Few things signal luxury more succinctly than a five-star hotel. The moment you cross its threshold, the atmosphere shifts. The air is cooler, scented. It smells premium. Lobbies are curated spaces designed to confer a sense of arrival. Every surface, every curve of furniture, every calibrated light source works together to deliver an unmistakable message: you matter. You belong here.
And among five-star hotels, Admiral Hotel Manila – MGallery Collection has carved out a distinct identity of its own. It has not only learned the language of luxury—it has chosen to expand it. Here, care extends beyond impeccable service and beautiful rooms. It reaches outward, toward another form of stewardship: one that recognizes animals as fellow inhabitants of the community. They may never leave a five-star review or rate their stay online, but their presence—and their protection—matter all the same.
Admiral Hotel Manila is perhaps the only five-star hotel in the country with an ambassadog. Her name is Adie, a rescued aspin from Pawssion Project—now, unmistakably, a hotelier herself.
“Adie’s presence has had a profound impact on our team,” shares Anj Sampayan-Somera, Marketing and Communications Manager of Admiral Hotel Manila. “She brings lightness to the workplace, serves as a natural stress reliever, and has helped people connect across departments. Even our executives take time to play with her. She has truly become a shared source of joy.”
Caring for Adie, Anj explains, is not delegated—it is shared. While the Rooms Division serves as her primary guardian as part of Guest Experience, stewardship is woven across the organization. The Executive Chef, together with the Director of Food and Beverage, ensures her meals are nutritious and thoughtfully prepared. The General Manager and Hotel Manager remain actively involved. Walking Adie is done on a rotating schedule among the Executive Office, Front Office, and the kitchen team.
“It truly takes a village,” Anj says.
That village, she adds, reflects a broader internal reckoning—one that required the hotel to look critically at its own standards. “In the past, we had limitations on which pets could be accommodated. Over time, we challenged and evolved those standards, becoming more open and inclusive. Going beyond fostering to adoption-level commitment, we advocate that Adie is not just part of the team—she is family.”
From the outset, the goal was never performative. The hotel sought to build what Anj describes as a circular CSR program—one that supports animal welfare while actively engaging the community. After research and conversations, they found alignment with Pawssion Project’s philosophy, particularly its rigorous adoption and fostering process, which emphasizes safety, accountability, and long-term commitment.
“This goes far beyond a one-time initiative,” she says.
For other businesses considering a similar path, Anj offers a clear, unvarnished reminder: “You must be willing to do the work. A life depends on your commitment—it cannot be treated as a PR initiative. Education and awareness among team members are essential, and everyone must be on board. Caring for a rescue pet truly takes a village.”
From the perspective of Pawssion Project, Adie’s story is one of many—yet singular in what it represents.
“She is one of over three thousand rescues we’ve helped in the past seven years,” says Malou Perez, Pawssion Project’s founder. Adie came to them during the pandemic: a limping stray, likely a hit-and-run victim, shy and reserved but deeply gentle once trust was earned. As a senior black aspin, she belonged to a group of dogs often overlooked—the ones least likely to be adopted.
When Admiral Hotel Manila reached out about the possibility of having a rescue ambassadog, it was unfamiliar ground for Pawssion Project. They had never placed a dog in an establishment before. They recommended foster-to-adopt—a program the organization had introduced only recently, after deciding to give senior rescues and those least likely to be adopted special experiences. Malou wanted them to experience, if only briefly, what life beyond the shelter could feel like: riding in a car for an adventure, sleeping on a bed in a home rather than a shelter, going to the beach, or enjoying a staycation.
“Not all of them will be adopted,” she says. “So what mattered was that they got to experience life—feeling what it’s like to belong.”
Foster care became a way to offer happiness, not just shelter. Foster-to-adopt, in turn, allowed new adopters to learn with guidance and accountability built in.
The screening—facilitated by Pawssion volunteer Pat Recto—was approached with care. This was the organization’s first time considering an establishment as a potential adopter, and expectations were set early. The hotel’s team visited the shelter, listened to behavioral guidance, accepted when certain rescues were not the right fit, and came prepared with clear plans for Adie’s daily care. What mattered most was their willingness to be guided.
The foster arrangement was finalized. The Admiral team picked up Adie, and her life as a hotelier commenced.
Then, early this year, Admiral Hotel Manila reached out to Pawssion Project again—this time to ask how to proceed with adoption.
“It made us so happy,” Malou says. Adie would become Pawssion Project’s first rescue to be adopted as an ambassadog by an establishment. When Malou visited the hotel herself, the decision felt affirmed. Adie moved freely through the space, known and loved by everyone—from security to the Executive Chef. She wore an ID that read Kind and Gentle. She was not displayed; she belonged.
A senior black rescue—often the last to be chosen—had found not just a home, but a village. More than that, the partnership offered a blueprint: proof that when businesses commit fully, compassion can move beyond policy and into daily practice.
“We hope more establishments follow,” Malou says. “Adie’s story shows what’s possible.”
“This shows that no matter your background, you deserve a chance at a better life,” Pat adds. Adie once lived on the streets, fending for herself. Today, she eats salmon, enjoys cool air-conditioning, and—most importantly—is never alone.
