Integrated resort elevates leisure lifestyle in Quezon City
Since Solaire Resort North opened last May, its daily foot traffic has been reaching the thousands. One of the first things the guests typically do when stepping inside the 38-story property found in the Vertis North commercial complex in Quezon City is to admire and maybe take a selfie with the imposing glass sculpture that takes center stage in the lobby.
The installation, called “The Mangrove,” is a commissioned work by American sculptor Nikolas Weinstein, whose primary medium for his large-scale architectural projects is borosilicate glass. Some of his significant works are displayed at famous properties in the United States, Germany, Russia, India, China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
“My sculptures are organic ‘echoes’ of the built environment rendered in glass,” Weinstein states on the website of his studio in San Francisco, California. “I imagined the installations in conversation with the architecture; sympathetic to its geometries but also acting as transparent, luminous counterpoints. In this way, my work talks to a client’s building. Not someone else’s building, not a type of building, but their building.”
Another attraction at Solaire Resort North is the 14 dining spots that cater to practically all gustatory preferences. It carries the signature restaurants from its predecessor at Entertainment City in Parañaque City, such as Finestra (Italian steakhouse), Red Lantern (Chinese), Yakumi (Japanese) and Fresh (international buffet), plus the food court. It also put up its own restaurants, notably Manyaman that specializes in Kapampangan cuisine but with a modern Filipino touch.
Constantly evolving
“The great thing about working for this property is, it’s constantly changing and constantly evolving,” said Gianpietro Iseppi, senior vice president of resort operations, at the recent media preview held at Finestra, which is now, he said, “elevated,” figuratively and literally, as it occupies the hotel’s topmost floor.
Three new food and beverage outlets will open, he added, like Sky Bar. Then there are Solaire Resort North’s 530 hotel rooms, of which 25 are suites, and “elevated gaming experience.”
Those who’ve been to Solaire Resort Entertainment City can immediately see the similar sights in this new outpost that sits on a 1.5-hectare lot in Quezon City. Its façade has the same contemporary design marked by warm ambers, rich brass metals and modern glass paneling, plus the solihiya pattern used as accents. Even the fresh scent wafting around both properties is the same.
The difference is Solaire Resort North’s verticality to accommodate 38 floors, which is a dozen more than the original twin towers in the sprawling Parañaque City property. This way the new hotel offers a panoramic view of the northern part of the metropolis, all the way to the nearby provinces. Owing to space constraints, the Quezon City property also doesn’t have a theater for concerts and musicals, though they intend to hold more intimate events at the hotel’s ballrooms.
Solaire Resort North also offers more accessibility to the public. Commuters can reach it by taking the MRT and getting off at the North station, which is linked to the Trinoma mall. It’s also a stone’s throw from another mall, Vertis North, and just in front of Seda hotel. Moreover, there’s a nearby point-to-point bus terminal for buses servicing the different towns in Bulacan.
Compared to Solaire Resort Entertainment City, which is closer to the international airport and thus patronized by tourists from overseas, the integrated resort’s executives said Solaire Resort North caters more to locals residing north of the metro and northern provinces.
“Two months feel like two years, but there’s so much more to come,” said Iseppi, who also oversaw day-to-day operations of Solaire Entertainment City prior to moving to his new post in Quezon City.
