If you’re planning staycations to celebrate special occasions like Valentine’s Day, know that you can only book from the 15 accommodations that have been accredited by the Department of Tourism (DOT) for leisure purposes.
You can choose among the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Makati Shangri-La Hotel, Okada Manila Hotel, Shangri-La at the Fort, Nobu Hotel, Joy Nostalg Hotel and Suites Manila, EDSA Shangri-La Manila, Solaire Resort, Hyatt Regency City of Dreams, Nüwa Manila City of Dreams, The Peninsula Manila, Aruga by Rockwell, Sheraton Manila Hotel, Hilton Manila, and Hotel Okura Manila.
Accommodations being used as quarantine facilities must not be used for “staycation” purposes, the DOT said, quoting joint memorandum circular 2020-003 that provides guidelines on the conduct of essential work meetings and events in areas under general community quarantine (GCQ).
The isolation facilities are meant for repatriated overseas Filipino workers, returning overseas Filipinos, and health workers. They may, however, be used for standalone meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions, as long as the venue’s capacity is limited to 50 percent.
Allowed essential work meetings and events include workshops, trainings, seminars, congresses, conferences, conventions, board meetings, colloquia, conclaves, symposia, and consumer trade shows or product launch events.
Restaurants (including those attached to hotels), ballrooms and function halls within hotels, venues within hotel premises, and mall atria are allowed to open under GCQ, as long as they observe the 30 percent maximum venue capacity.
Still prohibited in quarantine venues are gatherings of a social or political nature and purpose, including sporting events, birthday parties, holiday celebrations, corporate anniversaries, political events, weddings, and family reunions, which are considered non-essential events.
The reminder comes on the heels of the still unsolved case of a flight attendant found dead in a Makati hotel where she and several friends had checked in for a New Year’s Eve revelry, despite the fact that the hotel was being used as a quarantine facility. The DOT has since asked the hotel to explain the violation or risk losing its accreditation.