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My family and I love staying at Richmonde Hotel Iloilo, which celebrated its 8th anniversary just last July. Richmonde has been such a part of our lives in Iloilo, from being the hotel where we stayed during our wedding, to being our favorite place to stay whenever we’re in Iloilo City for checkups when I was pregnant, and eventually becoming our family’s favorite safe staycation spot, especially during the pandemic (we ate all meals in our favorite suite). They even call our daughter the “Richmonde Baby,” hahaha.

We recently stayed at Richmonde again when we tried their latest LaMeza Ilonggo degustation dinner, which reportedly will become a once-a-month dining event to look forward to (watch for my separate blog post about this soon). While there, that’s when I noticed all the sampaguita touches that were subtly added to everything: from the scent in the lobby and our room, to sampaguita items in their food and drinks menu, as well as a signature Sampaguita massage—which my husband and I experienced.

It was then that I learned that Megaworld Hotels & Resorts—the largest 100% homegrown hotel chain in the country under Megaworld Corporation, which Richmonde Iloilo is a part of—has made the Sampaguita (the national flower of the Philippines) the brand’s symbol in promoting sustainable tourism, hospitality, and agriculture.

The program forms part of Megaworld Hotels & Resorts’ thrust toward providing a unique and proudly Filipino guest experience that stimulates all five senses with the characteristics of Sampaguita, all while supporting the local sampaguita industry by opening up the opportunity to increase demand for farmers to allocate supply of the flower for manufacturing products like soaps, scents, and food-grade additives. Through this campaign, Megaworld Hotels & Resorts has also committed to providing areas with patches of land dedicated to the planting of sampaguita plants in its townships across the country. Richmonde Iloilo even grows the flower at their own gardens.

How we experienced the Sampaguita at Richmonde Iloilo

As soon as you enter the hotel lobby, you can already get a whiff of the specially concocted Sampaguita scent with notes of fresh herbs, eucalyptus, and peppermint to invigorate and relax, especially after a long day of traveling. It truly was welcoming. Our favorite suite also smelled like sampaguita throughout our stay—a touch I personally appreciated.

Sampaguita Ice Cream 

Different hotel restaurants and cafes also offer exclusive new menu items infused with the essence of Sampaguita. At Richmonde Iloilo’s restaurant, The Granary, where we experienced the LaMeza Ilonggo “Ciudad” 5-course tasting menu featuring the different cities of Iloilo (I will blog about this in detail soon!), there were elements of Sampaguita included, like in the tea they served; the welcome drink that had a sampaguita-lychee gummy bear; as well as my daughter’s very own dessert (she had her own tasting menu!), which included sampaguita sorbetes (ice cream) topped with rice crispies—my own favorite among the three types of ice cream they served her, as it tasted so good, was smooth and even aromatic.

They told us BizBar’s bartender made the sampaguita gummy bears in-house. My daughter absolutely adored it, she asked for more of it, and they indulged her.

Megaworld Hotels & Resorts properties also offer a signature massage using Sampaguita massage oils, which I availed in-room at Richmonde Iloilo after a particularly stressful and exhausting day with my in-laws, LOL. The Sampaguita massage (P1,500) was a soothing, relaxing treat that my husband and I indulged in for the first time post-pandemic. I loved the subtle scent of the massage oil and how it wasn’t too sticky or oily—which is great if you’re having the massage before any plans to go out (we did schedule ours right before bedtime, just in case). My therapist, Mae, really kneaded my tense muscles so hard to remove all the “lamig” (cold). While I didn’t fall asleep during the massage, I did sleep like a baby afterwards. The sampaguita oil was also the TLC my sunburnt skin needed after overstaying in the pool with my daughter for two sunny days.

You also have the option to avail the massage at Richmonde Iloilo’s treatment room at the 7th floor (the same floor as the gym and pool). Mae said you can enjoy the hot pad after your massage if you have it at their treatment room.

Signature Massage with Sampaguita Oils  

Richmonde Hotel Iloilo is the first hotel outside Metro Manila of Megaworld Corporation, located within the 72-hectare development of Iloilo Business Park. It elevated the standards of the hotel industry in Western Visayas when it opened in 2015. For more information on Richmonde Hotel Iloilo, log on to richmondehoteliloilo.com.ph. For inquiries and reservations, call +6333-3287888. To book a room, you may also call +63917-5809058 or email stay@richmondeiloilo.com.

Disclaimer: While we paid for our entire stay at Richmonde Hotel Iloilo, we got the massage and degustation dinner for free.

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