The Real Story Of Diplomat Hotel

On Dominican Hill in Baguio, Philippines, there is a building that has been abandoned and is now known as the Baguio City Heritage Hill and Nature Park.

This edifice was originally and is still generally known as the Diplomat Hotel. With the assistance of a grant from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts in the amount of fifteen million Philippine pesos, the local government began the process of restoration, which began in April of 2022.

It has been renamed the Dominican Heritage Hill and Nature Park, which represents the whole of the site on which it is located. The stone crucifix that is located on the outside patio of the second floor of the hotel provides a vantage point from which one can enjoy a breathtaking panorama of the city.

The American friars of the Order of Preachers, together with a few Spanish members, made plans in 1911 for the building of a holiday home in Baguio for themselves and the nuns of their order. A vacation house would be located in Baguio.

The building was designed by Fr. Roque Ruaño, O.P., who is also the architect of the main building on the present campus of the University of Santo Tomas.

A member of the order, he was responsible for the design of the structure. Construction is supposed to have begun in 1913 and was overseen by Ruano himself.

The site in question is a hill that is 17 hectares in size and was purchased from Americans who live in Baguio. In May of 1915, it was finally put into operation. An educational institution known as Colegio del Santissimo Rosario was established by the order in June of 1915 in order to take advantage of tax exemptions.

However, owing to the very low number of students enrolled, the school was forced to dissolve two years later, and the building was restored back to its original purpose. "Dominican Hill" is the name given to the hill behind the building that houses the structure.

The civilians who were escaping the Japanese during World War II took sanctuary behind its walls whenever they were in danger.

During the invasion, Japanese soldiers took control of the property and transformed it into their headquarters.

As a result, it became the last stronghold and garrison of the Japanese Imperial Army. Barbaric atrocitieswere done in the location by their secret police, who were called as the Kempeitai.

These acts included torturing, raping, and beheading priests, nuns, and refugees. While Japanese soldiers were committing suicide, American forces bombarded the location during the liberation of the Philippines in April 1945.

The bombing caused a partial impact on the right side of the structure. Reconstruction work was done on the structure during the years 1945 and 1947.

Because of its tragic past during World War II, the hotel is said to be haunted by restless spirits by those who believe in the paranormal.

These individuals also consider the hotel to be a "ghost magnet." It has been stated that there are apparitions in images taken inside the property, as well as phantom Japanese troops, headless nuns, disembodied weeping noises, moans, and screams, and apparitions in photographs taken as well. It was included on a number of television shows, including Magandang Gabi, Bayan's Halloween Special from 2004, AHA!, and Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho's Halloween Specials from 2016 and 2023.