TBK Travels - The Philippines- part three

When I first started visiting the Philippines in 2013 my then co-worker, ate Hazel, said  "You have to go to Subic"

So I booked a week there, and it rained, the hotel was awful and I hated it!

However I went back a few years later on a day trip from Pampanga  with an old Pinoy friend who I met in Bahrain, Geyooh, and another guy I met in Pampanga, Sam,  and we had a great time and the sun shone all day.

For those who do not know Subic it was a : 

 "major American Naval base  where they carried out  ship-repair. It became a supply depot, and like Olopongo was a rest and recreation facility of the Spanish Navy and subsequently the United States Navy located in Zambales, Philippines. The base was 262 square miles, about the size of Singapore.^[1] The Navy Exchange had the largest volume of sales of any exchange in the world, and the Naval Supply Depot handled the largest volume of fuel oil of any navy facility in the world.^[2] The naval base was the largest overseas military installation of the United States Armed Forces after Clark Air Base in Angeles City was closed in 1991.^[3] Following its closure in 1992, it was transformed into the Subic Bay Freeport Zone by the Philippine government"

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Naval_Base_Subic_Bay accessed 25.11.19) 

So this is Jeff and I on our first visit, in 2015, soaking wet and trying to take in the sights...

Subic beach in 2011 with rain clouds and the Lighthouse hotel in the background ( photo by Jeff)

and this is when I went back with Geyooh and Sam in 2012

Finally I got allowed to use the empty pool at the Lighthouse hotel

There is a great little customer service story about Subic too ( Phil's ears pick up, "Hurrah, the stores are back") . On my first visit we discovered a cute little hotel and restaurant called the Lighthouse, where Jeff and I had lunch. So on my return we went there for lunch. What a difference the sun made! The three of us were the only people there and we had a long lunch by the pool and got quite hot. 

I asked if we could swim , in the empty pool, to be told it was for "residents only." Then I said that I would pay to use the pool and that of any residents came we would get out! The waiter said he would have to ask the Manager!

It's a real no brainer and the hotels who empower front line staff to make such simple decisions have it so right. Keep your only three customers happy so they stay longer and spend more. Alternatively you can piss them off by saying they cannot use the pool because its a hotel rule and have them leave and swim on the beach next door.

At this point Phil ( and Vanguard) would want me to point out that it's not the people that are wrong but the system. The Lighthouse hotel in Subic features in this blog because the Manager saw sense as he sent us a set of towel's and did not charge us to use the pool! We stayed eating and drinking for the rest of the day, and I went swimming! Go pay them a visit!

One satisfied customer tells others, but one dissatisfied customer tells so many more! It is your choice hoteliers when you finally reopen having lost a years business due to the closure of the Philippines to tourists for a year due to COV 19. 

I thought I would give you a link to their website and it made me laugh as it does not matter how professional your website might look if you do not deliver on the ground. Let me quote from their website PR talk and see if you can see where the incongruence lies ( JJ Can you believe I got that word in a blog!)

                    The (empty) pool at the Lighthouse ( from their website)

THE LIGHTHOUSE

Like a beacon that steers boats to shore,

this magnificent establishment on the Subic Bay waterfront can serve

as a venue that beckons travelers

seeking world-class comfort.

Source: https://www.lighthousesubic.com/ ( accessed 12.11.21)