Platinum privileges from Citi & Shangri-La Hotels

It’s a great time to unwind when the price for doing so is discounted. Imagine kicking back on the white sands of Shangri-La Boracay for a long weekend or dining out in Makati without having to worry about your bill.

That, in a nutshell, is what Citi Philippines and the Shangri-La Hotels are giving their customers through a suite of promotions that started in June.

Makati Shangri-La, Manila’s Area Manager / General Manager Alain Borgers is back at the helm of the hotel after opening Shangri-La Hotel in Paris, the first in Europe for the Shangri-La group, and spending close to five years in the City of Lights. “It’s great to be back in the Philippines and partnering with a global company like Citi,” he says. “Both our brands share the value of customer service and top quality offerings.”

Citi Philippines’ Managing Director and Consumer Business Manager Bea Tan echoed this statement and added that their partnerships through the years have always been successful and well-received by their credit cardholders, as well as banking clients.

From July, cardholders of Citi Platinum Visa, Citi PremierMiles, Rustan’s Citi Visa, and Megaworld Citi Platinum can use their cards to avail of exclusive privileges that let them enjoy the best that Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts in the Philippines has to offer at significant discounts.

Bea says, “Our clients expect and aspire for the best life has to offer, and that’s our guiding principle whenever we design our marketing campaigns. Our goal is to make every encounter with Citi a rewarding experience, and we worked closely with Shangri-La to design the most exclusive and enticing offers to our cardholders.”

For people who enjoy staycations, Edsa Shangri-La, Makati Shangri-La and Traders Hotel, Manila are giving Citi cardholders a free overnight weekend voucher when they book three weekend nights for a Horizon Club Room at local resident’s rate, and the complimentary voucher can be used on a weekend within one year of purchase.

Sometimes you want to go out of town and enjoy the beach for a getaway with your family. Shangri-La’s two resort and spa destinations, Boracay and Cebu, are also giving discounts to Citi cardholders. At Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa, they get a 15 percent savings on local resident’s rate for a Premier Room accommodation and buffet breakfast for two adults. They also get access to the Health Club, Adventure Zone, use of snorkeling equipment, complimentary Internet and other recreational activities.

Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa’s pristine waters offer snorkeling activities in a six-hectare marine sanctuary that has over 160 species of marine life, including 70 giant clams. Children can enjoy it too because even so close to the beach, schools of fish can be fed by hand, including angelfish, banner fish, blue tang, butterfly fish, clownfish, clown sweetlips, goldfish, lion fish, pipefish, puffers, rainbow fish and wrasses. In addition to the house reef, the sanctuary also has two old sea vessels that were sunk to form artificial reefs and aid in coral regeneration. 

At Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort and Spa, Citi cardholders get a 25 percent savings on a Premier Family Seaview Room with round-trip land and speedboat transfers via Caticlan Airport and daily buffet breakfast for four adults and one child.

The resort combines the classic Shangri-La exclusivity with its own white-sand beach, away from the crowds that tend to congregate on White Beach, but still gives its guests access to the famous strip and its sunset to sunrise parties through a shuttle that drops them off right in the center of the strip.

The Shangri-La brand is also famous for its dining outlets — families often celebrate special occasions in its elegant restaurants, including anniversaries, birthdays and marriage proposals.

Citi cardholders get to enjoy 20 percent savings from Monday to Thursday, and 15 percent savings any day of the week for a minimum bill of P10,000 to P50,000 at Makati Shangri-La’s Circles Event Café, Edsa Shangri-La’s Paparazzi, Traders Hotel’s Kitsho, Mactan’s Tides, and Boracay’s Vintana restaurants.

Alain says, “Circles Event Café’s buffet is popular with families because apart from the different specialty cuisines and open-theater kitchens, its seafood station has some of the best offerings among hotel buffets. Paparazzi over at Edsa Shangri-La has Italian cuisine that is both faithful to its origins yet also inventive and inspired, and an extensive wine selection. Tides at Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa is an interactive lifestyle restaurant that features an open kitchen and a buffet of international dishes. World-cuisine Vintana at Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort and Spa is al fresco dining with sweeping views of the sea. Traders Hotel, Manila’s Kitsho restaurant offers authentic Japanese cuisine and a sake bar that has a wide variety of sake.”

For a truly relaxing time, Shangri-La’s CHI, The Spa, which ranks as one of most luxurious spas in the country, gives Citi cardholders 20 percent discount on all spa treatments every day of the week between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and 10 percent savings on health club membership and 50 percent on joining fees.

The Platinum Privileges at Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts in the Philippines also highlight one property each month, such as Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort and Spa in October, Edsa Shangri-La this November, and Makati Shangri-La in December.

The spotlight is currently on Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort & Spa where Citi cardholders get exclusive villa rates, as much as P8,000 free dining coupons and more savings. Customers can enjoy a private villa for two for as low as P30,400 and they can save up to 40 percent while taking a 5-star vacation. They get free speedboat transfers between Caticlan and the resort, complimentary breakfasts at Vintana, and unlimited use of non-motorized watersports. They can relax and indulge in free all-day butler service and local mini bar beverages. For this special offer only, cardholders can book up to November 30 for stays until December 15.

Citi has also strengthened its offerings in its Citi Platinum Visa Card. “We’ve made our customers’ points as good as cash. They can now use their points to pay for any purchase; 10 points is equivalent to P1. At Citi Pay With Points locations, spanning 150 stores and 1,300 branches, they can simply swipe their card once to automatically apply their points to pay up to 100 percent of their purchases and charge any amounts not covered by the points to the card. If customers make a purchase outside Pay With Points locations, they can simply charge the purchase to their Citi Platinum Visa, and then call the 24-Hour Platinum Priority Hotline to say they are going to pay with their points and then it is reflected in their bill.”

The never-expiring rewards points of Citi Platinum Visa (one point for every P30 spend and 3x for overseas spending in foreign currency, and all shopping and dining in the Philippines) can also be used online to convert them to frequent flyer miles, annual fee waivers or to donate to charity. Travelers and their guests get access to the Miascor Lounge at NAIA 1, plus a travel accident insurance with up to P20 million coverage in case of loss of life due to accidents, and a travel inconvenience protection that allows them to reimburse emergency expenses due to missed, delayed or cancelled flights, and delay or loss luggage.

“As you can see,” Bea says, “we’ve covered all aspects of our cardholders’ lives for them to enjoy their Citi cards, and now, more than ever, is a good time to do so.”

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 The Platinum Privileges at Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts in the Philippines are available to principal and supplementary cardholders of Citi Platinum Visa, Citi PremierMiles, Rustan’s Citi Visa, or Megaworld Citi Platinum. Room and restaurant discounts are subject to availability and blackout dates. The promotion is ongoing until June 30, 2014. For more details, visit http://www.citibank.com.ph.