I was of a mind to give this hotel a four-star rating.

It was opened in August 2008 and is a renovation of the former YMCA Manila.

Conveniently located at the rear of SM City Manila and its relatively new plethora of mall shopping, Hotel Indah's foyer is spacious and its rooms pleasant.

My largish standard room had no outlook to speak of - only onto a fairly grotty roof of a 20 year old or so building. While the elevated LRT (metro rail) trains are nearby, they did not seem to disturb me.

The bedroom was nicely furnished with a large television, a wardrobe, an open clothes hanging area and other storage space. It lacked a fridge and an alarm clock, but the range of channels available through cable television was excellent.

The queen bed was very comfortable.

The bathroom was brighly tiled in a green-yellow type of colour, with the shower's hot water working well. If I looked closely, I could see one or two areas where the painting was starting to deteriorate but this did not affect my comfort.

Prior to retiring, I gave reception my passport and money for storage. The girl did not make any comments.

Breakfast was poor. The choice of set items was extremely limited.

As I was leaving next morning at 0930, I asked for the contents of the safety deposit box to be emptied. The receptionist said that my valuables had been locked away in the office and that 'traffic' was delaying the administrative assistant who was the only one with a key to the drawer.

I said to them 'what would happen if I wanted to leave earlier?' I received a muted apology, but the girl in question then turned up and I recovered my valuables, intact.

Nonetheless the hotel needs to change this arrangement, as it could be most inconvenient for guests wishing to depart early for a flight or bus. I have therefore only given this hotel three stars instead of four.