Mella Hotel Manila near NAIA Airport

Breakfast was decent, and the restaurant staff were friendly and professional. Trip.com eventually stepped in and offered a 50% goodwill refund after the hotel ignored them. I appreciated Trip.com’s help, but the stay itself was a nightmare, and the Mella Hotel contributed nothing but stress. I booked a Deluxe King for March 7-9, 2026, and asked for a quiet room because I’d just travelled 23 hours from London to Manila and needed sleep. At check-in, they said my room type was “unusable” and put me in Room 611, calling it an upgrade. It was actually smaller and cramped, with two king-size beds, no bedside cabinets, desk, chair, or luggage storage. Room 611 faced a main road, with traffic noise all night and day. After that long journey, I couldn’t sleep on my first night in the Philippines. The room also had cracked light shades, peeling window film, no shower curtain, barely working air conditioning, a blocked drain that overflowed, and a broken kettle. Nothing worked properly. I reported the problems right away. Reception said they’d move us the next day if the air conditioning was fixed, but there was no move, apology, alternative room, or compensation. Instead, I was told, “You booked through Trip.com, take it up with them.” The hotel first told Trip.com that all rooms were non-refundable, then ignored their follow-up. Trip.com, not the hotel, had to resolve it. I can’t recommend staying here. They misrepresented the room, disregarded my request for quiet after a 23-hour trip, left us in a broken room, and failed to keep their promise. The manager should be dismissed. Until the leadership changes, I expect guests will continue to be let down. Don’t count on help, accountability, or basic courtesy if something goes wrong. They’ll take your money and leave you to deal with it. The Mella Hotel should be ashamed.

The servers and amenities were delightful, which is why it stings to give less than five stars. I enjoy a café latte or cappuccino, but for the first two days of my four-day stay the hotel had no milk, either in the restaurant or the Café Bistro. The other big issue was the room Wi-Fi. It kept cutting out, and I was close to finding another hotel. Small problems can happen, but as a foreigner without much local knowledge, it was frustrating.

The room was nice and I enjoyed the breakfast buffet during my 3-day stay. The problem was room service, which always seemed to be closed when we wanted to order, especially around lunch. We ended up ordering online and had to go outside to collect the food, which was a hassle.

The service was five-star, and the hotel is easy to get to the mall and restaurants.