My previous experience in this property was back in 2011. With the recently completed refurbishment and glowing pictures and reviews online, I decided to take advantage of the Amex Plat offer for getting $100 back with every $300 spent at Pan Pacific Group of Hotels, which includes Parkroyal properties. And being able to stack my GHA Black benefits was a bonus for sure!

Address – 7500 Beach Road Singapore 199591.  Website.

Contact –  Tel: +65 6296 3600. Email: enquiry.prsin@parkroyalhotels.com.

Location – the property is located along Beach Road, right opposite Haji Lane and its neighbouring alleys. Concourse is right next door which gives you access to a comparatively sad handful of F&B. Then you get The Plaza which is the smallish block of F&B located to the behind of the hotel. But all these places are un-sheltered access which means rain will cause plenty inconvenience. Nearest major mall will be Suntec City which is about 10-mins unsheltered walk away.

Price – SGD183.60++ = SGD$210nett for 2 pax under the Member’s 14 Days Advanced Purchase rate. One of the cheaper staycation rates in Singapore.

Prior to Arrival – with this rate in mind, I emailed the hotel to confirm the possibilities of the double upgrade so I know which room to book. The reservations team responded to confirm that GHA Blacks’ highest upgrade possibility is the Club Premier: the next higher (and highest category for the property) is the Executive Suite which is excluded for upgrades. So I picked the Deluxe room, hoping to snag a double upgrade to the Club Premier. What I wish they could have told me is that GHA Black upgrade does not include access to Orchid Club – which I’ll talk about below.

Check In – Arrived at 1:30pm on a Saturday afternoon to a bright and colorful lobby and was attended to immediately. The staff confirmed that I had received a double upgrade to Orchid Club Premier and also confirmed my late check out at 6pm. At the end of the process, I confirmed that club access is for 2pax – only to be told that the upgrade does not include access to Orchid Club and that I’d have to top up for it. I was quoted $56++ for 2pax which I thought was very reasonable since it includes breakfast and evening cocktails amongst others. I paid the extra but was not given letter stating the club benefits and timings.

Now, let me be clear that I do know that lounge access is not a guaranteed benefit for GHA Blacks. I just wish the property could be a little more transparent about the upgrade being only in terms of hardware but not club access. If I were to be honest, I don’t really agree with the principle since there is no such category of “club rooms without club access”. But sure, the hotel can decide to tweak at discretion. But stating this info upfront would have been a much better experience for guests – the reservations team or the front desk could have been pro-active in relaying this crucial piece of information rather than wait until I ask. I’m sure I’m not the only person who would have assumed all club rooms come with club access and it would have a terrible embarrassment if I had attempted to access the club with this assumption.

Room – I was assigned room 754 which is on the highest floor of the property. I was already impressed by the corridor when the lifts opened – the bright color scheme and orchids made the entire space really elegant (I found out thereafter that the corridors for other floors were more muted and mundane).

The Orchid Club Premier Room (42SqM) was so nice! Decked out in cheerful yellow / beige hues, the main draw of the room is a huge comfy king in the middle of the room, the cushy velvet day sofa by the side, and an accompanying marble coffee table in place of a work desk. A decent wardrobe with a built in luggage rack occupied the other side of the room, and the bathroom was similar modern looking with a bathtub, a separate shower. Toiletries were their St. Gregory Spa brand and rather nice. But I’m not sure if I agree with the semi translucent glass panel in the bathroom which allows someone sitting at one particular end of the sofa to have a direct view of the person sitting on the toilet bowl.

Then I realized I also have a balcony! It was underused throughout the stay though but I assume it would be nice for someone who enjoys the hot alfresco Singapore air.

On the same floor in the corridor of the walkway, there was also a living room sort of space which I am not sure what the intention was for:

Orchid Club – Located on level 6, the space looks 100% more modern than last time for sure. Spotting a similar cheerful yellow / beige tones, you’d encounter the Club reception as you step out of the lifts, then access the sliding door with your key card. The space itself is not the biggest lounge I’ve seen but they have managed to make the space look super cosy with its choice of furniture and  seating arrangements. I enjoyed some bits of my afternoon here having coffee and cookies.

The below are the Club’s F&B offerings:

• Choice of Club breakfast served at the Orchid Club Lounge from 7:00am to 10:00am or a full breakfast buffet at Ginger from 6:00am to 10:30am
• Complimentary daily refreshments available from 7:00am to 10:00pm
• Complimentary evening cocktails with hors d’oeuvres served at the Orchid Club Lounge from 6:00pm to 8:00pm

I asked the Club reception for a welcome letter with the benefits and was told because I had only paid for club access, there were other Orchid Club benefits which was not applicable. The below are what you’d get on top of the F&B if yours is a revenue room:

• Two pieces of laundry per person on a daily non-accumulative basis (excluding dry cleaning and express services)
• Complimentary shoe polishing upon arrival
• 20% savings on all Business Centre services
• 20% savings on the a-la-carte menu at Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant, not applicable in conjunction with any other promotion or offer.
• * Guests above the age of 12 years old are welcome at Orchid Club. All food & beverage are to be consumed within Orchid Club Lounge unless stated otherwise.

Orchid Club evening cocktails:

Definitely good enough as dinner – 2 hot stews, 1 hot soup, sushis, cold appetizers, cheeses, breads, fruits, desserts, some dried fruits, and nuts. Alcohol served were your standard white / red wines, beers, and selected liquors. Decent quality of offerings and one could easily spend the entire 2hours here sipping wines and staring out the window or watching CNN on the TVs.

Through my stay, I never saw the space more than half crowded which made the space a very peaceful chilling spot.

Breakfast – I opted to have my breakfast at Ginger restaurant located on level 1. The space was not too crowded at 8am on a Sunday morning and I managed to get a decent start to my day – wonderful cheese omelette by the chef by the way! I also headed up to the lounge to check out what’s on offer – and offerings like smoked salmon were seen.

Facilities – I briefly checked out the gym and the pool and immediately regretted not bringing my gear – the pool is sheltered from sunrays and would have made for a very nice swim. The gym is surprisingly nicely-sized and also very adequately equipped.

Service – I received a note with my welcome amenity welcoming me back – gestures like that do matter alot. Staff at the Orchid Club was excellent, with some staff remembering me from the day before and addressing me by last name. They were also attentive in offering drinks on and off cocktail hours, including topping them up very frequently. Soiled plates were cleared efficiently and there was not much need to flag staff down whenever you need anything – they are most usually always around to help. Swissotel Stamford’s Level 65 staff could learn a lot by interning here I think.

Check Out – Painlessly completed at the front desk.

In summary,

truly a value staycation in my opinion. One would not have expected this level of quality just based on either past experiences or the exteriors of the property. A gem located on the fringe of the city which deserves more credit than it does now. A solid choice for staycation peeps but the location may be a tad tough for first time tourists. Nonetheless, I’d recommend this spot still!