This stay is so postponed that I am kind of glad that I am finally checking this off.
The story is that during COVID era, I found a great rate which was eligible for their Best Rate Guarantee (BRG) which was honored and all ready to go. Until they closed to be a Stay Home Notice (SHN) facility. Then they re-opened after some time but they closed The Den (their interpretation of an Executive Lounge) which was what I wanted to experience for my stay. So I opted to reschedule only after The Den is re-opened (and kudos to the property for accommodating this allowance). Now, I am ready to stay after 1.5years postponement!
Address – 181 South Bridge Road, Singapore 058743. Website.
Contact –Tel: +65 6437 0888 . Email: resvn.chinasquare@capribyfraser.com.
Location – the property is kind of in the Chinatown vicinity, in the midst of the China Square / Far East Square cluster of happenings. It is a unique spot which gives you access to a well-blended neighourhood with plenty choices of food and heritage. Not so much shopping though for those needs that kind of leisure though. The nearest MRT station is Telok Ayer (DT18) or Chinatown (DT19/NE4) alongside the many buses available.
Price – $105++ using BRG = $123nett which was an excellent rate for the stay. A dummy check for my dates saw $280++ – kind of makes me miss the COVID staycay rates!
Pre-arrival – No pre-arrival email was sent.
Check In – I arrived to an empty lobby close to 1pm on a weekend and was attended to fairly quickly with the whole process taking no more than 15mins. Quite fuss-free!
Room – My Executive Room (26SqM), 1306, was very nice! The modern design and bright colors were right up my alley, and it helped that the place was spotless. There were also some extra touches which made the space not too bad for short term stay – wasn’t so useful for a one-nighter but I’d imagine they would come in handy for longer stays.
The squarish layout opens up to everything in sight as you walk in, with the wardrobe and safe + multiple shelving spaces on your right.
Next to this was like a mini kitchen – a wet sink area with a mini bar. Drinking water comes in a form of a hyflux tap here – no plastic bottles! Cup wares and cutleries were also provided in the cupboards in this area, alongside a microwave a bigger-than-mini fridge which was thankfully clean (do not take this for granted).
The bedroom space is a colorful block, with the very nicely firm king bed flanked by 2 bedside table with a generous amount of space – I love the quirky circular design! Bedside charging is more than possible here with 3-pin points and USB ports available.
A colorful loungey chair sits beside the bed and it is an awesome chair! Kind of feels like a pretend business class seat with its curved head rest. If work is more your thing, you do get a proper workdesk + chair at one corner of the room.
The bathroom here is open-concept which I appreciate during solo staycays – a classy black sink with plenty countertop space, a separate toilet, and separate standing shower space. Toiletries here are Malin+Goetz pump-sized versions which I really liked.
I was also pleasantly surprised to find a welcome amenity of a set of L’occitane hand creams + a Malin+Goetz candle (which I later discovered was cracked inside so I didn’t bring it home). Definitely appreciated!
The Den – Executive Rooms get access to this interpretation of an Executive Lounge – opened 24hours with wines and bites offered during 6-8pm. It is actually a nice place with plenty of natural lighting and multiple seating configuration available. I liked that the colorful theme continues here.
Off hours, I saw water, soft drinks, prepackaged sandwiches, mixed nuts, and coffee tea available.
During the evening hours of 6-8pm, a very drinkable white and red were on offer (beers were also offered), alongside what I consider to be the smallest bites selection ever – chicken wings, sesame balls, cheeses, and a salad. It made enough as a dinner for me but only because I was the only pax there – so am not sure if there will be any refills if the crowd is larger. There were no staff around to attend to guests – the poor Duty Manager was the one who laid out the food and drinks before disappearing to get other stuff done. I was told that there was a shortage of stuff in the property so I appreciated very much that I was able to enjoy the session despite that.
Facilities – Most of the facilities were located on Level 16 (accessible via a staircase on Level 15). The Fitness Centre was surprisingly larger than expected and quite adequate for a proper workout. It even has a games version of it but I don’t really know what it does exactly.
The Swimming Pool was a regular rectangular shaped spot dotted with sunbeds around it. Super exposed to the sun on a hot day so watch out for those rays!
Finally, there was a small launderette area which I imagine would be super useful for longer stays.
Service – Nice service all round, no complaints here.
Check Out – Painlessly done at 2pm on a Sunday.
In summary,
Quite happy to check this stay off and it ended up to be a better stay than I thought!
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To be honest there seem to be very little benefit in booking direct through Fraser Hospitality so why not check out Klook to see if they offer any competitive rates?