13 OCTOBER 2018

20
LIFESTYLE
Dinah S. Ventura, Editor
Saturday, 13 October 2018
Daily Tribune
CLARK Marriott’s Executive Lounge.
Clark Marriott Hotel houses five
restaurants and bars, namely, the
Goji Kitchen + Bar with a noodle
bar feature, Smoki Moto, Urban
Coffee Co., Pool Bar and the
Lounge
By Lourdes Florian M. Hernandez, Contributor
SMOKI Moto, a Korean barbeque restaurant.
MARRIOTT
A N D T H Eart
OF
HOSTING
It was serendipitous to find oneself in a
sturdy, solid bulk of a newly built hotel
building in Clark, Pampanga while a
typhoon was raging outside — especially
since the area was right smack in the
typhoon’s path.
There was a thrill when, right before the
solidness of the glass window, you could see the
storm before you as if daring you to come out,
confronting the building you were in with gusts
of wind and spiky sharp rain that seemed to want
to penetrate the glass pane protecting you from
its might.
Protected in the controlled temperature of the
room, one felt snuggly in the down-filled pillows and
wanted to dive deeper among the thick comforter
and the bed that had just enough firmness and
comfort to put a tired traveler to deep sleep even
as the noise of the howling winds and sharp gusts of
rain barely penetrated the room. The traveler would
just yawn, shrug off the typhoon and go back to sleep.
Perhaps, such was the situation of most who
stayed in the 260 rooms and suites of the Clark
Marriott Hotel that opened its doors recently as
typhoon “Ompong” lashed Luzon.
A MOMENTOUS event, Clark Marriott’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.
First five-star hotel in Clark
Designed to cater to domestic and international
leisure and business travelers, each guestroom of
the first five-star hotel in Clark incorporates the
latest technology and design, and more importantly,
in the case of this writer, it is smoke-free. To add,
the hotel’s world-class services and amenities
include mobile check-in and check-out, premium
Wi-Fi capability, speaker docks and over-sized
connecting bathrooms.
Of course, that is to be expected because it is a
Marriott, but then it is also not a Marriott. According
to Goeran Soelter, general manager of Clark Marriott,
this hotel is built on the needs of its guests.
“It’s a brand-new hotel. Marriott develops the
concepts of the hotels that cater to what our guests
need. You know why are they coming to our hotel,
what’s their business need, what’s their leisure
need, so the hotel is built on that way so that we can
cater to the needs of our customers,” Soelter says.
Peter Foreman, senior director, Sales &
Distribution Philippines, elaborates further. “I think
you can see as well the evolution through different
Marriott hotels that here we’ve got a very modern
and a very current design of the hotel.“
If there something that this Clark Marriott has
focused on, it is the attention to the smallest details.
Take, for instance, a traditional hotel desk
which has a leather chair, phone, the big letter pad.
”All of that is now gone and that’s not that way
the traveler wants to work. We see that leisure and
CHILDREN can enjoy different activities at the hotel’s Kids Club.
NOODLE Bar that offers a wide selection of fresh
noodles.
business are starting to sort of blend together. So
when you go to your room, you’re going to see still
a table in the room but a big circular glass table
with a working lamp on it,” says Foreman on the
hotel desk that can also be used as table for meals
and also as a work desk, which is usually how it is
done in most homes.
Another example is the luggage rack. “Many
years ago in a hotel, you’d open the closet, take
the luggage rack out, and open the suitcase. But
now it’s a part of the fixtures of the room. As
everyone travels with a wheeled suitcase, you just
put it up there, you open up and you’re ready to
go,” says Foreman.
GUESTS can enjoy artisanal coffee at Urban Coffee.
EXECUTIVE Lounge and buffet area.
THE hotel’s lobby and lounge area.
