Originally Posted by
wantan
Booked a "SO URBAN ROOM" for 252SGD (thanks to 40% sale !
)
Room description is : Luxurious French-decadence and Singaporean-chic room with Sofitel MyBed, free daily breakfast, 2pc laundry, unlimited local calls and SGD 30 dining credit.
Any idea where is the best value to spend this SGD 30 ? And upon reading reviews on TR, what items are free in the mini bar ?
Unpleasant check in experience, having to wait for the room despite arriving at 5pm. Staff then decided to "remove" my dining credit (citing management) when presenting the keys
had to show the email which specifically stated the stay benefits as per-above. Room I signed for earlier was also different from what was given, and when questioned was blatantly lied to and told it was the exact same room ... thankfully the person was holding the form with room number on it which I pointed out.
No apology at all after all this, or even offered a pour of the "juice" beside the check in counter. Despite having at least 3 unoccupied staff just standing at the check in counter.
Didn't argue further about the room, until I arrived and found some of the amenities in poor condition, ie: cracked sink ....
Made a complain and was made to wait more than an hour until I politely pressed for a room change as at this point was rather unhappy considering it's a Sofitel after all.
Again staff were amendment hotel was full ... not a very convincing reason, considering I was able to go through with a 2 room booking for a SO Urban rate, ironically using the room's connected TV (which is very handy except for the horrible color calibration)
Finally moved, and nicely upgraded to a Lofty room. Much larger although without a tub. Finishing from room to room varies, as this Lofty had cupboards that didn't close properly and an iPad which crashed after every 5 or 6 button presses ... sending random lights on / off.
rooftop bar atmosphere is average but ONLY staff here are excellent and deserving of the Sofitel brand. This is probably the only reason I would step into this property again.
Breakfast selection weak, was expecting perhaps a cooked to order menu ala MGallery Hanoi which similarly has limited space. No such luck, having only a tiny selection of mediocre hot foods or juice from cartons
Even the breads were less than tasty.
Charged for breakfast, despite room having come with it. Took this up with reception and finally got them to honor the rate + benefits which I had in black & white , including the dining credit.
Decided to use this credit for lunch, (not useable for room service). Surprised to see they only had a set lunch menu consisting of 2 or 3 courses, was told not possible to service room service menu in restaurant and was given bar menu instead which was similarly limited. Ended up with a 3 course, which was far below expectations.
To sum up, location and design makes this hotel interesting (but not quite special). Food and service is around 2-star standard, while cleanness & amenities are just about 5 star. Mixed feelings ... especially with so many more options around in S'pore.