The next hotel that we’re going to review, reminds me so much of both my stays at Ascott Raffles and Grand Hyatt. They’re under different property brands but somehow their room design and layout is slightly similar, in my opinion.
Built in 1986, Fairmont Singapore was actually named The Westin Plaza until they were rebranded back in 2007. With its sister hotel, Swissotel; they both have a total of 778 rooms and suites segregated into two towers. However, only Fairmont is currently open for staycation bookings while Swissotel is used as a government facility during the pandemic.
When I first arrived to the hotel, the facade of the building was undeniably old-looking and dated. No concierge staff was present and everyone seemed busy with their own tasks which was a little weird, considering it was a weekday. I don’t remember any greetings even.
The lobby was phenomenal though. It was grand and beautiful. The space was furnished with beautiful art pieces and installations. I particularly love the bubbly-chandelier they have hanging on the ceiling. Looks really artistic and refreshing, not something you see on a daily basis. It definitely added an extra charm to the lobby’s luxurious vibe and atmosphere.
The architect of the hotel is I. M. Pei, which isn’t really a surprise to me because he handled lots of projects that centers around the modern style and contemporary art.
His prominent projects include the designing of The National Gallery of Art in Washington, the ever-so-famous Grand Louvre and the Louvre Pyramid in Paris. He also expanded his expertise into designing islamic architecture in Doha, unveiling the beautiful Museum Of Islamic Art which opened in 2008.
The check-in process was quick, yet slightly peculiar. No introduction or anything. None of the basic procedure. Information was literally unclear and papers after papers were passed to us like it’s a composition-writing contest. The attention to detail or personalised guest service definitely was absent. All I knew was that I’m super excited to see the room. I’ve heard great reviews about the property and I can’t wait to experience it all. Or so I thought.
We booked the King Signature Suite for our stay this time and I must say, the size of the room really impressed me.
You’ll be greeted with a corridor once you open the entrance door. Corridors within your room mean one thing and one thing only; your room is bigger than normal.
Size is never an issue for me, but the bigger the better!
I love how they make the corridors practical too, with shelves built within them.
On one side, you’ll have the coffee and tea making station. A coffee machine is available for use, really convenient.
Wine glasses and mugs are available too in the drawer. Only 3 flavours of coffee pods are provided but if you need more, you can just call up the front desk. They’re really efficient, they pick up my calls within 30 seconds all the time.
On the opposite side is where you’ll have your water bottles with an empty ice bucket.
We’re gonna do things a little bit different this time! Normally, I’ll tell you more about the room features first but this time, I’ll be doing it as we “walk” together into the suite, one at a time. Let’s pretend I’m a real-estate agent and you’re viewing a house!
Moving slightly forward, is where the bathroom is. I was slightly underwhelmed, honestly. The photos of the bathroom on their official website clearly shows that the shower area and the bathtub is separated but ours wasn’t. It instantly made the bathroom look small and claustrophobic.
There wasn’t any bidet too and the hand-held shower hose was too short to reach the toilet bowl. So, my poopy business was rather a troublesome one than a relaxing one.
But hey, there’s a bathtub if it helps?
The vanity area was well-lit and elegant though. The bathroom is intricately designed with marble tiles from top to bottom, giving it a modern and luxurious look. It looks similar to Carlton Hotel’s vanity area too if you remember my stay there a few months back.
Toiletries that was provided is from Le Labo Fragrances. It’s a well-known boutique perfumery that was founded in New York by two frenchmen, Edouard Roschi and Fabrice Penot in 2016. All the fragrance made by them is freshly hand-blended and personalised too.
The scent used by Fairmont Singapore is ROSE 31 and it has a floral, woody-musky scent. Perfect for both women and men.
Right by the bathroom is the wardrobe, where all the every-day amenities are placed. Amenities include iron, ironing board, bathrobes, slippers and a hairdryer.
A bunch of hangers are provided too. A laundry list is also prepared if you ever need to send your clothes for dry-cleaning.
Here is where the room tour starts! I’ll divide the suite into three different parts; the corridor, living space and the bedroom area.
Just after the corridor is where the living space is. A work-desk is what you’ll see first when you enter the area. It’s really spacious if you need to do any intense work, the table is just massive. Lighting is definitely perfect with the open-air balcony right behind it. You almost don’t even need the table lamp.
All the usual switches and plug sockets are available within the desk for your usage. However, we did try connecting our HDMI cables here but it didn’t link to our television.
The view from the balcony behind the work area was beyond amazing. No buildings were obstructing the view of the clear skies and I’m sure if you’re assigned to a higher room than mine, you’ll definitely get a more picturesque scene. Our suite was on the 18th level, it was still great nonetheless.
The signature suite is also furnished with a wide-screen 15-inch television, with the usual cable channels. Screen mirroring feature is available, so you don’t need to bring your own HDMI cable!
