THE Peninsula Manila has seen a busy year, thanks to celebrations commemorating its 50th anniversary, celebrating its 1976 opening. This year, a series of celebratory drinks and dinners and the opening of a wall featuring 50 years of memories marked the occasion. The evening of Oct. 7 seemed to be the culmination of all these efforts, with the lighting of their Christmas tree at the lobby in the presence of the Kadoorie family, founders of Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels Limited, the parent of the Peninsula hotel chain.
The tree and lobby lights were turned on to a countdown from one to five — each count signifying one decade.
The diminutive Sir Michael Kadoorie, chair of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels Limited, appeared on a dais and opened his speech with a joke: “In the old days, it was telephone books that I would stand on. I’m afraid I haven’t grown any taller.”
“Looking around and seeing so many familiar faces, those of you who are part of this community and have been for many, many years, I can only humbly applaud you all,” he said — for during the evening, employees of the Peninsula both new and old were present.
“The hotel, as some of you would know, was opened in 1976,” he said. The hotel opened during the hotel boom in Manila in the 1970s, and The Peninsula was built ahead of 1976’s International Monetary Fund conference in Manila. Of the many hotels built that year, only The Peninsula stands as it is; the rest have either closed or have transitioned to less glorious forms.
“It was the very first Peninsula outside of Hong Kong, and an important step in the future of our company,” he said. The first Peninsula was opened in Hong Kong in 1928 by members of the Kadoorie family. After opening in the Philippines, they went on to open their first hotel in the United States in New York in 1988. Now, there are 12 all over the world, from Istanbul to Bangkok. During the evening, there were 12 buffet stations set up all around The Lobby, each displaying the cuisines of the cities where each Peninsula is located.
“They shared some very simple beliefs,” Sir Michael said of his father, Lawrence Kadoorie, Baron Kadoorie, and his brother and business partner, Horace Kadoorie (both passed away in the 1990s). “They were: how to do things well, and how to look after people.” Mr. Kadoorie also thanked their original Filipino partners who helped build The Peninsula back in the ’70s: industrialists P.L Lim and Charlie Palanca.
“I have very happy recollections of those early days,” he said, mentioning how when he would enter the lobby, the string band always played his favorite tune, “Cielito Lindo,” to the applause of the audience. “These memories, coupled with the ever-present warmth and welcome of all of you – there’s no better welcome than from the people of the Philippines. And I say that, having traveled the world. I can assure you it’s true.
“A half-century has followed, during which this hotel, much more than being a hotel where you stay, has become an icon, and a landmark for Manila,” he said. “But buildings, however beautiful, are not what makes a hotel. It is the people involved.
“When the Manila Peninsula opened its doors, my uncle spoke of the unmatched Filipino charm. And, if I may repeat these words today, this is identical 50 years later,” he said. Quoting his uncle, “The natural hospitality of our Filipino colleagues has become part of the character, not only of the hotel, but of all the Peninsulas around the world.
“What I see here today really does humble me. And the reason is very simple. The truth, of what this building has stood for, is frankly a reflection of all of you coming here, all of you making it your home.”
“Long may this be.” — JLG