Jages

I've had 2 stays in this hotel in the last week. I am a platinum and have previously stayed at the hotel when it first opened.

My first stay this week was on Tuesday night using the 50% off rate. I was not upgraded to a suite but did get invited to the wine tasting and had breakfast included. Internet was not included and costs $32SGD for 24 hours.

My second stay was on Saturday night at the best rate advertised and ws upgraded to a Suite (1110) and received the invite to the wine tasting and free breakfast. I don't know if internet was included as I didn't bring my laptop to find out.

I had a few drinks in the Astor bar which closes at 2am (very good for one last drink before bed) and the service provided by Thamo was fantastic. He went out of his way to welcome me back the 2nd stay and remembered my name even though the only time he saw it was when I signed for the bill.

supari

Have stayed there 4-5 times in last 6 months. As plat; always been upgraded. however, internet is not included u have to pay for it. Breakfast is included but sometimes they forget to mention it

Fly Me To The Moon

I assume this is the SPG50 rate? How much was the final rate, if you don't mind me asking?

jhm

My 5th stay here today. I was upgraded the 1st time only (a few days after the soft opening) but the remaining 4 times they're been "slightly full blah blah blah".

I don't care about an upgrade (so I haven't argued for one on any occasion) but what I think I do care about very much is my intelligence being insulted by being given exactly the same excuse time after time. If they now rarely upgrade as a matter of policy, they should simply say so rather than lie.

Jages

Yes this was the SPG50 and it was $400. The best rate for that night was advertised as $475

LonLH

I had three stays in this property in 2009- got upgraded on all instances (to suites on two occasions). Breakfast included as Plat benefit. Was treated quite well by the staff. Would prefer this over Conrad or Sheraton any day- it will be a tossup between Raffles, MO, St Regis and Four Seasons.

Aircoco

Booked an executive deluxe room for next week, and my reservation has just shown grand deluxe room. I guess I probably won't get suite upgrade again.

jhm

I took a taxi from the Sheraton yesterday and got talking to the driver. He said that a lot of taxi drivers hate the St Regis because some of the porters are "crooked" (in his words) and demand money from the drivers. As such, a lot of drivers try to avoid picking up from the hotel.

I don't know whether it's related but the other evening, phaleesy and I took a taxi from the St Regis and the driver tried to take us on a somewhat circular route. Luckily, phaleesy is a local and "corrected" him twice when he tried to go in the wrong direction. It's the first time either of us had encountered such a driver in Singapore (either extremely ignorant (to give him the benefit of the doubt) or dishonest)!

oscapos

Dear jhm,

Thank you for advising us on the comments you received from a taxi driver and bringing these to our attention. Please rest assured that those claims are unfounded as we practice a policy of full transparency at all levels in our organisation.

As a St Regis hotel we pride ourselves on the flawless and uncompromising service we deliver to our guest, including the experience they receive traveling to and from the hotel. The St. Regis Singapore maintains a close working relationship with the taxi management companies in Singapore and communicate regularly on service standards and guest feedback.

We sincerely apologise that you have encountered a less than professional experience when taking a taxi from our hotel and if you would be willing to share any more details on that event with me, I will follow it up with the relevant taxi management company. My e-mail address is [email protected].

Thank you again for bringing this to our attention.

Best regards and looking forward to welcoming you back to the St Regis Singapore in the not too distant future.

Oscar Postma
Executive Assistant Manager - Rooms

larrylim

Just had a 3N stay using the Z3H code, where my average rate was S$250++ a night.

Check-in was done at one of the 3 reception desks. I didn't receive any upgrade as a Corporate Preferred, like I did at the Westin Langkawi and Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit (SGS). However, I was allowed early check-in at 12pm because I had a meeting and a late check-out at 3pm on Sunday. I'd notified the hotel in advance about this via SPG callcentre and also that I had a baby with me.

The reception officer brought us to our room and the butler, Maurice, was waiting for us there. He spent about 5 minutes explaining about the facilities and electronics in the room, and then gave me his "business card" - very professional.

While there have been others who've called the hotel's classical design as ugly, I personally liked it. I also think it's clever since you won't have to worry about looking dated like the Sheraton Towers.

The room is just about the best I've stayed in. Everything looked luxurious, from the curtains to the bedsheets, and choke-full of electronics. There are no individual light switches on the bedside panel - just press one of the preset buttons like "reading", "night" or "movie" and all the lights adjust automatically. You could also control the drapes by pressing the up/down buttons depending on whether you wanted a Day or Night setting.

