The hotel will be operated by Centara under a management contract.

A newly-built, 15-storey property, the hotel features 96 rooms and suites, the minimum size being a spacious 43 sqm, with all rooms having views overlooking the city or Manila Bay.

“We are delighted to be opening such a superb new property in this very central location in Manila,” said Suthikiati Chirathivat, Chairman of the Executive Board, Central Plaza Hotel Public Company Limited, “This is an important element in our strategy for overseas growth, and we feel the Philippines has enormous potential for us.”

Gerd Steeb, president of Centara Hotels & Resorts, said the location of this property is excellent for both leisure and business travelers.

“We are adjacent to Roxas Boulevard, one of the main arteries of Manila, and close to many government buildings,” he said, “At the same time, Malate’s famous cultural attractions such as Rajah Sulayman Park and Malate Church are within five minutes’ walk, and the restaurants and shops for which the district is also famous are all easily accessible from the hotel.”

Centara Hotel Manila’s 96 rooms comprise 30 Superior rooms, 34 Deluxe rooms, 26 Premium rooms, 5 Junior Suites, and 1 Executive Suite. Each of the rooms and suites offers a choice of king bed or two double queen beds, accommodating up to two adults and two children in comfort.

The hotel’s all-day-dining restaurant, The World, offers local flavous and international cuisines, with a combination of set menus of Filipino, Thai, Chinese, and Mediterranean influences served for lunch and dinner.

The rooftop restaurant and lounge, Ginger & Lime, reinvents Thai cuisine with an extensive selection of fusion dishes and international classics to be savored al fresco or indoors.

A large swimming pool is located on the hotel rooftop and has its own sundeck and lounge bar, and the Centara-brand SPA Cenvaree offers a wide selection of traditional and modern treatments.

Located on the second floor is a meeting room that can accommodate up to 80 persons and which offers the latest meetings equipment.

City.Mobi

Also in Thailand today, City.Mobi is celebrating the success of its new guide to Bangkok.

City.Mobi offers the most comprehensive mobile travel guides available, with over 800 cities in 200 countries listed. Each is developed by the City.Mobi team to combine into a single global travel directory.

However, each city retains its own mobile identity via a dedicated domain. Already on offer are Brussels.Mobi, Paris.Mobi, Sanfrancisco.Mobi and Sydney.Mobi.

Bangkok.mobi is the latest in this illustrious line up, offering click to call functionality – which means no scribbling down telephone numbers.

Most entries are also linked to websites where users can quickly access more detailed information if needed.

Other key features include information on accommodation, restaurants, attractions, entertainment, nightlife, shopping, and transport.

City.Mobi guides include user reviews and traveller utilities such as a translation guide, currency converter, news and local weather guide.