Philippine Village Hotel Explained

Hotel Name:Philippine Village Hotel
Former Names:Mercure Philippine Village Hotel
Location:Nayong Pilipino Park, Pasay, Metro Manila, Philippines
Coordinates:14.5118°N 121.011°W
Status:Derelict
Building Type:Hotel
Architectural Style:Brutalist
Hotel Chain:Mercure
Number Of Rooms:332
Number Of Suites:20
Number Of Restaurants:2
Number Of Bars:2
Floor Count:14
Elevator Count:4
Floor Area:36,289 square meters
Architect:Juan Nakpil
Owner:Manila International Airport Authority
Known For:First airport hotel in the Philippines

Philippine Village Hotel (colloquially PVH) is an abandoned hotel located within the Nayong Pilipino Complex, next door to Ninoy Aquino International Airport, in Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines. Designed by National Artist Juan Nakpil, it was hailed as the first airport hotel in the Philippines.

The hotel now owned[1] by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) used to be the in the hands of Pampanga-based Enriquez-Panlilio family, who are involved in the real estate and shipping industry (and are also the same owners of the Silahis International Hotel).[2]

History

A construction boom of hotels initiated and streamlined by the then-incumbent Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Sr. took place in the 1970s in anticipation for the then-upcoming hosting of the 1976 International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Summits in the Philippines. The Philippine Village Hotel was among those hotels and was built on a land owned by the Nayong Pilipino Foundation.

The hotel was built in 1974 by Philippine Village Hotel Inc (PVHI), leasing the Nayong Pilipino land for 21 years.[3]

The hotel hosted foreign business travelers, leisure travelers, nightclub partygoers, and socialites. First Lady Imelda Marcos frequently hosted events in the hotel. The hotel also housed the country's first land-based casino after the shutdown of MS Philippine Tourist.

Miss Universe

Delegates of Miss Universe 1974 were housed in the Philippine Village Hotel. One of the suites of the hotel was occupied by winner Amparo Muñoz, leading it to be named the "Miss Universe suite".

Grand Air Terminal

The hotel also operated as a terminal for another airline in the Philippines, Grand Air, from 1995 until 1999, when the airline ceased operations.

Closure

Philippine Village Hotel ceased operations in May 2001. A year later, the next-door Nayong Pilipino park was closed to make way for the expansion of the airport complex.

Sequestration by the Philippine Government

Due to non-payment of taxes, the government sequestered the property in 2023. The hotel was also deemed a threat to the airport's security as it was feared to be a potential base of operations for terrorism.[4]

Between November and December 2023, the Philippine Government took full control of the hotel and plans to demolish it for the expansion of the airport.[5] [6]

Notes and References

  1. https://www.philstar.com/business/2024/07/15/2370147/rsa-deliver-more-agreed
  2. Web site: Caña . Paul John . 10 August 2020 . Here’s The Story of Silahis/Grand Boulevard Hotel And Why It Hasn’t Been Torn Down . Esquire . Summit Publishing Co. Inc..
  3. News: AHome of Beauties, Long Abandoned: Here's the Story of the Philippine Village Hotel. 6 December 2023 . Esquire.
  4. News: Abandoned Philippine Village Hotel: How it threatens NAIA operations. 27 July 2023 . Rappler.
  5. News: ABIZ BUZZ: Philippine Village Hotel recovered. 27 November 2023 . Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  6. News: MIAA takes over Philippine Village Hotel. 21 November 2023 . Manila Times.