FRED: Crown Hotel's man of the hour




Sir Fred, he knows best!
 
Usually when at work, he's in long sleeves, black pants, dress shoes. He takes orders, check on the cleanliness of the place, talks to the waiters with a very quiet countenance.

For quite sometime that I frequent the restaurant, I thought he's one of the owners who manages the business, hands on.

Trusted by Chinese customers 

He knows every dish by heart. You wake him up and for sure he would be able to recite  the menu!

My dad, in several occasions, used to asked for him and let him take care of our order. My dad had this full trust to this man, it's a quiet agreement that whatever food he would put on our table, it's going to be perfect. Dad said that this man knows best. He's like your own personal butler (with no additional charges). That explains why all the Chinese customers have his full trust in him.



Bicol Bloggers down the memory lane
According to the hotel manager/owner Sir TR Dy, the best person who could provide us information and history of the hotel is no other than the hotel's oldest employee, Sir Wilfredo Padilla Romero or Sir Fred.

That smile.
Sir Fred is actually from Legazpi City but started working at 19 years old at the Park Restaurant.

55 years of service

He's now 74 years old  but he's still up and about. He retired few years ago, but the owners seem can't let go of him so until now, he's still around and manages the restaurant.  Talk about love of work, service and dedication.


It's a privilege that I was able to talk and interview him face to face. I had Dad in mind, there's a pinch in my heart while we're doing the interview. At the back of my mind, I was actually talking to Dad. hey, dad,  here's the nameless guy who always took care of our order way back when.



Here are some trivia : 

You'll have the best view of Naga City in this room.

This is one of the best rooms in Crown Hotel
You'll never miss out this signage! Bicol Bloggers are all smiles after an overnight stay at Crown Hotel


Did you know that before Crown Hotel was named Asha Hotel in 1960? There were 30 rooms available in the hotel and it was one of the finest hotels in Naga City. The left wing of the building were small offices, insurance companies and the well known Elegant Fashion School.

Besides Asha Hotel, other hotels in Naga mentioned by Sir Fred were Bicolandia Hotel, Holiday Inn Hotel, Rodson Hotel and Metro Hotel (which was owned by the former Governor of Camarines Sur, Apolonio Maleniza). I guess only Crown Hotel remained.


It's everyone's home

 After 10 years, so that's around 1971,according to Sir Fred, the Dy family   who owns the business, named the hotel "Crown Hotel".


Up to this day, Crown Hotel is still here in the heart of Naga City, ready to accommodate guests. While you stay in the hotel, there's Cafe Federico, for intimate coffee talks, The Park Restaurant for authentic Chinese food and when you feel like singing the night away, at the second floor, there's East West Videoke Bar. Plus, if you're having banquets, there are function rooms that could accommodate all your needs. Definitely, no fine print.

There you go, Crown Hotel has been here for so long. It has been home to many guests, tourists, travellers, businessmen, families, celebrities, people from all walks of life. It has a piece of Naga City's history, it's everyone's home.



Crown Hotel is located at Elias Angeles St. Naga City.
Telephone number: 473-8305

For more details, check out this facebook link:
https://www.facebook.com/crownhotel.ph

Photo credit: Nick Pahati  






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