The Pen: Built for IMF meet in '76, seized by rebel troops in '07

It was built in 1976 to coincide with Manila's hosting that year of the International Monetary Fund Conference. On Thursday, the luxurious 497-room The Peninsula Hotel Manila became an unwilling host to a standoff tension between mutinous troops led by detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and soldiers loyal to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. The hotel boasts on its official website of "spacious guest rooms, an ideal business address, and traditional hospitality." Located on the corners of Ayala and Makati Avenues, a spitting distance from the Philippine Stock Exchange main trading floor, the hotel has undergone extensive renovations and "reasserted itself as the 'Jewel in the Capital's Crown.'" The Peninsula offers fine dining options that includes modern European, Italian, and a diversity of Asian cuisines in its numerous renowned restaurants and bars. In addition, a Spa and Fitness Center, a luxurious oasis within the hotel with gymnasium, swimming pool, sauna, steam room, and massage treatments and a hair salon complete the hotel's multiple services center. Also called The Pen, the hotel is a part of The Peninsula Hotels chain that operates seven other award-winning hotels in Hong Kong, New York, Chicago, Beverly Hills, Tokyo, Bangkok and Beijing. - GMANews.TV