What used to be a bustling shopping paradise, Orchard Road is now soon to be home to a lot of new hotels in the future. I’m excited about the new Hilton property that will replace the spot where Mandarin Orchard Hotel is now!
That’s one of the main reason why I don’t book a stay and do a review there for now. Just like the current Hilton Hotel, they’re closing down for good and I’m really looking forward to the new hotels that are replacing their space there. The last time I checked, a new property under IHG (VOCO Orchard) will be opening their 12th hotel in Singapore, there in early January next year. I’m all ready to book a stay! How about you?
This time, we’re going to Orchard Road once again! Down the street, specifically in Tanglin Road, is Orchard Rendezvous Hotel.
The building which the hotel is housed within is built in 1970. It used to be called The Ming Court hotel then, subsequently to The Orchard Parade Hotel. And recently in 2018, it went through a revamp and rebranded themselves to what we see and know now, The Orchard Rendezvous Hotel. Managed by one of top hospitality giants, IHG.
LOBBY
The moment I stepped into the lobby, I was deeply mesmerised. Y’all know how much of a history geek I am right? Every little detail of the interior and exterior design of the lobby reminds me so much of RMS Titanic! I’m not even talking about the movie but the real ship herself. It wasn’t too much, wasn’t too minimal either.
It was breathtaking. The floors were sparkly and clean, the huge dome-windows they have on the ceiling is just phenomenal. It really is beautiful.
Look how different it looked before the revamp!
The frontdesk staff was beyond polite. Again, I totally forget her name! But she really was cordial and efficient. She explained all the process in details. I’ve checked into enough hotels to know all the updated rules and regulations but it’s always nice to be reminded! Plus, it’s a procedure where all hotels staffs are supposed to be clear during check-in to avoid any disputes in the future. Guests are becoming way sneaky these days! It’s really heartbreaking when a hotel has to close down for investigations just because some guests refuse to adhere to the pandemic restrictions.
Will you die if you don’t gather with your friends during the pandemic? Literally according to research, no you won’t.
I’m glad everything was explained thoroughly. Although, I find it weird that she said “Hello Mr Aliff! We’re glad to have you back.”.
It was my first time there. I usually don’t go to the same hotel if I stayed in the property before. Did any of you came and went undercover as me to get free upgrades?!
Just kidding!
ROOM
Speaking of upgrades! The frontdesk team upgraded my room to the family-category room. That was amazing! As I said before, I’m really not particular with room sizes but if the opportunity rises, why not?
The lift lobby to the level of my room was again, really beautiful. Simple yet so elegant! Just like the corridor they had on the Titanic.
It looks so similar. I may have re-enacted a scene from the movie when nobody was around. I’m sure it was worthy for an Oscar Award. Hmm, Pesta Perdana awards also can.
Maybe I’m easily impressed but my jaw literally dropped when I walked around. It was spacious! The lighting definitely contributed to the grand ambience. It’s totally calming.
Since my room was upgraded to the family-room category, it was super spacious for just my best-friend and I. The size of the room was 37 sqm, as compared to the normal 26 sqm for their standard superior rooms. So, the difference in size was really obvious.
There’s 3 single beds included in the room which is too many for the both of us but then again, there’s no such thing as too much beds! It’s perfect if you’re with a group of friends. I’m sure the room can accommodate up to 5 guests. But do note that during the pandemic, only two guests are allowed to stay overnight. Don’t be sneaky!
Located on both sides of the beds are the plug sockets and USB slots. Really super efficient to have these by the beds! And there’s not one but two USB sockets on each side for you to use to charge your electrical devices.
I really appreciate having plug sockets near to the bed. Sometimes, I love playing piano instrumentals on my phone before I go to bed and it’s great to have the sockets so I could charge my phone while doing so!
A 42-inch LED TV is included in the room with all the usual cable channels. The remote for the TV is wrapped with plastic and sanitized daily so that’s great.
The TV set is definitely not a smart one, however it’s linked to an android internet box but it’s somewhat redundant too cause the only apps available is Youtube, Youtube Kids and a Radio. Netflix is not included.
Major tip! Do bring your own HDMI cable for your stay, always. Ask me if you wanna know where I got mine from for only $12. I’ll send you a Shopee link!
