Acacia Hotel Manila at Filinvest Corporate City in Alabang was built five years ago as an own-and-lease structure.

This meant investors could own rooms that they could rent out.

But the former owner did not want to wait for a rather slow return on investments, so he sold the hotel.

In came Puregold king Lucio Co who opted for the traditional hotel strategy.

The well-known Enderun, a hands-on school dedicated to teaching culinary expertise and managing culinary based groups, now manages the hotel.

Now Acacia has unveiled “a better and more defined” dining place named The Lobby.

It introduced a revamped menu and a shop that offers “proudly Pinoy artisanal products.”

The Lobby at Acacia offers 66 dishes with prices that range from P280 to P1,595.

Among its new dishes are the Chicken and Pork Adobo Pizza, Aromatic Braised Beef Ragout, Pan Capellini a la Gamba, Crab Meat Lasagna with Grilled Shrimps.

There’s also a cake-and-coffee combination for P200 per person. Cake choices include Blueberry Cheesecake and Acacia Chocolate Moist Cake.

The Lobby also has a Souk, where Pinoy products are sold.

Acacia management said the “Souk was not created for additional revenue; its main goal is to promote Filipino ingenuity and at the same time support marginalized communities. If offers bags, home accessories, fashion accessories and food items that are perfect as pasalubong.”

These brands include:

Saffy—whose mission is to help marginalized communities and small producers to become self-reliant, gain knowledge, learn new skills and create a sustainable livelihood.

Kath’s by Michelle Baldemor—local fine handcrafted bags and jewelry by Michelle Baldemor who comes from a family of artists in Paete, Laguna. Products are one of a kind and made from local materials.

Abre Linea—founded by three high school friends when Supertyphoon “Yolanda” devastated the country in 2013. Abre means “open” in Waray. It is an open response to the need to provide a sustainable form of livelihood for typhoon-ravaged communities in Leyte and Samar. The group provided funds for local artisans to make products out of ticog grass, buri and palm leaves in Eastern Visayas.

Laguna Water Hyacinth—the Laguna Water Lily Weavers Association was launched in February 2009 to benefit water lily gatherers and provide jobs for out-of-school youth.

House of Polvoron—a.k.a. HOP began with a simple recipe from a close-knit family. The quality of this delicacy has remained consistent for the past 25 years. From being a family bonding activity, it has turned into a sustainable business that promotes the ingenuity of Filipinos.

Sweet Seasons—offers Philippine mangoes covered in bittersweet chocolate, a Filipino delicacy and innovation that can be found only in the country.

A check on the reviews of Acacia Hotel shows mostly positive comments. The negative ones are on the long queues during the breakfast buffet and the slow Wi-Fi. On the positive side, many are happy with the quality of service and spacious rooms.