The Power of ‘The Pen’
There were four hotels that opened in Metro Manila at the same time for the 1976 IMF-World Bank meetings. Yet 50 years later, only one remains substantially what it was when it opened: The Peninsula Manila.
It’s where countless stories have been written and told. Like a silent chronicler, The Peninsula Manila, popularly known as “The Pen,” has witnessed many a love story and history unfold.
Its power lies in being both a discreet witness and an engaging participant—always, however, on its guests’ terms.
As its current managing director Kevin Tsang said at the unveiling of the hotel’s 50th year anniversary timeline, which spans the hotel’s groundbreaking in 1975 to its golden jubilee in 2026, “Since opening its doors in 1976, our hotel has stood for far more than hospitality. It has been part of Manila’s story—a place where generations have gathered, where history has unfolded, and where countless moments of joy, reunions, farewells, and new beginnings have become part of our collective memory.”
“At some point, I guess we stopped being a building…” points out the hotel’s director of brand communications, Mariano B. Garchitorena. “People don’t say, ‘The Peninsula Manila is a luxury hotel.’ They say, ‘The Pen.’ Only institutions get nicknames. They nickname something they feel affection for.”
For Garchitorena or “Garch,” who has been with the hotel for 29 years, being known by its nickname—pet name, if you will—is an honor for The Peninsula Manila.
“Not all hotels can say that. And I suspect that’s why, 50 years later, people still refer to us not as The Peninsula Manila, but simply as The Pen. That’s not branding,” he concludes.
Three men & a hotel
The Peninsula Manila began with visionaries such as P.L. Lim, Carlos “Charlie” Palanca, and Sir Horace Kadoorie, whose partnership brought the first Peninsula hotel outside Hong Kong to Manila in 1976.
Two Peninsula originals were at the timeline’s unveiling: Montserrat Uy, former director of customer services, who joined the hotel on April 1, 1976; and Sig San Jose, who joined Manila Peninsula on Sept. 1 that same year, before going on to a stellar career with the company—Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited.
Sig’s most memorable experience were the days the hotel put guests’ welfare before everything else: the November 1989 coup attempt.
“We were a full house at the time. We had to move people out of their rooms, because there were stray bullets,” recalls Sig, who narrates how all guests had to be evacuated to the first floor, and provided comfortable beddings. “The Peninsula ethic is taking care of people. We take care of our guests.”
During eight anxiety-laden days in December, general manager Niklaus J. Leunberger and his team of 270 tirelessly provided food, shelter, and security for 620 stranded hotel guests.
“We anticipate what their needs are. You know, they don’t tell us,” adds Monzie, and this they show in good times and bad. The hotel keeps tabs of Peninsula guests’ preferences, whichever hotel in the Peninsula chain they choose to stay in.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Monzie was heartbroken that she had to send off a long-staying, elderly guest to another hotel (especially accredited by government during the pandemic) since The Pen was being momentarily shuttered (but none of its employees let go). Monzie would even go as far as to visit the guest to make sure he was fine and well taken care of.
Garch thus believes The Peninsula Manila has flourished “because of generations of employees who have welcomed guests, prepared meals, maintained rooms, balanced books, repaired our equipment, and worked tirelessly behind the scenes to create memorable experiences every day.”
Director of sales and marketing Samuel Gacos adds, “Every great place is shaped by its people and the stories that bring it to life. Today’s unveiling is not only about looking back on 50 years of history, but also about honoring the people, moments, and shared experiences that have defined our legacy and those that continue to shape our future.”
The power of The Pen? For me, its power lies in its flair in weaving experiences, not just serving meals; curating stays and not just fine accommodations; and writing stories in the hearts of generations of guests—whose own stories began and are continuing to be written—at The Pen.
Writ in stone at The Pen
1975—The groundbreaking ceremony on Jan. 6 with Lord Horace Kadoorie, Sir Michael Kadoorie, P.L. Lim, Enrique Zobel, Jose D. Aspiras, and Carlos Palanca.
1979—Apocalypse Now, Francis Ford Coppola’s acclaimed Vietnam War epic, is filmed in the Philippines. Coppola was a frequent guest of the hotel during the making of the film.
1992—The Manila Peninsula is renamed The Peninsula Manila.
1994—National Artist for Sculpture Napoleon Abueva installs the Sunburst on The Peninsula Lobby’s ceiling.
1996—The hotel’s new grand waterfalls at the corners of Ayala and Makati Avenues are switched on for the first time. The entire structure utilizes 90 cubic meters of recycled water.
2011—Sonja Vodusek is the 13th general manager of The Peninsula Manila, marking a historic milestone as the first woman to hold this position and the third within The Peninsula Hotels.
2019—Masahisa Oba is the 15th general manager and the first managing director of The Pen
2020—The Philippines, gripped by the COVID-19 pandemic, closes its borders, prompting The Peninsula Manila to shutter its doors for the first time in 44 years.
2026—The Peninsula Manila celebrates its 50th anniversary.
