NUSTAR Cebu: ‘A beacon rising above the water’
It’s Cebu’s NU-west star, and in many ways, the Philippines’, too. In the midst of the election campaign, NUSTAR Hotel had a proclamation of its own.
“NUSTAR is like a beacon rising above the water, which is guiding travelers coming to Cebu,” said its general manager Roel Constantino.
Roel, a veteran hotelier who has been posted in Fiji, Thailand and China, isn’t exaggerating. NUSTAR juts out of the sea and into the sea — soon, it will have a cantilevered, glass-floored roof deck flirting with the sea beyond. Set to open later this year, the open-air Skydeck has far-reaching unobstructed views.
Top of mind, it was the butler service that left an indelible impression on me after my three-day stay in the hotel for its inauguration and the third anniversary of the NUSTAR Resort and Casino complex (which already includes Fili Hotel, a mall and soon, another hotel).
“The opening of NUSTAR heralds, apart from premium accommodation and a magnificent property, the return of butler service,” Roel said in an interview with PeopleAsia. “Our butlers here at NUSTAR were especially trained by Heilbron Hospitality, one of the world’s most respected training institutions for hospitality service. I say we launched a butler service, yes, but in a contemporary context, and what do I mean by that? Today’s modern butlers, apart from offering traditional butler service, are now proficient in leveraging technology, in coordinating internal arrangements for the customer, as well as meeting the evolving needs of our clients.”
For instance, a NUSTAR butler accompanied me to the salon in the sprawling mall (I might have gotten lost because I was pressed for time before the gala) and picked me up. On my way to the gala, I realized I had not broken-in my strappy high-heeled footwear and needed Band-Aid to pad a blister. The butler Daniel not only purchased some Band-Aid for me but brought it to the ballroom!
Yes, the butler did it!
The Lobby
The lobby of the NUSTAR Hotel isn’t sprawling—it is magnificent! The marble arches remind me of an elegant lobby I once saw in Muscat in Oman.
Top designers from Hirsch Bedner Hong Kong created the hotel’s palatial interiors, drawing inspiration from the architectural style of Compania Maritima, a neoclassical heritage building at the South Cebu port area, not far from the NUSTAR complex
The sea view is complemented by the sea on the ceiling — a dynamic installation that evokes the sea’s coral treasures. Called Coral Reverie, the installation created by Czech artist Petra Soš?áková features a burst of handblown glass corals in vivid ruby tones.
The sea is also on the walls with the luminous rare blue onyx wall. Artful and inspiring, the lounge easily becomes Cebu’s see-and-be-seen meeting point for business and leisure and makes you inseparable from the sea.
Hi-tech sanctuary
Your room is a high-tech sanctuary.
“Our in-room technology is actually one of our assets,” says Roel. “Apart from the smart TV, we have remote-motorized controls for drapes, not only in the guest room but also in the bath, if you notice. The bathrooms feature intelligent toilet facilities, so it’s all automatic. We have not one but two air-conditioning controls in the room that adjust temperature in different parts of the room. We have your in-room phone, which gives you access to all the different areas in the hotel.”
Signature guest rooms start from 52 square meters, while suites range between 77 and 225 square meters, all with full-length windows offering sweeping vistas of the sea or city. Three luxury villas, ranging from 435 to 670 square meters, feature expansive interiors, a private sea-facing pool and a garden balcony, all designed with meticulous attention to detail.
But no matter how high-tech the hotel is, there is that unique touch no remote control can deliver.
During breakfast for instance in the Club Lounge, a taho vendor (he wasn’t actually selling, of course) went table to table, crooning, “Tahoooo, tahoooo.”
And the Hagod Spa’s services are incredible. My therapist gave me a 90-minute hilot that was, with no exaggeration, one of the top three best in my life.
“It is with great pride that we unveil NUSTAR Hotel to usher a new standard of luxury hospitality in Cebu,” said Sean Knights, chief operating officer of NUSTAR Resort and Casino. He says NUSTAR aims to blend “world-class gaming with premium accommodation, creative dining concepts and the renowned Cebuano flair for being natural hosts.”
The old and the new, the high-tech and the traditional, the butler and the taho vendor. Yes, NUSTAR is a beacon, and it is beckoning. Adto na ta! *
You may e-mail me at [email protected]. Follow me on Instagram @joanneraeramirez.
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