Yet another score from one of the HSBC WOW weekend promotions was this 1-night stay at Oakwood Premier AMTD Hotel! This property actually started out solely as serviced apartments but has since expanded its operations after applying for a hotel licence, so it now welcomes both long-stay and short-stay guests. Located in the heart of Singapore’s Central Business District, the overall design and services offered do seem to be targeting guests on business trips.
There are a total of 268 rooms and two “zones” that are serviced by separate sets of lifts from the same lift lobby on level 7. A staff shared that one side is the “lower zone” and the other is the “mid zone”, with the different room categories scattered across both zones.
- Inclusions:
- 1-night stay in One-Bedroom Deluxe Apartment
- Breakfast
- $80 dining credit
- Spent: SGD$249.52
Check-in
The reception area on level 7 was completely empty when my husband and I arrived, save for one lady checking in. We were attended to by Peng Wee, the duty manager, who was really helpful and meticulous in going through our package inclusions, as well as showing us where to locate the various facilities. He also explained to us how the lifts worked as it could potentially be rather confusing. Basically, there are 2 lifts that bring guests from the ground level up to the 7th floor reception and another 4 lifts for guest room access (very much like those in Andaz Hotel). Of these 4 lifts, 2 are dedicated to levels 8 to 18 while the other 2 mainly service levels 19 to 32.
Room
Our One-Bedroom Deluxe Apartment was situated on the 17th floor out of 18 floors in the “lower zone”. Room sizes in this category range between 31 to 43sqm and we were excited to be assigned a 41sqm room with a nice sea view (a further-inland version compared to that from The Westin Hotel‘s lobby area) as opposed to a building view! This room comes with a separate bedroom, kitchen and living area. I was loving the ample real estate as well as the contemporary aesthetic not just in the room, but throughout the entire property. There were some scuffs and tears in the wallpaper and although these were generally unnoticeable, its current state does sit on the precipice of decline if maintenance isn’t kept up.
The bathroom was clean and despite not being as roomy as those in most of our other stays, it was functionally sufficient. The kitchen appeared to be pretty well-equipped too (but what do I know, I hardly cook). You have the option to put in requests via an in-room tablet, which also has radio functions and hotel-related information. However, I’d suggest doing it the conventional way of phoning the front desk as my tablet requests never got fulfilled (still waiting on that adaptor…).
A pillow menu is available, albeit with very limited options. The ones on the bed were supposedly the firmest they had already, and these worked out fine for me. I liked the firmness of the bed too. Overall, we found the room to be wonderfully spacious and comfortable.
I called to enquire about turndown service earlier in the day and was told that it only starts from 7pm onwards. The staff said to just give them a call when we’re about to leave the room for dinner to arrange for it. Subsequently when I called to make this arrangement, another staff regrettably informed that our package didn’t have this inclusion. I didn’t realize this was the case as the hotels we’ve been to so far typically extend it to all staying guests. Apparently, this service is only for guests who have corporate packages that specifically include this as a benefit but that staff very graciously extended this to us due to the miscommunication.
Well I can see why turndown service here is “sellable” because it was really unlike any other turndown service we’ve experienced! Not only were the blinds drawn, trash cleared, bed made and a sweet treat left by our bedside, there was also a choice of one beverage and one snack per guest (more treats?!) to be delivered to our room. Eagerly, we picked the cake of the day, which happened to be tiramisu, the (not-exactly) assorted cookies and hot milo. It was truly a wonderful late-night delight ❤
As housekeeping wasn’t available on Sundays during our stay at Ascott Raffles Place Serviced Apartments, I was wondering if it was the same here. A staff shared that for long-staying guests, there are packages that come with daily housekeeping, as well as those with housekeeping from Mondays to Saturdays only. However, if you’re here for a short stay, housekeeping services are available every day.
Facilities
At this hotel, level 7 is where all the action’s at! Facilities like the pool, gym, restaurant, bar and club lounge (called The Oakwood Executive Club) can all be found on this floor. Do note that pool and gym slots can only be booked upon check-in at the front desk. Definitely make it a point to check out the infinity pool and the jacuzzi nested within it. The resort vibes and panoramic views here are utterly amazing (:
Right next to the pool is a small gym and The Oakwood Executive Club lounge. The lounge was not in operation during our stay, which was a pity as it looked like a really comfy place to chill at. We ended up sitting just outside the lounge enjoying the breeze and views.
After relaxing in the room for a bit, we headed to SE7ENTH restaurant for our dinner reservation. Initially, I planned to split the use of our $80 dining credit across lunch and dinner but as it turned out, we were given a physical voucher that had to be utilized in a single receipt. Staying guests are entitled to a 10% discount here but this couldn’t be combined with our dining credit.
My husband ordered a black angus ribeye steak ($42++) while I had the salmon en papillote ($35++). The salmon was moist and succulent, and although the mushroom sauce didn’t really add much flavour, I liked it lightly seasoned as it was. Amusingly, unlike its description on the menu, my salmon was on a bed of carrots (instead of eggplants) and zucchinis, plus I wouldn’t exactly use “doused” to describe that spoonful of mushroom sauce on it. As for the steak, some parts were okay but other parts were unpleasantly tough and chewy. Surprisingly, the stars of the steak dish were actually the fragrant truffle mash and tasty vegetables.
We came back to SE7ENTH restaurant again the next morning for breakfast. There was no need to make a booking, we could just walk in and mention our room number. True enough, when we came down at around 9am, the restaurant was mostly empty (my guess is that the other guests probably opted for the “grab and go” option to dine in-room).
Each guest is limited to ordering only one breakfast set from 3 choices. American and continental breakfast sets are constants on the menu while the local breakfast set changes from day to day. We decided on the American set and the local set, which was congee and soy sauce fish for that day. Each set also came with the option of coffee, tea or juice. Our conclusion was that the mains were very average, pastries were unusually hard (like they had been refrigerated overnight) and there were no fresh juices here either 😦 If your package doesn’t come with breakfast, I wouldn’t suggest you fork out extra for it.
My overall rating of the experience: 4 out of 5 stars. Our room was modern and comfortable with a sweet view and loads of space to spare. In addition, I thought turndown service here was quite a unique one as there was an added element of being able to choose a preferred beverage and snack to be sent to our room (: Service was also pretty good as the staff were very professional and customer-oriented, especially the ones from SE7ENTH restaurant whom we got to interact with. Unfortunately, the food was the weakest link compared to the other aspects of this stay, both at dinner and breakfast. To be fair, the food wasn’t terrible or anything, it was just that it didn’t leave much of an impression (except that jaw workout we had while trying to tackle the ribeye steak). Taking all things into consideration, it was definitely value for money given the price we paid and we had a very pleasant, relaxing time here!
Dania Experiences 