Is it risky to stay 4 days after a property’s opening AND on one of the “peakest” day of the year? Yes. Also probably not the smartest move. But hey, new hotel fetish remember? Newly renovated / transformed ones also count!

I last experienced this property as its former life, Regent Singapore, back in 2022 and was excited to see its transformation and especially if its into a Conrad.

Address – 1 Cuscaden Rd, Singapore, Singapore 249715. Website.

Contact – Tel: +65 6733 8888. Email: sinod.cs@conradhotels.com

Location – This of course didn’t change, with the property occupying a slightly off-the-beaten-track spot in the Orchard stretch but still close enough to mall options like Tanglin Mall and Forum which is 5mins away via a sometimes-unsheltered route.

Price – I booked for a Deluxe King with 70,000 Hilton Honors points, which seem to be a better choice than paying the cash rate of $650++ I saw, especially for checking in on New Year’s Eve.

Prior to arrival – I received a generic pre-arrival email one day prior to my stay:

Check In – I arrived to a surprisingly empty lobby at 12:30pm on New Year’s eve and was immediately attended to. No check in at the Executive Lounge was offered, and the staff at front desk seemed unsure of the process so much so he almost forgot to pass me my welcome letter. I was told the room is not ready yet and to come back at 3pm. Questions about any available Suites as a Diamond were similarly met with hesitated responses and a promise to ‘try their best’.

We were invited to wait at the Executive Lounge to wait for our rooms but were not proactively given any access key for this purpose. So we decided to head out to grab lunch to kill some time.

Meanwhile, I can’t help but noticed that the public areas have largely remained the same as its Regent days, perhaps with a fresh coat of brighter paint?

After a quick lunch nearby, we decided to check out the Executive Lounge to enjoy a spot of afternoon tea (more on this later) while waiting for 3pm to happen. We went to the front desk to request to be buzzed up and a staff escorted us to the lifts with a master key which did not work so it was more waiting while she hurried back to find a key which did.

At 3pm sharp, the front desk staff approached us in the lounge with our key cards, with an apology that our request for a ‘bigger’ room was not possible due to the inventory not being fully opened (I actually meant Suites but okay, fine). Fair enough, though I was bummed that I didn’t even get an upgrade to a high floor but the property seems sold out on the app so fine it is what it is.

Room – My King Deluxe Room (35SqM) was a complete breath of fresh air when I stepped in – the refurbishment has done the room a fabulous job with the modern design and soothing color tones!

The wide entranceway was a great first impression, with the mini bar at first sight – this contains a Nespresso machine, a cute teapot, drinking water on tap, and a decently-stocked fridge.

The bathroom continues to the right of the mini bar and while it retains the old floor tiles, still feels quite new. Single sink but plenty of countertop space, an open-concept toilet, and a separate standing shower space. Toiletries here are Byredo ones which is consistent with the Conrad brand.

Opposite this space is the wardrobe which contains the usual hanger / bathrobes / safe / slippers / ironing board section. I loved the no-brand fluffy bathrobes!

The bedroom space is super cosy and well equipped with a cushy king bed with 2 bedside tables, a long sofa by the window + a large table with a solo chair + ottoman. This space can easily host 5pax! The wall-mounted TV also swivels both direction so you can zonk out on movies from either the bed or the sofa.

I liked the thoughtful placement of powerpoints, USB ports, and wireless charging options on a pull-out drawer on both bedsides, as well as a 3rd spot by one side of the sofa.

Later in the evening, housekeeping came by to pass us small tin of cookies – not sure if its a NYE thingy or Diamond thingy as there was no printed note accompanying it.

Executive Lounge –

During this stay, I spent alot of my time in the Executive Lounge which was a nice peaceful spot on NYE I must say. It’s in the exact same spot as the former Regent Club and while the exterior doors remained the same, the cosy insides were thankfully refreshed to a modern classic vibe with soothing neutral colors – starting off with an entrance way leading into the main areas.

