Leanspace Meetings: Makati, Phillipines

Makati’s visitor and business numbers continue to climb, underpinned by its role as the Philippines’ premier financial district and a key driver of Metro Manila’s corporate travel and meetings demand. As of 2025, the city had already collected PHP14.24 billion in internally generated revenues by April alone, powered by more than 35,000 active firms and thousands of new business registrations, reinforcing its position as a natural hub for investor meetings, lender briefings and regional team catch‑ups. Raffles Makati, Makati

Why it works for meetings

Raffles Makati sits in the heart of Makati’s business and lifestyle district by Ayala Avenue, giving clients an instantly recognisable CBD landmark close to Grade A office towers and upscale malls. Suites‑only accommodation, a grand lobby and access to the adjoining Fairmont complex create an environment that feels discreet enough for senior investor updates, while still relaxed enough for working on a laptop between calls in the lounge.

Dedicated meeting rooms and the Raffles Ballroom allow you to scale from one‑to‑one conversations to larger workshops without changing address, while on‑property restaurants and bars give you natural spillover space for more informal follow‑ups.

• Email: makati@raffles.com​
  Phone: +63 2‑7795‑0777

You will find the hotel on 1 Raffles Drive, Makati Avenue, 1224 Makati City, Philippines.​

Best time to visit

Late mornings and mid‑afternoons on weekdays tend to be the most comfortable for using the lobby and lounge as working zones, with enough business traffic to feel dynamic but generally before pre‑dinner crowds and event groups gather.

For relationship‑led meetings with regional investors or senior partners, early evenings in the lounge or hotel bar work well, offering a quieter, club‑style atmosphere that feels more memorable than a standard office meeting room.​

Coffee and casual spend

As a luxury all‑suite property in Makati’s financial core, pricing for coffee and soft drinks sits towards the upper end of city norms, which makes it appropriate for client‑facing sessions and lender briefings where you want to signal quality.

For more routine internal catch‑ups, you can step a few blocks towards smaller side streets and Ayala Center cafés for everyday price points, while still using Raffles as your primary meeting anchor.

Nearest transport links

Raffles Makati sits within the Ayala Center area, a short drive from EDSA and key Makati CBD arteries, keeping taxi and ride‑hailing transfers straightforward from nearby office towers and embassies. Depending on traffic, travel time from Ninoy Aquino International Airport is typically around 20–30 minutes by car, which works well for regional travellers flying in for the day.​

Wi‑Fi and power

High‑speed Wi‑Fi and business‑grade connectivity are available across guest rooms, meeting spaces and public areas, with the hotel positioned explicitly as a meetings and events partner for corporate clients. Lounge and lobby seating provide access to power outlets suited to typical laptop use, allowing you to draft documents in private upstairs and then move downstairs for face‑to‑face discussions or hybrid calls.

Review

Business guests and event planners frequently highlight Raffles Makati’s elegant interiors, professional service and central location, noting that it feels more like a private city club than a conventional chain hotel. It suits teams who want a high‑touch, quiet base in the financial district for sensitive discussions, board updates or small‑format investor meetings.

Fairmont Makati, Makati

Why it works for meetings

Fairmont Makati shares the same prime Ayala Center address as Raffles, but offers a larger, more conventionally configured international hotel product that works well for lender briefings, regional team sessions and interviews where brand familiarity matters.

The Fairmont Lounge, a bright, contemporary lobby lounge by day and an intimate bar‑style space by night, has been designed specifically as a setting for informal business discussions, late afternoon tea and relaxed evening drinks. With meeting rooms, a ballroom and direct access to the neighbouring mall network, it becomes a practical base where you can mix structured workshops with more ad‑hoc lobby conversations over coffee.

• Email: makati@fairmont.com
  Phone: +63 2‑8555‑9888

You will find the hotel on 1 Raffles Drive, Makati Avenue, 1224 Makati City, Philippines.​

Best time to visit

Mid‑mornings and mid‑afternoons on weekdays are usually the best windows to use the Fairmont Lounge as a working zone between external site visits, when footfall feels energetic but not overwhelming. Early evenings suit client drinks or end‑of‑day debriefs, with the transition from bright daytime lobby to more atmospheric bar helping to mark a shift from formal agenda to relationship‑building.

Coffee and casual spend

Coffee, tea and light bites in the Fairmont Lounge sit in a mid‑to‑upper band for Makati, aligned with an international five‑star hotel in a prime financial‑district location. That makes it a good fit for external meetings, while internal teams looking to manage budgets can use nearby Ayala Center cafés and food‑hall concepts for cheaper refuelling between sessions, returning to Fairmont for the more important face‑to‑face appointments.

Nearest transport links

The hotel is integrated into the Ayala Center complex just off Makati Avenue and EDSA, giving quick access to jeepney, bus and point‑to‑point (P2P) services as well as taxis and ride‑hailing. It sits within a short drive of major office clusters in both the Makati CBD and neighbouring Bonifacio Global City, which is useful when your day spans multiple sub‑markets.​

Wi‑Fi and power

Complimentary Wi‑Fi covers public areas, restaurants and event spaces, with Fairmont positioning the lounge as a place where guests can comfortably work between commitments. Lobby seating and lounge tables are generally equipped with nearby sockets, making it feasible to treat the space as an informal day office for solo work, quick reviews or hybrid calls between on‑site meetings.

