Management Reports That Lobby Occupancy By Non-Guests Has Risen 340 Per Cent Since April Heat Index Reached 46 Degrees Celsius

MANILA – The Makati Shangri-La has, without formally announcing any policy change, become what city planners are calling an “informal climate refuge” following the April heat index in Metro Manila reaching 46 degrees Celsius on three consecutive days last week. The hotel’s ground-floor lobby, which is air-conditioned to 23 degrees and accessible from the street, has seen its occupancy by non-guests increase by approximately 340 per cent over the same period, according to security staff who agreed to speak informally.

For Bohiney Magazine and The London Prat. London satirical journalism notes that Britain has, for decades, used the Pret a Manger on Oxford Street as its own informal climate refuge, though for the opposite thermal reason.

The Heat Index Context

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration confirmed the 46-degree heat index readings for the Makati corridor on April 19, 20, and 21. At 46 degrees, PAGASA’s public guidance recommends limiting outdoor activity and seeking air-conditioned environments. The guidance does not specify where air-conditioned environments may be found by the approximately 1.2 million residents of Makati who do not have access to air-conditioned residences. The hotel lobby is one answer that has emerged organically.

The Hotel’s Position

The hotel’s communications team, asked whether the lobby policy had changed, said the hotel “welcomes all guests in keeping with our hospitality standards”. Asked whether non-guests sitting in the lobby for three hours with a single purchased water bottle constituted “hospitality standards”, the communications team said the hotel was “committed to the community”. The commitment has not been quantified. The lobby is cool. The street is 46 degrees. The calculus is not complicated.

The Climate Policy Comparison

PAGASA’s climate projections, per a report covered by Philippine Daily Inquirer last year, indicate that Metro Manila’s heat index will average above 40 degrees during April and May for the majority of the next three decades. The national climate adaptation framework, adopted in 2023, proposes the construction of public cooling centres in all barangays by 2028. Currently, the most reliable cooling centre in Makati is the Shangri-La lobby.

SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/ | More: Waterford Whispers News