Seating was split into 2 similarly-sized sections which was quite a cosy size but thankfully the crowd was still pleasant during our stay.

There was also a handful of alfreso spots which looked rather nice for views but due to the rainy weather, these were largely unused during the stay.

The F&B area is decently sized versus the lounge size and offers small snacks and non-alcoholic drinks throughout the day – with a mix of self service and staff sometimes asking if any drinks are needed.

Afternoon Tea (2:30pm-4:30pm) – I had two rounds of this during my stay and both sessions saw simple tea cakes, finger sandwiches and (really good) scones which did what it did for a snacking session of sorts.

Evening Cocktails (6:00pm-8:00pm) – this session was surprisingly not super packed given it was NYE and we snagged a cosy seat in the section closer to the F&B area. Food quality and quantity was decent with both carbs and non-carb options, accompanied by cold cuts, cheeses, and salads, with desserts of course.

Alcohol on offer was Prosecco (bummed that this Conrad does not offer champagne), 2x reds, 2x whites, 2x beers, and a selection of spirits for your own concoction. Staff also went around as best as they could clearing soiled plates, and also made last calls before the close of the session. We had no issues grabbing more drinks 5mins prior to nurse throughout the next hour or so as well.

Breakfast (6:30am-10:30am) – we checked out the spread at the lounge at about 10am and it was a real change of peacefulness versus Basilico’s atmosphere, albeit a smaller spread. Much better coffee here than Basilico’s too!

Breakfast at Basilico (6:30am-10:30am) – this was where we first went at 9am on the first day of the New Year and it was expectedly crowded. Spread’s the same as my last visit during its regent days as well.

Facilities – The pool and gym are located on level 2, accessible via a corridor beside Basilico. The pool has only undergone a little facelift with new sunbeds but otherwise kind of feels the same.

The fitness centre got much more love from the refurbishment and is now equipped with brand new equipment al-round which was fantastic – that motivated me enough to get my first row of 2024 in!

Service – I may have been expecting more from this property due to the fact that its a Conrad but the service was regrettably subpar:

1. From the unfamiliarity with processes at the front desk, the non-working master key card, to somewhat shaky service at the club lounge – the accumulation of these actually made me feel that the team did not come from an experienced hospitality background which is all honestly a little jarring for a Conrad.
2. Processes aside, there were also instances that a club lounge staff will ask after us but then respond with the fact “I am not from xxx department” and “I will leave it to xxx department to manage it” to every feedback I gave. It made me feel like it was somewhat pointless conversations after a while – and especially so when at close to check out, said staff added a “its beyond my paygrade” liner when I provided my last feedback. So whats the point ah?
3. I was also bummed that as a 4-day old property, Diamonds did not get much love except for a printed welcome letter. Infact, I don’t think they were even trying that hard it make an impression. Simple gestures would have made a difference eg a Diamond welcome amenity or a separate sitting area at Basilico during breakfast would have been nice to experience.
4. What was critical to me and not just a good-to-have is a good night’s rest during a staycay. Well, I certainly DID NOT get that as party music from Manhatten was blasting audibly right until 2am. I mean I know its NYE but surely there are guests like us who’d prefer a restful night rather than being forced to mentally participate in the celebrations through our door? There were absolutely no sound proofing on the door at all so I was forced to make a call to front desk at 1:50am to ask when the music will stop, to which I was given a “in 5mins time” response. I tried to give the same feedback to other staff who asked how my stay was – but I was simply told to write in to feedback.

Check Out – Seamlessly done at front desk at 3pm as the Executive Lounge was not yet equipped to handle check ins and outs I was told.

In Summary,

I am still glad to have checked off this new property with points. I cannot imagine having paid for this stay and would think that until the hotel sorts out the above, paying cash to stay here will not be a good move. Perhaps the lack of sleep made me grumpy haha.