The Diplomat Hotel, Baguio City

The Facade of The Diplomat

The Lobby of The Diplomat

One of the two fountains that adorn either side of The Diplomat

The view from the second floor of The Diplomat

The view of Baguio from the roof of The Diplomat

A remnant of The Diplomat's roots as a Dominican school

Construction has started on local government efforts to reinvigorate The Diplomat

 

The Diplomat was constructed in 1915 as a school run by Dominican priests. Due to low enrollment numbers, the school, called Collegio Del Santissimo Rosario, closed its doors after two years.

During the second World War, refugees hid from the Japanese behind the walls of The Diplomat. The Japanese bombed the site and the structure received massive damages. Still, after the War, reconstruction efforts immediately started.

In 1973, Tony Agpaoa named the structure The Diplomat and turned it into a hotel with certain esoteric leanings. Being a faith healer by trade, most guests in the hotel were his European patients. Upon his death in 1987, the hotel was abandoned and quickly deteriorated into the state it is in now.

The Diplomat has acquired a reputation for being one of the most haunted sites in Baguio City after being abandoned. It has been the topic of many Halloween specials on the supernatural. An indie movie using the hotel's name was also shot there.

Honestly, the hotel personally left me not with the creeps, but with a deep appreciation for its melancholy beauty.

Now efforts have started to rejuvenate the place. I am just thankful that I had the opportunity to see it in its present state before progress claims another victim.