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Old Aug 12, 2017 | 1:36 am
  #380  
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5 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: SIN
Programs: Marriott - Platinum/LTG | KF *G QPPS (working on TPPS) | OZ - Diamond Plus
Posts: 190
Westin Singapore: Great stay marred by unwelcome parking surprise

Introduction My family and I stayed here in two rooms over the National Day public holiday to catch the parade held nearby. Check In We checked in very early (around 10am), and were pleasantly surprised that the rooms were already ready. There was a short wait at the gold & platinum line to check-in, and I noticed the couple ahead of us had also been given their rooms early. The view from the lobby was of the harbor/port area - I thought it was pretty good (it helped we were there on a clear day). Probably representative of the views from about half of the rooms. Room I had made an advance request for rooms which would be able to see the parade and fireworks, and had been advised the view would be partially blocked by other buildings. Nonetheless, we were allocated the best possible rooms for a view of the proceedings, being the corner room closest to the bay area on an SPG level and the room immediately adjacent (photo below for reference). The rooms themselves were fairly standard deluxe rooms (no suite upgrade despite Platinum status), but given that none were available and we had expressly requested the view this was entirely acceptable. The hotel has aged well thus far, and rooms were in good condition with the standard set of Heavenly Bed and Westin toiletries (though the shower leaked slightly, making the bathroom floor wet). Dining Room service was prompt, food quality was good, and prices were reasonable (for a Singapore hotel). We had a burger, fish and chips, hor fun (flat noodles), and the truffle pasta. This came up to something like S$120. Food was served within 30-40 mins, and came with all the bells and whistles you'd expect from a full service hotel. The lounge was unwilling to switch its television to show the parade (even on mute), so ordering dinner into the room enabled us to fully enjoy the location of the room during the parade; we had an especially good view of the aerial display (the Westin was close to the flight path of the F-15s, Apache gunships and Chinook). As evening fell we were able to catch the fireworks from the room as well, which was wonderful (restricted view notwithstanding). Facilities Facilities (apart from the car park - more on that later) were generally good; the pool is of limited size but the view of the bay and coast area make up for it. It was more suitable for play than serious swimming, and perhaps due to the holiday there were a higher than usual number of families and young children present (including my own). I used the executive lounge and a meeting room for a few work calls and hotel staff were helpful and prompt in rendering assistance. Overall What would have easily been a 4-5 star stay (made great by a fantastic parade-watching experience) was marred, however, by the unwelcome surprise that the hotel did not and could not offer complimentary parking on weekdays. (As an aside: major hotels in Singapore typically offer this as a standard amenity to hotel guests.) While the hotel staff were apologetic, they said this was out of their control as the car park was not owned by the hotel. This meant that we ultimately paid (for 2 cars) $128 in parking fees after we checked out the day after. While the review writing guidelines ask that we refrain from mentioning the specific price paid, the additional car parking fees were a significant part of the total cost of our stay. In conclusion: would have been a great stay if we had decided not to drive. The hotel website should at minimum indicate the car park rates (it currently mentions 'carpark charges apply', but the unwary might find that these are heftier than they had planned on!) It would also be good to clearly state that no complimentary parking is provided outside of public holidays and weekends.
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