Oddly, there are no aircon buttons on the bedside panel. So if you suddenly wake up cold at night, you'll have to walk to the door and adjusts manually. While on that note, I had a problem with the airconditioning which made the room stuffy at times.

The bathroom is very big with a sink on each side of the bathtub - one for each occupant. The wardrobe is also inside and next to the individual cubicles which contain the toilet and shower respectively. The shower has 3 nozzles at the top and 3 nozzles at the front, and pressure was strong. The toiletries are from Remede Spa and are topped-up everyday - you can buy them from S$51 a bottle at the Spa.

There are 2 LCD tvs in the room and the speakers are all Bose - you also get a 5-piece surround sound system in the main area. DVDs are complimentary and available from the butler. There was a crib and a pack of toiletries in the room for baby. A Rubbermaid high chair was also given to us upon request because my son likes to sit in one while having his meal.

Compared to the SGS, they were more detailed including arranging the baby toiletries on the bathroom shelf and even lining-up some toys along the bathtub so that your baby "feels" like a guest too.

Check this out - there are no coffee/tea bags or kettle in the room. You're expected to call the butler and order from a menu of TWG tea, coffee, hot chocolate, etc. The downside is service can be slow and nobody answers the butler line sometimes.

I didn't have time to use the spa (free for hotel guests) or swimming pool but I did have a look at both and they looked very nice, naturally.

However, I did try out Yan Ting and the prices for the dim sum were reasonable - starting from S$3 for two pieces. Set meals are more expensive and start from S$68/pax. However, service was again slow but food was above-average, though I've had better dim sum elsewhere.

The hotel is a 10 minute walk to Orchard and we didn't have problems getting taxi everytime. Do note that taxi fares are significantly more expensive during the peak hours in the mornings and eveningsv- 35% surcharge, ERP charges, etc. You may have to wait longer to catch a cab between 4-5pm because that's when taxi drivers change shifts.

Back to my airconditioning problem, I wrote a letter to the management about it but the service recovery by the reception manager on duty was not what one would expect from a hotel of this standard. Things were different with the GM, Mr. Yngvar Stray, though. He clearly understands the high expectations from a luxury brand and is dead serious about pleasing his guests.

In summary, there were no suprises and except for that small hiccup, the hotel met my expectations ...even exceeding them in many areas.

I'm writing from the Four Points Sheraton Kuching and will write about this hotel next.

sl00001

I stayed at the St.Regis at the end of last year for 4 nights. Normally I stay at the MO in Singapore. It was the first time for me at this hotel and I must admit the decoration is nice and the rooms are huge. A bit over the top but hey everyone has their own taste. In my view the staff wasn't well trained and attentive. Especially the doormen (mentioned before) are not service oriented at all and have a "strange" attitude. Restaurant staff isn't active, one morning I had to wave like almost 5 minutes to get anyones attention (I don't like to shout) and the restaurant wasn't even busy! After my stay I got an email requesting for feedback. I mentioned all my points and even left my address for any reply. Well, up till now, no one replied to me.
Next time it will be the MO again ....where they at least say hello with a smile and call your name (even on my first visit there!!)

I Claudius

I'm staying here for a few nights next week and the following week. The excellent Z3H code works out at S$250++/night which is the same price as a basic (crummy) room at the tired, old Sheraton.

I'm a bit concerned about the whole butler business. Mainly because, like many Brits, I struggle with the concept of tipping hotel staff when the room price includes a 10% service charge. I don't want to open a discussion on rights/wrongs of tipping but would be interested to know if the St Regis, Singapore has policies of 'no tipping' or if people just say 'no butler for me, thanks'. I'd far rather iron my own shirts (I'm pretty good at this!) and have tea outside of my room.

snufl

I am an Aussie and stayed 4 nights last year. We did order tea a few times during our stay (very nice BTW) and it was delivered by different butlers. There was no "hovering" and I never felt there was any expectation of a tip. I think the butler service is part of the St Regis experience so I think it would be shame to say "no butler, thanks".

There is no iron/ironing board in the room so request them when you check-in.

Bonecrusher

I have stayed here a few times and not tipped.
It may be my perception but the service was still adequate but the warmth shown initially evaporated

Starwood Lurker II

Dear I Claudius,

Greetings.

I have written to the property regarding your enquiry on tipping policy.

"There is no tipping requirement hence policy is in full by the discretion of the individual guest."

You may also decide if you would like to make use of the services provided by the butlers.

Do not hesitate to write to me if you have any other enquiries.

[email protected]

Thyetus Lee | Online Forum Coordinator(AP)
Starwood Customer Contact Centre (AP) Pte Ltd