“With that [vision] in mind, I spoke to my other partners, particularly Erik Cua, and we spearheaded the 71 Gramercy. Erik is the visionary of modern clubbing and the man behind Embassy and Republiq,” says Reyes.

Throughout the world, cosmopolitan cities have impeccable skyline views. Makati, being the country’s top business district, also nurses a growing cityscape but has yet to boast of a tower that shows it. “Most of the buildings are within Makati. The Century City was built at its periphery, which used to be a red-light district. So we’re gentrifying this area. We have this dream of seeing the Makati skyline in its true glory and on a clear day, the breathtaking Manila Bay sunset,” he says.

71 Gramercy has the capacity of 650 persons. The restaurant opens from 7 PM to 10 PM and the lounge at 10 PM onwards. Each night has its own theme and music genre, from 90s music every Mondays to electronic dance music and hiphop every Friday. 71 Gramercy also becomes a runway in its own way as professional models gather every Wednesday and fashion designers showcase their creations every Thursday.

Triumph over Trials

Building The Gramercy Residences and opening a lounge and restaurant on its highest floor gave Reyes, Cua, and Antonio several challenges. They were slightly hesitant with the project at first mainly because the popular clubs and dining destinations are in Bonifacio Global City and Newport City. 71 Gramercy was the first of its class to open in Makati. “For us it was very ambitious and scary to build something on the 71st floor and in the middle of the red light district of a city with a dead nightlife. But sure enough when we opened, we did so with rave reviews not only because of the place where it was situated but also because we have the right mix of partners,” says Reyes. 

The partners behind 71 Gramercy are not strangers to Manila’s nightlife scene. They are: GP Reyes (Draft, Privé, and Opus), Manolet Dario (Opus), Carlo Trillo (Fiamma and Hungry Hound), Tim Yap (Embassy, Cuisine, Encore, Republiq, Opus, and Aracama), the chef Carlo Miguel (Beso, Draft, Epic, Publiko, and Opus), Raj Sadhwani (Draft), Erik Cua (Embassy, Cuisine, Encore, Republiq, Opus, Aracama, Draft, Publiko, and EPIC Boracay), Louie Ysmael, dubbed “The King of Nightlife” (Euphoria, Opus, and Privé), DJ Euric Lumanog, Filipino poker champion Neil Arce, and television personalities Raymond Guttierrez and Fabio Ide. 71 Gramercy also takes pride in its array of cocktails specially mixed by Tim Walters.

The idealistic GP Reyes said that places like 71 Gramercy are where people celebrate special occasions and build relationships. “Nightlife is not about the drugs, the fights, the chicks, the sex, the booze… It is about making genuine connections with people. And that’s what I love about it, because I love people. I want them to have a good time. When people say they had their best night at Gramercy, that is the ultimate satisfaction. We want to create beautiful, wonderful experiences for everybody. That’s what makes it a beautiful experience, a beautiful business.”

People say nightlife is superficial or clubbing is pretentious, but it’s really about who you meet every night that you’re out. The fact that the people embrace the concept is for me such a joy and gives me much satisfaction.