Somerset Alabang Manila celebrates its 10th anniversary with a fresh take on hospitality, introducing Veranda and the soon-to-open Soluna while proving that feeling at home is about far more than simply having a place to stay.
For a property built on the idea of making guests feel at home, celebrating its 10th anniversary felt less like a birthday party and more like being invited back to a familiar table. Fittingly, that’s exactly how the evening unfolded.
When Somerset Alabang Manila opened in 2016 as the first Ascott serviced residence in southern Metro Manila, it offered something the area didn’t quite have. It wasn’t simply another hotel, but a place that blurred the line between accommodation and home. Business travelers could unpack instead of simply checking in, families had room to settle in, and returning guests came back often enough that familiar faces greeted them at reception.
Ten years later, that sense of home has expanded well beyond the guest rooms.
Under the banner of A Decade of Welcoming You Home, Somerset Alabang Manila is marking the milestone not only with a month-long lineup of experiences, but also with a thoughtful refresh that introduces new dining concepts, enhanced event spaces, and more reasons for both guests and locals to make the property part of their everyday routine.
Pulling up another chair
Leading this new chapter is Veranda by SAM, Somerset’s all-day dining restaurant that quietly soft launched earlier this year, alongside Soluna, an all-day café and lounge set to officially open on July 31.
I got a taste of both Somerset’s evolving culinary direction and its brand of hospitality during an intimate media dinner held to mark the property’s 10th anniversary, where General Manager Joyce Pascual-Agsaway welcomed guests with the same easy warmth that has long defined the property. She and her team set the tone for an evening that felt less like a media event than a leisurely dinner shared around two long communal tables. Rather fittingly, it revolved around one of hospitality’s oldest love languages: feeding people well. Conversations flowed almost as easily as the courses, and somewhere between the first bite and dessert, strangers began talking like old friends.
Executive Chef Jeffrey Reyes crafted a four-course menu in collaboration with Dielle’s Apiary and Meadery, with honey weaving its way through every course. It wasn’t the cloying, dessert-only kind of sweetness either, but the sort that subtly rounded out flavors and occasionally surprised me.
Dinner began with a beetroot salad where poached beets glazed with wild honey met creamy stracciatella, mesclun greens, pomegranate, and candied walnuts. Bright, earthy, and surprisingly satisfying, it never felt like the obligatory vegetarian course. As someone who doesn’t eat meat, I appreciated that it stood confidently on its own merits instead of feeling like an afterthought.
Next up for me (the carnivores had a different menu) was the mushroom bruschetta, generously layered with sautéed wild mushrooms, herbs, and toasted artisan bread. Comfort food doesn’t always have to arrive in a bowl, and this managed to hit every cozy note with each crunchy, buttery bite.
The baked salmon was beautifully cooked, paired with wild mushrooms and finished with a delicate honey glaze that added richness without masking the fish’s natural sweetness. It struck that elusive balance between elegant and comforting, rather like the hotel itself.
Dessert may well have stolen the evening, thanks to Pastry Chef Ces. A silky mango jubilee panna cotta arrived topped with caramelized mango and jackfruit, crisp meringue, and a splash of aged brandy. Resting delicately on top was an edible stingless bee. Equal parts garnish, conversation starter, and Instagram magnet, it sparked a chorus of delighted double takes and, inevitably, a flurry of phones before anyone picked up a spoon. It was almost too cute to eat, really!
Dining with intention
The dinner wasn’t simply a showcase of Chef Jeffrey’s cooking. It also served as an introduction to Veranda’s guiding philosophy of mindful dining.
The restaurant embraces what Somerset calls GloCal sourcing, marrying global culinary standards with locally sourced ingredients from Filipino farmers, producers, and artisans. The result is food that celebrates local harvests while reducing food miles and supporting nearby communities.
It’s sustainability without the sermon.
Rather than announcing its environmental credentials with a megaphone, Veranda lets the ingredients speak first. Fresh, seasonal produce, conscious sourcing, and thoughtful efforts to minimize waste come together in a way that feels refreshingly natural. You leave remembering the meal before you remember the messaging, and perhaps that’s exactly the point.
From sunrise to sundowners
Waiting in the wings is Soluna, Somerset’s newest social space.
Named after the sun and the moon, Soluna is designed to evolve throughout the day, beginning with leisurely coffees and light bites before easing into cocktails after dark. Judging by the space, it’s easy to imagine it becoming one of those neighborhood spots where a quick coffee quietly morphs into lunch, lunch drifts into merienda, and someone inevitably suggests staying for one last drink.
Together, Veranda and Soluna signal Somerset’s evolution into more than simply a place to spend the night. Increasingly, it’s becoming somewhere to gather, celebrate milestones, work remotely, catch up with friends, or simply linger because there’s no particular reason to rush off.
Hospitality with heart
That same sense of purpose extends beyond the dining table. Somerset Alabang Manila’s sustainability initiatives are anchored by Ascott CARES, The Ascott Limited’s framework aligned with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council’s criteria. Environmental stewardship, responsible operations, and meaningful community partnerships have become part of the property’s everyday rhythm rather than occasional feel-good initiatives.
The anniversary celebrations reflect that very philosophy. Rather than centering everything on one splashy event, Somerset has spread the festivities across the month with experiences that invite guests and even the surrounding community to take part.
Throughout July, the property is rolling out ten thoughtfully curated activities, from weekend markets showcasing local artisans and food entrepreneurs to workshops in candle making, cocktail mixing, soap making, and even a Little Hotelier activity for children.
Guests can also look forward to venue showcases, a special 32-hour anniversary stay, the return of the Pet Community Walk promoting adoption and responsible pet ownership, Greenversary recycling initiatives, a hospitality skills training program with the Philippine Air Force School at Fernando Air Base in Lipa, Batangas, and, of course, the grand opening of Soluna.
It’s an anniversary calendar that feels surprisingly grounded. Less “look at us turning ten” and more “come celebrate with us.”
Still making people feel at home
Hotels often celebrate milestones by looking back. Somerset Alabang Manila seems more interested in looking ahead. The arrival of Veranda, the upcoming opening of Soluna, and a growing emphasis on mindful dining and purposeful hospitality all point to a property that’s still finding fresh ways to welcome people in without losing sight of what made guests feel at home in the first place.
Listening to the speeches, seeing the camaraderie within the Somerset team that evening, I realized the anniversary wasn’t really about a decade gone by. It was about a property evolving, finding fresh ways to welcome guests, while holding onto its heart. New dining concepts, innovative experiences, and thoughtfully reimagined spaces may shape Somerset’s next chapter, but the feeling remains reassuringly familiar — and it starts with the team itself.
Homes change. They get renovated, new tables are added, recipes evolve, and familiar spaces take on fresh purpose. The best ones, however, never lose the feeling that makes you want to come back. Ten years on, Somerset Alabang Manila still understands that distinction.
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