Grand Summit Hotel General Santos

We were turned away this morning when we only wanted to come in briefly to sit down and use the restroom. We'd stayed at Grand Summit General Santos before and eaten at its restaurant, so we're not unfamiliar customers. The refusal felt excessive and left us feeling unwelcome. What bothered me was how different this felt from our experience at 5-star hotels in Manila, including Solaire. They welcome people warmly at any hour, even when they aren't staying there. Grand Summit isn't at the same level as those hotels, so I don't understand the stricter attitude here. Previous customers, walk-ins, and other visitors should be able to enter the lobby. Not being checked in shouldn't mean someone can't step inside for basic hospitality. I hope management takes a look at how people are treated, because this kind of experience makes us less likely to return. Nakakainis talaga subra.

The restaurant was the main letdown. Staff were slow to take orders, explain what food and drinks were available, and clear tables. I saw a table left uncleared for 20 minutes after a family finished, while a staff member stood leaning on the restaurant welcome stand doing nothing. For the prices, the service didn't feel high-end. Our room was right across from a nightclub, and the windows barely kept out the noise, so it felt like we were in the club. I'd insist on a pool-view room if you book here. The room itself was clean with a comfortable bed, and both the front desk and housekeeping staff were friendly. We also enjoyed the wellness spa. We stayed four nights while traveling in the Philippines and had a positive experience overall, though the hotel seems to charge high-end prices without staffing to match.

The place was nice, but the restaurant service needed work. We had to keep asking for basics: plates and cutlery never came with the food, the soup arrived without bowls, and for four of us there were only two glasses of water. Even though the restaurant wasn't busy, staff weren't paying attention unless we called them over. Our food took 45 minutes, which was okay since we were busy talking, but the dishes came at different times. One arrived well before the others, and we had to follow up again.

That breakfast buffet was an unexpected treat after a long travel day. In the US I'm used to hard-boiled eggs, make-your-own pancakes, and bad coffee in paper cups. This was the best included breakfast I've had outside of a Ritz Carlton. Thanks, Grand Summit, for such a welcome surprise. My family and I stayed one night after a long flight from San Francisco. We were exhausted by the time we settled in, and all of us slept like rocks for 12 hours.