Sunday, June 20, 2010

Urban Inn

It's almost three weeks overdue, but let me share with you a good part of my recent one-night stay in Iloilo City. It was the first time I was able to come back after over a year.


I was on a tight budget so it was difficult to decide where to stay. I did my research online and found out about Urban Inn through their multiply site. The moment I saw the photos, I was drawn in since I'm very much a fan of sleek, modern interior design. The prices of the rooms sealed the deal with only P800 (with breakfast) as the most affordable.

Small but clean lobby. That electric fan should not be there.

No cabinets or drawers. Storage was strange but sufficient.

I had my friend call Urban Inn the same day I was arriving to guarantee room availability. They agreed to reserve one Standard 1 for me. Check-in was easy and the guy who assisted me was very courteous.


My room was on the 4th floor which wouldn't have been a problem if there was an elevator. Good thing I didn't hoard too much of my stuff since I was only staying overnight.


I was offered two options. I could either get the smaller room with a single bed which came with complimentary breakfast, or a slightly bigger room with a queen bed with no breakfast. I chose to get the former because it was right on the facade of the building so it had a nice view. It gets a little noisy inside though because of the Luna Street traffic so they could've done a better job at sound proofing the room. Nonetheless, it was a far better space than the other room I was offered which looked dingy and unfinished.

The restoom was clean and quite spacious. I was glad I could always have a hot shower. But I don't understand why there's no mirror inside. So when I shaved I had to step out of the shower and do it in front of the full sized mirror beside the restroom door.

What was noticeable is the number of electrical outlets. There were at least 5 or 6 in my room which was great.

Breakfast (in bed) was very basic. It was rather bland but it's not terrible.

Simple breakfast in bed.

The rate also includes complimentary wireless Internet that was pretty fast. The only basic thing missing was toothpaste which they offered at P10 per sachet.

The place reminds me of those nice boutique hotels that are very trendy. But this is obviously not a luxurious accommodation. The furnishings are very SM Department Store. Not that there's any problem with that since  everything seems to be fairly new and working properly. You can't expect Philippe Starck or Jonathan Adler for only P800 a night.

I would gladly stay at Urban Inn again. I'd even like to have the same room the next time.

literarybulimia@gmail.com

2 comments:

  1. thanks for sharing james! maybe i'll pass by iloilo when i go back to bacolod for a visit :)

    joei

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  2. You should! It's a good food trip opportunity! :)

    ReplyDelete