So this happened.

The backgound was I saw their facebook publish the 5-day long More Joy with Spring promotion some times early Jan which talks about a guaranteed upgrade to the club room. I jumped and clicked on their advertised link but could not find any mention of the upgrade in the process of booking. As it was a non-refundable booking, I didn’t want to take my chances and commented on their post seeking clarification. But I was stone-walled. Up til the last day of the promotion. I decided to use facebook messager to attempt clarification again, and this time I got a response – saying they would check. The next reply from them was that the hotel “is not participating in the gauranteeed club room upgrade” and apologies for the miscommunication. I wrote back to express my disappointment how it was possible that happened – they apologised again and said they can accord a guaranteed club upgrade for my booking.

So yup. It does not take alot to convince me when a Club Lounge is involved. Yays.

This super green property has always been a hot topic because its the first eco-friendly hotel-in-a-garden concept and sticks out like a green thumb in the surroundings. It has always been my go-to place for clean toilets after Song Fa and expensive coffee at $12 a pop at the lobby lounge – now I finally get to stay in this georgous property hehe.

It was very timely that I managed to get my GHA Black due to the mastercard elite concierge – 9am check in, 6pm check out, and double upgrade! Omg!

ADDRESS – 3 Upper Pickering Street, Singapore 058289. Tel: +65 6809 8888. Website.

LOCATION – The building really really sticks out in the Chinatown landscape. Like, really. It’s lush garden exterior contrasts sharply with the rest of the buildings and its relatively peaceful aura evaporates once you step into the Chinapoint madness. But that also means it is well connected to the Chinatown MRT station as well as a plethora of F&B choices. Or massages if you so wish.

PRICE- My stay cost me $254++ which is an absolute steal. The same room would have cost $380 upwards. Thank you Parkroyal Pickering for the social media gaffe~

CHECK IN – Successfully checking in at 10am is not an everyday thing – so nice! It was swift and painless, and they acknowledged they had my GHA membership number on file. I was proactively offered 6pm check out the next day, and confirmed that I had recieved a double upgrade to the Orchid Club Premier Room. I know I shouldn’t be greedy but I was hoping to snag a suite. Oh wells.

I enquired about having breakfast at the Orchid Club since it was still breakfast timing but was told it would be chargeable. I ended up visiting anyway to check out the spread and the wonderful staff at the Club welcomed me to eat and I was not charged for it.

I was also given a personalized welcome letter listing my Orchid Club benefits which include the following:

• complimentary in-room wifi
• complimentary local calls
• complimentary non-alcoholic beverages in mini bar
• complimentary 1-hour usage of meeting facilities
• 20% savings on all business services
• 20% savings off ala carte orders at Lime restaurant
• 2 pieces of laundry per room per day (but wasn’t clear if it was complimentary

ROOM – my Orchid Club Premier Room, 1304, at 37SqM was super spacious, with a separate sofa area, plush king bed, and a thoughtfully designed bathroom (yays to mult-tasking!). Wooden panels all round made the room feel very eco indeed, and plenty of storage space hidden in all the compartments. You could stay there for a week and still have plenty space. The smart TV ended up to be not so smart after all though.

A note about the mini bar – items removed for more than 60 seconds will be automatically charged to your room which I find abit annoying. Sometimes, I just like to fiddle to see what’s available and this can be a problem if you forget to put it back within the 60-sec window. There is also a note right at the mini bar door to remind you of the system. That happened with the mixed nuts. And the blur me thought ALL mini bar items are complimentary instead of just the non-alcoholic drinks and ended up inhaling some snack items too.

The OCD in me went to check if this was indeed a double upgrade from Orchid King room. And it actually was. So there is Orchid Club Room (28-32SqM), Orchid Club Deluxe Room(28-32SqM but on higher floors),  then Orchid Club Premier Room (37SqM). I sometimes feel hotels split up categories to mitigate having to upgrade Elite guests to Suites haha.

ORCHID CLUB – located on the 16th floor, the club boosts a really amazing view of the surroundings. Once I stepped in, I feel I can literally sit here for hours watching the world beneath my feet. The listed benefits include:

• Complimentary welcome drink (non-alcoholic)
• All-day refreshments (non-alcoholic)
• Champagne breakfast from 6:30am to 10:30am
• Afternoon tea from 2:00pm to 4:00pm
• Evening cocktails from 6:00pm to 8:00pm

Again, liberal use of wood and a high space with high ceilings makes the entire space feels even more atas. A small team of attentive crew on secret-service-ish walkies made sure guests are always politely and enthusiatically welcomed as they stepped in and led to tables any time of the day.

Breakfast spread at the Club was more than sufficient to convince me to skip the crazy queue at Lime downstairs (I almost fainted when I saw the snaking queue @ 9:30am on a Sunday morning). 2-3 hot items, dim sum, cheeses, cold cuts,  bread & pastries, an egg station, cereals, fruits, yoghurt, and strong coffee or TWG teas – definitely enuf for me.

Afternoon saw finger sandwiches, scones, pastries, paus – plenty of stuff to eat if not for the fact that I don’ take carbs nowadays.

The highlight was the evening cocktails – a decent spread to substitute dinner for anyone. I had cheeses, veg sticks with dips (unlimited guacamole and hummus!), breads, salads, cold starter appetisers, dim sum (again!), and a heavenly lobster bisque station. So. Good. Alcohol wise, one of the more generous selection around with prosecco, spirits, cocktails (the mojito is rather nice), and baileys (double shot).

More pics of the amazing view while rotting at the Lounge:

FACILITIES – staycationers should never miss the Wellness Floor on level 5 – this is where the pool, gym, and the crazy photogenic cabanas are located. Actually, the entire floor is IG worthy with the plethora of sunbeds and lush greens decorating the entire area. Because of the architecture, the entire floor has a constant draft which drastically cools down the blazing Singapore heat. In fact, I have never been a place this windy in Singapore. The pool was freezing as a result of it. But I can foresee people indeed spending a lot of time here doing nothing.

SERVICE – Service was good all round, right from front desk to the Club. I was sent a local amenity which consists of a thank you note, a fruit platter & a box of muruku – courtesy of my GHA Black. Not sure why but the snacks from the mini bar was also not charged. Yays.

CHECK OUT – Could have been faster but politely processed in any case.

IN SUMMARY – a exciting change for a staycation in Singapore, but probably hurts the wallet more if not for this chance deal haha. My new favourite eco hotel!~