My fondest memory of Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel as a teenager was crashing at the Lobby Lounge with a cup of tea after a long day of shopping. It is conveniently located within walking distance from so many iconic shopping malls like Ion Orchard, Takashimaya and Paragon. Another option would be the adjacent TANGS at Tang Plaza shopping centre if you don’t feel like venturing too far. Whenever I sat here in the Lobby Lounge chilling out, I always wondered what it would be like to do a stay here (prices were pretty steep then). The opportunity finally arrived when Marriott Bonvoy, a free-to-join loyalty programme, had a direct sales promotion with discounted room rates. Along with member benefits, it made for a seemingly good deal!
On a separate note, some readers have given feedback that it would be useful to have a summary of package inclusions and the costs involved for easier one-glance viewing (thank you, your feedback is important!). I will endeavour to include such information from this post onwards (:
- Inclusions:
- 1-night stay in Executive Room with M Club lounge access (upgraded from Deluxe Guest Room)
- Breakfast and evening cocktails (as part of club lounge access)
- 20% dining discount
- Guaranteed late check-out 4pm
- Room upgrade and early check-in (subject to availability)
- Spent: SGD$275
Check-in
There wasn’t much of a queue when my husband and I arrived and the check-in process was swift. It was nice and quiet despite it being a weekend, a rare sight indeed.
Room
Looking at the room photos on Marriott’s website, it seems we were allocated the Executive Club (Larger Guest Room) that came with a partition between the bed and desk. Even though it is technically bigger than the regular Executive Club Room (32sqm) at 38sqm, I thought the partition actually made the room feel less spacious, which was a pity. We also didn’t vibe with other elements like peeling wallpaper, wood chipping off the veneer of various surfaces, curtains leaving my hands feeling tacky (similar to those in Mandarin Orchard Hotel) – all these pointed to the property’s age.
This bathroom was our first ever encounter with his and hers showers, which meant there was a lot of space! No bathtub, but two rainshowers, two towel hooks and double vanities, pretty sweet 😀 However, it was also the most dimly lit bathroom we’ve ever come across, not sure if the lights were faulty but eventually we just made do.
I was a little disappointed with the service though. We requested for turndown service and were acknowledged by the staff over the phone, but the housekeeping team never came. I also put in my usual request for a firm pillow, which was initially acceded to but was later told that they had run out of them. The bed itself was a tad too soft, likely due to the extra comforter layer on top (might’ve been better for my back without it).
Facilities
The swimming pool is located on Level 5, with a view of the surrounding buildings like Ion Orchard, Wisma Atria and Takashimaya. It is quite a sizeable pool, with fancy cabanas and lounge chairs along its perimeter.
It wasn’t too long before it was time for evening cocktails at M Club! The club lounge overlooks the pool and boasts classy clean lines and modern furnishings, creating an inviting ambience to sip our drinks in. Apparently, evening cocktails are only served at M Club from Fridays to Sundays and at Marriott Cafe on other days between 5.30pm to 9.30pm. Glad we got to enjoy ours at the club lounge (:
Evening cocktails were served a la carte with unlimited ordering. We asked for our orders to be served in small portions as we wanted to try quite a few items on the menu. Foodwise, unfortunately none were worthy of special mention. In fact, what I will specially mention is how incredibly dry and tough the meatballs were, not fun 😦 The dishes that were slightly better than their counterparts included the creamy mushroom soup and tender chicken that didn’t taste much of the oyster sauce it supposedly came with.
Service was terrible for the most part. Maybe they were stretched as there didn’t seem to be many staff around in the first place, but they gave us the feeling that they’d much rather be someplace else. One of them wrote down our order in complete silence, then immediately turned and walked away in a huff, which I thought was rather strange. Our impression was somewhat salvaged by Haziq, who briefly stopped to ask us how the food was and offered us another round of drinks.
Breakfast the next day was at Marriott Cafe. This was also served in an unlimited a la carte fashion. Once again, we met with extremely mediocre and unmemorable food here. Dishes like the laksa and porridge tasted “instant”. The chilli crab omelette had no visible nor tastable crab, only a cheap-tasting dollop of chilli sauce atop the omelette. We didn’t finish the French toast as it was dense and flavourless. If having fresh juices matters to you, do note that there was no such option at both evening cocktails and breakfast service. The only dishes I’d reluctantly recommend are the nasi lemak and ham and cheese omelette. Service here was mostly touch-and-go, regrettably nothing to rave about.
After a less than satisfying breakfast, I held on to the hope that Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant’s dim sum box would be this hotel’s dining saving grace. We initially wanted to utilize our 20% dining discount at Wan Hao on our check-in day, but they were completely booked out for lunch and dinner. The alternative way to get a taste of their reknowned cuisine was through their $15 nett dim sum boxes, so we placed an advance order for collection the next day.
Wow, the food really lived up to its reputation! Everything in that box was delicious, neither too oily nor heavy. The prawns were juicy, the chicken was soft, the egg tart was crispy and not too sweet. No wonder we couldn’t make a last-minute reservation on a weekend, given how good the food is. Truly the best part of our experience here (:
My overall rating of the experience: 3 out of 5 stars. There were sadly more misses than hits during our stay here. Although the room was showing its age, it was still generally clean and comfortable. I appreciated the spaciousness and extravagance of having two of everything in the bathroom too. M Club’s ambience was very relaxing as well, so much so that my husband and I sat through the whole evening cocktails service just talking and being. It was largely the standards in food and service that were sorely lacking. They seemed to be cutting down in terms of food quality and variety, with the exception of Wan Hao’s dim sum box. Most staff were baseline polite, with the rare few who were a little more welcoming and genuine. Also, agreeing to a guest’s request for housekeeping and then not showing up without explanation just doesn’t seem right. Maybe I should stick to tea and a book at the Lobby Lounge, just like the good old times.
Dania Experiences 