Situated on the fringe of Singapore’s Kampong Glam heritage neighbourhood, guests at this hotel have easy access to the surrounding cultural spots, as well as nearby shopping malls. But given the less-than-ideal stay here the last time, I must admit it was a rather tough decision whether or not to give this property another shot. However, the offer on Trip.com was too tempting to pass up and I caved for another club lounge experience!
- Inclusions:
- 1-night stay in Executive Suite (upgraded from PARKROYAL Club Deluxe Room)
- PARKROYAL Club Lounge access
- Breakfast and evening cocktails (as part of club lounge access)
- Spent: SGD$249
Check-in
The chic, modern lobby was inviting as ever. My husband and I went to the general reception counter as we noticed there was no one manning the GHA Discovery reception desk for members. One of the staff then ushered us up to level 6 to check in at the lounge after she reviewed our reservation details.
At the lounge, Christina, who was professional and polite, assisted with our registration and went through our stay inclusions with us. Jessie, the manager on duty, also checked in with us later on to understand the issues that came up during our previous stay. She then proceeded to provide service recovery in the form of an upgrade to the Executive Suite as a result!
Room
While the suite was being prepared, we were assigned a Club Premier Room to wait in. This room was located on level 7, the top floor of the hotel. It looked similar to the Club Deluxe Room, just with extra space in the bathroom for a tub. The view was also supposedly one of the better ones, with a partial glimpse of the Singapore Flyer and Marina Bay Sands.
Before long, we were informed that the suite, located on the same level a few doors down, was ready for us to move to. The suite had a sizeable bedroom and separate living area with a balcony. However, the view was a close-up of the building right across. A firm pillow and basic turndown service was provided upon request. The bed was sufficiently firm too.
The bathroom had plenty of space for a freestanding bathtub, double vanities and a dressing table. The WC here was equipped with a manual bidet, unlike the other room categories which did not have one. Also, it seemed like only Club Premier Rooms and above have conditioner provided in addition to body soap and shampoo.
Alas, the suite wasn’t without faults. We couldn’t turn on the air-conditioning in the living area as that would trigger some gurgling suction sounds in the ceiling behind the cooling system (thankfully I’m someone who prefers warmth so it was fine leaving it switched off). Additionally, the lights would randomly turn on and off without us doing anything, but we got used to it after it happened one too many times.
In both rooms, although there were no jarring cleanliness concerns, the general wear and tear was evident. From the permanent ring stains on the tables, to the blemished upholstery, to the severely chipped tiles beneath the furniture, care for these finer details were definitely lacking.
Facilities
I’ve detailed the hotel facilities in a previous post so I won’t go over them here again. Check that post out if you’d like to find out more (:
Guests with access to the PARKROYAL Club Lounge nestled on level 7 can enjoy all-day refreshments such as coffee, tea, chilled juices, soft drinks and cookies between 11am and 4pm. It is as serene a spot as I remember it to be. With a hot chocolate, a ginger ale and some cookies in hand, my husband and I whiled our afternoon away here, with me working on my reviews while he caught up on some show series.
The spread at evening cocktail service (available between 6pm to 8pm) was similar to the one during our previous stay. It comprised a handful of hot and cold items, cheeses, salad and small cakes, which was nowhere near a sufficient substitute for dinner. Christina approached us to take our drink orders and upon hearing that we don’t really fancy alcohol, she said she’d specially whip up a sweeter fruit cocktail with just half a shot of gin so it wouldn’t be too strong – so thoughtful of her! Her ratio was on point and it tasted absolutely refreshing (:
The rest of the staff were very proactive too, walking around to clear empty plates and offer drink refills. However, when guests started piling in, the noise levels also went up quite a bit in that small enclosed space ):
As for the food, everything was decent and much improved in terms of taste and texture, but still a far cry from what the other club lounges we’ve visited have to offer. I had a peek at the spread the following day and it actually looked a lot more tantalizing (think baked salmon, parmesan potatoes, popcorn chicken, desserts like cream puffs and chocolate eclairs).
As part of service recovery, we were invited to Club 5, the hotel bar on level 1, to enjoy two cocktails on the house. When Jessie found out that we didn’t prefer alcohol, she left a note for the Club 5 team to provide us with non-alcoholic alternatives ❤
It was pretty quiet for a Saturday night, with a thumping remix of Poker Face playing in the background as we sat down. We opted for the blueberry virgin mojito made with blueberry, mint syrup, lime and ginger ale – a nice balance of sweet and sour. I wanted to order some bar bites but Rino, a staff there, regrettably informed that the kitchen was already closed for the night before proceeding to bring us a bowl of chip snacks as the next best option (thank you!).
Breakfast for lounge and non-lounge guests is served at Ginger, the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant, between 6am to 10.30am. Surprisingly, there was no queue to get in even though we went there later in the morning.
Disappointingly, the quality of the food was equally unimpressive as when we were last here. Granted, the spread was considerably varied (think Japanese, Indian and Korean dishes) and there were a decent number of items to choose from, but everything tasted right around the unmemorable mark. The options also generally felt very carb-heavy.
My overall rating of the experience: 3 out of 5 stars. After giving this hotel a second run, I’m not that confident I’ll be back again any time soon. It is indeed a pity as the service from many of the staff here this time was exceptional. Despite the not-so-distant refurbishment that this hotel underwent, the rooms and furnishing felt scuffed, worn and not as immaculate as expected compared to the common spaces, which were, oddly enough, much more well-maintained. Furthermore, the food from the club lounge and Ginger restaurant was nothing to shout about. Don’t get me wrong though – in the grand scheme of things, this hotel remains a very acceptable and sufficient option at its price point. Unfortunately, for me, it’s just not the sort of property that would inspire excitement and I really wasn’t vibing with the state of the rooms.
If this post helped you in some way and you’d like to buy me a coffee, I’d be incredibly grateful (:
Dania Experiences 