Being a completionist of sorts, I really wanted to experience a stay in the Tower Wing of Shangri-La Hotel as my husband and I have already tried out both the Valley Wing and the Garden Wing. For this stay, I actually made a booking via Traveloka for the Horizon Club Deluxe Room at the Tower Wing but because the lounge hadn’t reopened yet (it was closed during the pandemic), we were upgraded to a room in the Valley Wing, which then allowed us to access the Summit Room for lounge privileges.
I wasn’t exactly thrilled to be back at the Valley Wing as our previous experience here was a largely underwhelming and lacklustre one for a hotel wing marketed to be fit for presidents and celebrities. So when I received the news, I was a little apprehensive but figured it would be an opportune time to see if anything had changed since the last time.
- Inclusions:
- 1-night stay in Valley Wing Deluxe Room (upgraded from Horizon Club Deluxe Room)
- Breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktails
- Spent: SGD$285.64
Check-in
Valley Wing guests are able to check in at an exclusive lobby area separate from the other two wings. The lobby wasn’t as crowded as the previous time so we were attended to at the reception almost immediately. Depending on which staff I spoke to, I received rather disparate levels of service. One of them was downright rude, using a curt tone and rolling his eyes all over the place. Zulaiha, on the other hand, was much more friendly and approachable.
Room
We were assigned a room on the 6th floor out of 17 floors so most of our view comprised the rather ill-maintained roof of the connecting walkway. As with our last stay, the room was undeniably spacious for an entry level category and turndown service came with a pair of bookmarks and a small box of macarons. They also brought back the complimentary mini-bar benefit, albeit with apparent budget cuts when contrasted with the types of drinks they used to have. In addition, there was an amenity kit with some personal care items for guests to use.
Unfortunately, what went awry this stay was that the cleanliness standards weren’t even satisfactory anymore. The towels (yes, plural) had obvious stains on them, the bottom of the tub was evidently grey with grime, and the most amusing thing was that I found a perfectly preserved small dead leaf under the dresser (how did that even get there?!). Anyway, there was certainly much to be looked into and improved.
Facilities
I’ve included some photos of the hotel’s facilities in my previous post so you can have a look at that if you’d like more information. During our past two stays, the jacuzzi had been closed as part of covid restrictions but this time, it was finally open! Do note that there is only one tub each in the male and female changing rooms so it could easily get quite crowded.
The Summit Room was where we were to partake of our lounge benefits. During our stay, there were still staggered seating time slots of 60 minutes each so we needed to indicate our preferred timings:
– Breakfast (7am to 11.45am)
– Afternoon tea (2pm to 4.15pm)
– Evening canapés (4.45pm to 7pm)
We were served regular sandwiches, cakes and scones for afternoon tea just like the last time, a spread that somehow didn’t seem to match up to its supposed reputation of opulence and prestige. I love a simple tuna mayo or tomato and cheese sandwich, but it just didn’t feel fitting in this context given the price point of the rooms in this wing. In my opinion, I do think it boiled down to a case of mismatched expectations. The unpolished service standards didn’t help either. When I wanted to find out what sparkling went into my mimosa, the staff I asked appeared so confused and simply replied that he didn’t know (eventually, a more senior staff informed that it was Veuve Clicquot).
There was a marked improvement in the visual presentation of the evening canapés as compared to that from our last stay. Alas, it didn’t deliver in terms of flavour and texture. The chicken ball with tomato sauce was so tough that you could probably bruise someone with it, the octopus tart had an oddly mushy, pasty texture, and the smoked salmon in the burger was unbelievably salty. There was also a fly or two buzzing around our food every now and then.
For beverages, I fell back on the light white silver tips tea that became my favourite from the last time I was here. I also tried the Shangri-La Signature Blend, which was a fragrant and mildly sweet black tea that got a little too intense after the second cup.
Service-wise, most of the staff here were walking around and physically present but their eyes seemed glazed over and it took quite a long time for guests to get their attention for service. Only Audrey and Thenes appeared to be actively checking on tables and offering assistance where needed.
Breakfast remained limited to just two hot dishes from the menu per pax, yet another measure that could be perceived as the antithesis of lavishness the Valley Wing has been described to be. The only free-flow items were the usual continental dishes, cold cuts, cheeses and salad. Having said that, the food at breakfast was the best-tasting out of all three meal presentations.
Sadly, I did find a long strip of transparent plastic packaging wrapped around my smoked salmon, which a mortified staff then proceeded to clear. They also appeared to be immensely shorthanded – at one point, a guest was audibly frustrated and exclaimed that he’d been waiting 30 minutes for a coffee before storming out with his partner in a huff. In the midst of all this chaos, we were thankful for Keith, who checked in on us a few times to ask how we were doing and whether we needed anything.
My overall rating of the experience: 3 out of 5 stars. Once again, I was very much disappointed with the offerings at this supposedly prestigious wing of the hotel. Given its positioning in the market and the price point for its rooms, I don’t think it’s unfair to be expecting better standards of a stay here. Granted, we were essentially “upgraded” from a Tower Wing room so we weren’t footing the full price, but even basic elements like room cleanliness and staff professionalism were rather unsatisfactory. The cost-cutting measures were palpable too, whether in the form of lower quality food options and mini-bar items or the thinly spread manpower. They even stopped their usual changing of the lift carpets to reflect the day of the week. With that said, the base rooms here are indeed large and spacious, plus the hotel’s general spaces and facilities are comprehensive and kid-friendly. A number of staff also did come across as genuine and warm in our interactions. So despite there being no overall improvement from our last stay, I’d still recommend this hotel, but either a stay in the Garden Wing or the Tower Wing instead. You could consider the Valley Wing if you enjoy a good range of alcohol but if, like us, you don’t really drink, then skip the additional premium and a potential letdown, methinks.
If this post helped you in some way and you’d like to buy me a coffee, I’d be incredibly grateful (:
Dania Experiences 