The bucket-styled chair is also gone, replaced
by a big bench. “It’s a big bench, from wall to wall
right up against the floor to ceiling windows. You
could put your back to the outside view and focus
on your laptop and do work. Or you put up a pillow
behind your back, with your laptop on your lap and
you look at the view. You’ve got the TV going and
you start to sort of get that blend of social and work.
It’s a very modern interpretation of what today’s
traveler is looking for.”
Food, glorious food!
Of course, other than the room, cuisine is
traditionally one of the most-watched-out for
attractions of any hotel. Clark Marriott Hotel
houses five restaurants and bars, namely, the Goji
Kitchen + Bar with a noodle bar feature, Smoki
Moto, Urban Coffee Co., Pool Bar and the Lounge.
All taken, it’s a different Marriott
Hotel as they claim, but it has the
same trademark hospitality.
Goji Kitchen + Bar is an innovative all day
dining restaurant that features a compact central
live kitchen. It has a limited buffet breakfast service
which transitions to a blend of station and a la carte
service for lunch and dinner.
“Basically, the concept of the three-meal
restaurant Goji Kitchen is a concept which Marriott
was used in other Marriott hotels before. But
there’s one important factor and that is it should
reflect local cuisine. We hired new associates in the
culinary team. Chefs who have lived their life here
in Clark Pampanga and surroundings obviously
bring their experience back. We are happy to put
up these dishes on our menu and you will
see that in an a la carte menu you will
find Kapampangan dishes in different
variations,” Soelter says.
And the + Bar in the name is not a
bar as we know it, but a micro noodle
bar within the restaurant. This noodle
bar is operated throughout the entire
day independently of the main dining
area and can be found through a
separate entrance. Called Noodle Inc.,
it has a short selection of Asian noodles,
garnishes and condiments.
Another option is the Smoki Moto, a
Korean barbeque restaurant that also
has two private dining rooms featuring
Japanese teppanyaki. A breathtaking
terrace as relaxing and quiet atmosphere
completes the dining experience of built-in
barbecues or a la carte Korean favorites along with the
largest selection of soju cocktails in town.
Coffee, whether hot or iced, light or strong,
and to-go, can be enjoyed at Urban Coffee Co. It
also offers freshly baked goods and guests can also
choose freshly roasted coffee or tea on display,
smell it, have it packed and take it home.
The Pool Bar is a casual destination that
offers perfectly blended drinks and innovative bar
snacks, including few local comfort dishes, icedcold
beverages are prepared with fresh fruits, and
coconut water.
And lastly, the Lounge has a feature bar that
transitions from a coffee and pastry focus during
the day to alcoholic beverages and snacks in the
evening. The separate tea corner showcases the
wide-ranging tea selection, as well as both sweet
and savory treats. Part of the lounge may be used as
an informal business center (with all its equipment
is hidden in plain sight).
To add, the Executive Lounge at the 15 th level is
an open living room that is composed of a lounge
area and a residential kitchen with a communal
table. A simple and elegant breakfast spread is
available every morning and the place keeps its
living room ambiance with refreshments and
snacks available throughout the day.
About the various restaurants, Soelter says, “It’s
the place where local customers want to go eat,
want to entertain and want to be seen…Our bars
are quite exciting as well. There’s a flexibility to it
as it changes from daytime to nighttime. There’s
a tea and coffee aspect in the morning, and in the
evening, we go more into fun aspect of cocktails.”
The GM also mentions the hotel features the
Quan Spa located at the second level, The Fitness
Center which is a fully equipped fitness center and
outdoor swimming pool.
GRAND Ballroom.
QUAN Spa Treatment room.
All taken, it’s a different Marriott Hotel as they
claim, but it has the same trademark hospitality.
“It’s service from the heart. You want to
connect. We have a credo which we live by. It’s
about the art of hosting so, for starters, how can
we listen to our customers to make exceptional
experiences? Very often you will remember years
down the road, and you will remember a specific
experience not necessarily a name or anything. But
if you create those experiences, those customers
come back,” Soelter says.