Review

Visitors regularly praise the Fairmont Lounge’s relaxed atmosphere, convenient hours (9:00 to 00:00 daily) and suitability for informal business discussions in central Makati.

Dusit Thani Manila, Makati

Why it works for meetings

Dusit Thani Manila stands on the EDSA side of Ayala Centre, close to Glorietta and key transport interchanges, putting you right at the seam between Makati’s office towers and Metro Manila’s broader road network. As a long‑established five‑star hotel with Thai‑influenced hospitality, it offers a mix of ballroom and meeting spaces plus multiple restaurants and lounges, which together create a more traditional business‑hotel feel than some newer lifestyle‑focused properties. The lobby and bar areas work well for one‑to‑ones, interviews and internal reviews when a dedicated meeting room would feel excessive but you still want structure, table service and a professional backdrop.​

• Email: dtmnrsvn@dusit.com​
  Phone: +63 2‑7238‑8888

You will find the hotel in the Ayala Centre area of Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines.

Best time to visit

Weekday daytimes, particularly late mornings, are typically the calmest for lobby and lounge use before after‑work social traffic and event groups move in. Early evenings lend themselves to drinks or informal dinners with senior contacts when you want a venue that feels business‑class but still relaxed enough for candid conversation after a day in nearby offices.

Coffee and casual spend

Pricing for coffee and drinks at Dusit Thani Manila usually sits at an upper mid‑range level for Makati’s international hotels, reflecting both its location and service positioning. That makes it appropriate for partner meetings, lender updates and regional team debriefs, while internal teams keen to keep spend lower can make use of the surrounding Ayala Centre cafés and mall options and reserve hotel time for higher‑value interactions.

Nearest transport links

Positioned at the corner of EDSA and Ayala, Dusit Thani enjoys immediate access to major road, bus and rail connections, including MRT‑3 Ayala Station, which is directly adjacent via elevated walkways. This makes it a practical rendezvous point when your attendees are coming from different parts of Metro Manila or combining site visits across multiple business districts.​

Wi‑Fi and power

As a full‑service business hotel, Dusit Thani Manila offers complimentary Wi‑Fi across guest rooms, public areas and meeting spaces, supporting both local and international corporate guests. Lobby seating and function‑adjacent lounges provide sufficient access to power outlets for laptops and devices, so you can comfortably work between back‑to‑back sessions without hunting for a socket.

Review

Corporate travellers often highlight the hotel’s convenient transport‑linked location, long‑standing reputation and solid meetings infrastructure as key reasons for choosing it for conferences and workshops. It functions as a dependable CBD base when your priority is logistics and on‑site facilities rather than the boutique feel of newer lifestyle hotels.

New World Makati Hotel, Makati

Why it works for meetings

New World Makati Hotel faces Greenbelt in the core of the Makati CBD, placing you directly opposite one of the city’s most recognisable mixed‑use complexes and within walking distance of many regional HQs and bank offices.

As an upscale business‑leaning property with a club lounge, ballroom and several meeting rooms, it works well for workshops, training days and deal reviews where you want a corporate atmosphere but still value the option of more relaxed lobby or bar seating. The lobby lounge and on‑site restaurants provide semi‑formal spaces for one‑to‑ones and smaller group sessions when a full meeting room would be more space than you need, aligning neatly with Leanspace’s focus on informal, “pay‑by‑coffee” work settings.​​

• Email: enquiry.manila@newworldhotels.com​
  Phone: +63 2‑8811‑6888

You will find the hotel in the Makati CBD, directly across from Greenbelt, Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines.

Best time to visit

Weekday mornings and mid‑afternoons tend to be strongest for quieter lobby and lounge use, before the post‑work crowd arrives for drinks and dinner around Greenbelt. Early evenings can be particularly effective for client‑facing drinks or informal board catch‑ups, when city lights and the buzz from nearby malls make the environment feel energetic but still controlled enough for conversation.

Coffee and casual spend

Coffee and soft‑drink pricing at New World Makati generally sits in the upper mid‑range for the CBD, in line with other four‑ to five‑star properties facing Greenbelt. That is appropriate for investor, lender or partner meetings, while regular internal catch‑ups can rotate into the many cafés and quieter restaurants within Greenbelt and Legazpi Village for more everyday price points.

Nearest transport links

Located on Esperanza Street by Greenbelt, the hotel offers easy taxi and ride‑hailing access into and out of the Makati CBD, with EDSA and South Luzon Expressway reachable within a short drive. Travel time to Ninoy Aquino International Airport typically runs around 20–30 minutes depending on traffic, which helps when your schedule involves regional flights and tight turnarounds.​

Wi‑Fi and power

Free Wi‑Fi is standard across rooms, club floors and public spaces, supporting email, video calls and shared documents over longer stays. Meeting rooms, the executive lounge and lobby seating are equipped with typical business‑hotel levels of power access, so you can shift between private preparation, plenary sessions and more casual lobby work without worrying about battery life.

Review

Business travellers often call out the hotel’s location opposite Greenbelt, attentive staff and practical meeting infrastructure as key advantages. It serves as a reliable, corporate‑feeling base for teams that want to combine structured sessions with the flexibility of lobby and lounge workspaces in the heart of Makati’s CBD.