dining areas and en-suite bathrooms. It also has a fitness center, an outdoor swimming pool, a restaurant and even a barbershop in the residence, open daily.
The hotel has a convenient location near Greenbelt Mall, a posh and premium shopping mall, a convenience store, banks, and coffee shops.
First Impressions on Somerset Millennium Makati
Somerset Millennium Makati has been around for a while now. My first job was at Aguirre Street so I often see the hotel on my way to the office. The street has seen many establishment changes but Somerset Millennium Makati remains strong.
Even though it's been around for years, the hotel's facade still looks nice and inviting. When I entered the hotel, I was also impressed to find an inviting lobby with good lighting that brightened the room. There are a few seats where guests can stay if they are waiting, whether coming or going.
In the lobby, you'll also find some of the causes that Somerset Millennium Makati supports from a green environment, animal welfare to a community of disabled artists.
Drop your plastic water bottles in the bin for recycling or donate items to support the animals of Pawssion Project.
These handpainted bags make for a great pasalubong or for your own fashion statement. Every purchase of these upcycled eco-bags will directly benefit talented artists with disabilities allowing them to continue their artistic journeys and feeding children in Gawad Kalinga.
Kudos to Somerset for supporting all these causes.
The staff at the hotel were accommodating and friendly. The hotel recep made small talk with me while she assisted me with the check-in. She asked how my Christmas holiday was going to which I answered "What Christmas?" Ha! Ha! I honestly didn't feel the holiday as I had a lot of work to do. That elicited a laugh from her.
The doorman gave me directions to go to Greenbelt as I told him I was going to run a few errands. HE probably thought I didn't know the area. I appreciated that of course.
The Stay Experience
I got to the hotel earlier than the check-in time of 2PM. I still had errands to do at the mall e.g. last minute gift shopping, bank errands etc.. I hoped I could check in the room early to leave my stuff. But it was Christmas season so the hotel had a lot of guests. The room wasn't ready but the hotel reception already assisted me in registering our rooms so that come check-in time, we could just pay and get our room keys.
The room I stayed in was a deluxe 2-bedroom with a living room, dining area, and kitchenette.
Our room was big and cozy. Doesn't look at all like the place was a years-old hotel. The room had Wi-Fi, the bathrooms had a shower and bathtub, and the beds were comfortable. I had a good stay at Somerset Millennium Makati.
Room for Improvement
While overall, Somerset Millennium Makati is still a good service residence to stay at, it is an old hotel, Some details should be looked into to improve a guest's overall experience.
Air conditioning - My friend and I both have a less tolerance for cold. Whenever we have a staycation, we always adjust the air conditioning in the room to make it less cold. The one in our room couldn't be adjusted no matter how much we pressed the remote control or the manual buttons.
Wi-Fi - As I mentioned, we got a two-bedroom. Even though there is Wi-Fi in the room, its signal doesn't cover the entirety of the area. At certain parts of the bedroom, the Wi-Fi goes weak which is a bummer.
However, I also encountered a weak Wi-Fi signal when we stayed at Somerset Central Salcedo two years ago. Maybe Somerset should look into having wifi mesh for their hotels to boost the signal. Almost everyone these days scrolls online on their phone while in bed.
Toiletries - It's standard for hotels to provide guests with toiletries such as shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and soap. While we had those in our room, the shampoo and lotion were almost empty especially the lotion so we couldn't use much of it. This may have been overlooked since the shampoo and lotion were hung on the wall. You can only know it's empty when you pump the bottle.
Shower - We didn't get around to trying the shower 'til the morning when we were getting ready to check out so we found out too late that our shower wasn't working. To make do, we used the faucet in the bathtub. Somerset Millennium Makati ought to check on their room amenities from time to time to ensure things are working properly.
Breakfast - In a hotel, I always look forward to having a delicious breakfast buffet. While it's not a big deal that breakfast at Somerset Millennium Makati was plated, it wasn't the best breakfast. Almost forgettable. Honestly, I would recommend skipping breakfast there until the cooking improves and they have more breakfast offerings.
My Rating of Somerset Millennium Makati
Given all that I shared about my impressions and experience staying in Somerset Millennium Makati, if I were to rate it, I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5. I would still recommend a stay in this hotel. I just hope they look into checking the rooms thoroughly to ensure everything is not only spic and span but also working properly.
