Sunday Hevea Hotel and Resort

Grace Joy Lapizar·20 अप्रै. 2025

4

On 17 April 2025, we arrived at Hevea Resort, Pampanga, at 5pm for check-in as we had booked 2 rooms from Agoda days ago.. Upon arrival, we noticed more than 10 guests were waiting to be checked in. We realised from the hotel staff that the hotel had received more confirmations, hence the hotel was overbooked. There were guests who informed us that they had been waiting there for more than 4 hours without being given any alternative solutions. We also witnessed that there were some Philippine police officers in the lobby, as some guests reported that their money had been stolen from their rooms. A couple complained that their room's AC was not cool and demanded that their rooms be changed, but naturally, it cannot be accommodated as the hotel already faces a room shortage. After understanding from the front desk staff, we realised that these overbooking problems have been ongoing for more than 3 months, and it was clear that the issues have been left unresolved. Poor coordination between their various online booking platforms and their actual room availability.. This overbooking problem caused many guests a lot of stress and inconvenience, which doesn't align well with the hotel's reputation. Throughout the entire saga, I notice the extreme patience from the front desk staff, particularly the General Manager, Mr. Aries D. Angeles, who was personally there to either arrange a refund for the customers or find an alternative hotel nearby to accommodate all the guests. However, we can understand that it is not easy to consider that it was a super long holiday. Nevertheless, Mr Aries managed to arrange an alternative hotel nearby, and he personally escorted us and checked us into our rooms at almost 0730pm. Honestly, by then, we were totally exhausted. This entire episode was most disappointing; however, we did manage to find a positive friendship with Mr Aries. We were allowed to go back to the Hevea Hotel to have our buffet breakfast, because of the alternative hotel were staying offered us a simple meal. On our last day, Mr. Aries even took the time to personally send us off as we headed back to Manila. His efforts left a lasting impression. The real takeaway to me as a guest is that it left me wondering where the owner and senior management were during this challenging period. Are they unaware of these problems that the local staff face daily? This bunch of dedicated Filipino staff deserves better treatment...one can imagine them having to face unhappy and at times violent guests who use abusive and unkind words on them. I sincerely hope the management will address the overbooking issue promptly, and that the higher management or owner will step in to properly support the hardworking staff who continue to serve guests with patience and professionalism despite such difficult circumstances. The photos provided below were taken yesterday before we went out. Around 10am in the morning.

Joddie·30 अप्रै. 2025

5

Nag-reserve ako noong 24 ng Disyembre. Ang check-in ay 2pm, dumating ako bago mag 3pm. Ang tagal ng proseso ng pag-check in. Umabot ng mahigit isang oras bago ko nakuha ang keycard, kung hindi pa ako nag-follow up, baka abutin na kami ng dilim. Pagdating namin doon ng 3pm, mahaba na ang pila sa front desk. Maraming ibang bisita ang nagrereklamo, ang tagal makakuha ng kwarto. Karamihan sa kanila ay mga pamilya at matatanda. Nang ako na ang nasa harap at oras ko na para mag-check in, at ito ay bago mag 3pm, nagkakagulo na ang front desk sa pag-assign ng mga kwarto, at karamihan sa mga kwarto ay hindi pa handa. Sinabihan akong maghintay at tatawagan daw ako kapag handa na ang kwarto. Lumipas ang isang oras, wala pa rin tumatawag. Karamihan sa mga bisitang naghihintay ay iritado na rin. Kailangan ko nang bumalik sa pila para mag-follow up. Nang ako na ang turn ko, sinabi ng isa na naka-check in na ako kanina, eh sabi ko wala namang binigay na keycard at tatawagan ako, pero wala namang tumawag sa akin. Nag-spend ako ng mahigit isang oras naghihintay, pagod mula sa biyahe at gusto na rin magpahinga ng anak ko, katulad ng ibang bisitang kasabay ko. Iniisip ko na lang na overwhelmed ang mga staff sa dami ng nag-check in, pero sana ay pinaghandaan na ito dahil holiday season. Nagbibigay naman sila ng pizza sa lobby para sa mga naghihintay at nakabawas ng tensyon, kaso mabilis maubos dahil sa dami ng tao. Isang elevator lang ang gumagana kaya ang tagal ng pag-akyat-baba sa kwarto. Pagdating namin sa kwarto, nagpahinga muna kami, at nang pababa na kami para sana mag-swimming ang anak ko, ayun, hindi daw pwede dahil mag 6pm na at may event. Nakakainis. Dapat sana ay ininform kami agad sa pag-check in pa lang para maiwasan ang disappointment. Kinabukasan, sa breakfast, 9am na kami nakababa since hanggang 10am ang breakfast, walang coffee, walang utensils, at wala ring sapat na mesa. Umupo na lang kami ng anak ko sa bar at doon kumain. Masarap ang pagkain pero ang serbisyo ay tila kulang sa staff. Pero sana ay naghanda sila para dito dahil holiday. Ang pag-check out ay maayos, sana lang ay ininform ako agad na puwede palang late check out. Masulit man lang ang stay. Ire-recommend ko ang hotel na ito siguro kung hindi holiday.