I must say the L-shaped sofa was really uncomfortable for me. The whole placement of the furnitures in the lounge area was really awkward too. The television seemed too near to the uncomfy sofa, but yet, too far away from the bed. I mean, don’t you have your Netflix sessions on bed? The sofa really was old and stiff. Never a good combination.
Speaking about beds, let’s move on to the bedroom area! A very comfortable, snuggly king-sized bed. Clean pillows and sheets, super soft and fluffy too.
A total of 4 pillows were provided on the bed and the comforter is just to die for, it was really comfortable. An artistic mural of iconic buildings was placed by the bed, it was really cute. I might be a little biased there cause I worked at the National Museum before and I loved it there, met some amazing people so to see a mural of the museum here is just heartwarming really.
The bedside table was simple, yet practical. Everything you need is within your reach! Lamp light? Checked. A phone to call the frontdesk? Checked!
All the switches for the lights and curtains are there as well but during our stay, the buttons for the curtains wasn’t working so we had to manually draw the curtains ourselves. We’re fine with that.
“Why didn’t you ask for a room change?”
I may give negative feedbacks here and there but I never see any reason to do a room change or make the situation complicated during any of my stays because at the end of the day, an honest review is about what actually happened. If I did ask for a room change, nobody would see the downside of the room that is offered to guests. It’s not about a good stay, but an honest review rather.
I do have my limits though and it’s not unreasonable at all. Rats. I have a very illogical and irrational fear of rats. I can hyperventilate when I even see a photo of them, I’m not even overreacting I’m afraid. Back to my short story, and I’m not sharing which property but I saw a rat running across the floor and I totally freaked out. I grabbed everything I could and ran away so far, it was a miracle we got a hotel room elsewhere. It was midnight and I wasn’t wearing anything but shorts and slippers.
I just can’t. It was traumatising.
Wait, how did we even start talking about rats?
Breakfast. Let’s talk about breakfast!
Here in Fairmont Singapore, ala-carte buffet breakfast is served. Due to the pandemic, the standard buffet is not available here. Fret not, each person is allowed to choose two mains from the menu. That means, we had 4 mains for breakfast! And it was outstanding.
You know I need my eggs. Of course, I had to get the American breakfast. The scrambled egg was creamy, the hashbrowns were crunchy yet soft. It was exceptional, the scrambled egg was definitely the star of the dish.
The pancakes were soft and airy. It smelled amazing. It looked cute with all the berries, I was in love with every bite. It was sweet, it was sour.. it was magnificently yummy.
Bagel and smoked salmon! I mean, can you ever go wrong with smoked salmon? NO!
But sadly, everything was wrong with the bagel. It was soggy and hard somehow? I couldn’t cut it with my knife. It was really weird. It felt like I was on a prank show where they gave me a bagel made out of rubber just to see my reaction.
My friend had the nasi lemak. Not sure how it tasted cause the only nasi lemak I’ll eat is the usual $3.50 one, wrapped with banana leaves cause that somehow tastes the best.
Oh! Halal breakfast is available too. If you opt for that, breakfast will be served to your room instead.
I truly enjoyed the breakfast here considering the in-room dinner we had the night before was atrocious. It was really underwhelming, I don’t even wanna start. I was left hungry through the night.
Other than the breakfast, I had a great time in the pool too. The hotel has two pools, an adult and a baby one. I find it cool that the adult pool is somehow separated into a lap pool and just an area for you to dip in. I don’t swim, I just dipped and it was great.
The sun was blazing hot, so it was also a great time for a little tan. Fairmont Singapore is one of the hotels with a pool bar that is operational during the pandemic. So if you just want a coconut water while sun-bathing or watching the sunset, you totally can do that.
To say I had a good time here is an understatement. While there are certain things that could be improved, I truly enjoyed certain aspects of the stay.
The suite was a little underwhelming for me, the in-room dining was abysmal. The service could be way better. No follow-up calls or anything. I just felt like the attention to the guests’ needs were not anticipated.
It was a weekday and they couldn’t accommodate just an hour of extension which was a little weird, cause they claim that they’re running on full capacity. Sure.
Even the conversation was awkward.
“Hi! We’re just wondering if we could check-out slightly late?”
“Check-out late? Why? Can I know the reason why?”
This is the first time a hotel staff ever asked me for a reason, the tone felt intensely brash. And of course, unprofessional. I felt like I was being interrogated.
I’m fine if they can’t extend my check-out time, but the tone was really uncalled for.
That aside, if you’re not particular about service, the hotel is great if you just want some peace and quiet because literally nobody checks on your needs.
Will I come back? For an event, sure. For breakfasts? Of course! But definitely not for a getaway or a relaxing staycation. I rather spend all that time and money on Fullerton instead, which I should have.
I’m actually surprised, I didn’t expect to be disappointed.
Aliff Daniel 