Right to the end of the room, there’s a work-desk if you have something that you need to work on. What’s great here is that, there’s not one, not two but three plug sockets for you to use. And also USB slots for other devices that you need to charge. I’m not sure the lighting here is the greatest cause I don’t foresee myself doing work under orange or yellow lighting. It’s definitely good lighting for a selfie though!
What’s cute is the amenities basket that they prepared in the room for my stay. I’m not much of a sweet-person but it really is a nice gesture. Thank you, Ms Nammi! I would prefer mineral water bottles to be provided actually. We’re told to drink from the tap and I know Singapore has the best drinkable tap water in the world but I’m still don’t like the idea of doing so.
Speaking of amenities, a coffee-tea making station is also provided. If you’re particular about brands, the coffee and tea used in this property isn’t premium. But honestly, I certainly don’t mind tea bags from Dilmah. I use it at home to make teas too, so it’s definitely good but not as great as TWG’s.
We all know instant coffee packets by Nescafe is a big no. It’s nice if coffee machines from Nespresso is provided in higher category rooms like mine. It’s more convenient and the taste of the coffee is just amazing.
Other than the usual safe-boxes, hotel slippers are provided too. Bathrobes are surprisingly not provided which was surprising to me cause I definitely saw bathrobes in the photos they used to advertise their rooms. But no biggie at all!
Every-day items including hangers, iron and an ironing board is placed inside the closet for your convenience too. I like to keep my schedule super full and busy, so sometimes I head straight to office after a hotel stay. Having an iron and ironing board in the room is really convenient for me to just get ready for another day of work!
BATHROOM
The bathroom is generally, really clean. From one look, you can clearly see how newly-revamped the bathroom looks. The tiles and fresh paint looks super new and fresh. Although! If they used marble flooring instead, I’m sure it’ll look more grand and luxurious.
For most of my hotel stays, I always request for a bathtub in the bathroom. You may never know you might need a relaxing bath after a hard day at work! I always have bath-bombs with me just in case anyways. Not only they granted me a room upgrade, but a bigger room with a bathtub? Cool!
There’s some downsides though. I somehow feel like the tub is a tad too small for me. Not as spacious and large like some other hotels has to offer. I must say, that’s prolly one of the reason why I didn’t take bath this time.
The toilet doesn’t have a bidet too and since the shower isn’t hand-held, washing your bumbum is a bit complicated.
The toiletries provided is from ESCAPE, a brand which I have not heard of before at all.
Why? Because it’s practically brand-less. These are sold in bulks over at AliBaba.com for as low as 20 cents. I must say it’s shocking for a branded hotel to be buying products from a bulk-manufacturing site where usually “influencers” would just get any cheap product and paste their logo on it to sell to their “fans”.
For a 4-star hotel, it’s quite underwhelming.
IN-ROOM DINING
For my stay this time, I did not order any in-room dining for my meals. Due to the pandemic, their menu keeps on changing so I’m unable to provide you with a photo of the food they offer.
One thing for sure, the menu is rather disappointing. I took a random snap just to give you a peek of what they offered during the stay. Do zoom in!
On a brighter side, there’s a huge variety of food to choose from since we’re on the good, lively side of Orchard Road with a lot of restaurants nearby. There’s a 24-hour coffee bean outlet downstairs which I really love, where my best-friend and I got our caffeine fix at 4am in the morning.
Given the circumstances, my stay was really great and fun! Of course, part of it was the company I had. But also, the attentive staffs that made everything so efficient and swift. We spent days emailing each other back and forth, I’m actually glad the stay happened despite our little disagreement.
A great, huge thanks to Ms Nammi and of course, the Room Division Manager, Ms Pushpalatha for making everything possible during the stay.
Will I recommend this hotel to all my friends? Definitely! Not only the rooms are spacious and elegant, the rooms rates are affordable too. Rates on a usual day will cost you roughly about $150, depending on which travel app you book it from.
My personal favorite is always Trip.Com! The rates are always more affordable than the rest and they have great deals most of the time too! And no, my opinion isn’t sponsored. Ehem, I’m free for more sponsored stays though.
Psst! A little sneak peek of what’s to come this month! While I’ll still be doing more hotel reviews, I’ll be venturing new content for all of you to check out and read. I’m so intrigued to share more! I try to make all my blog-decisions an interactive one, so if you have anything to suggest, I’m all ears.
Let’s make this blog a collaborative, beneficial platform for all of us!
Aliff Daniel.
Aliff Daniel 