This was a two-nighter in October 2022 with ALL Platinum status.

Were you happy with the hotel/stay?
Overall, yes. For the first time in a while, we experienced a Singapore hotel we would return to. It’s a large property, so one shouldn’t expect much in the way of personal touches, but the hotel just works in a way that so many sadly don’t.

Which room did you book and which upgrade did you receive?
We booked a “Harbour View Suite”. Because it was a suite and because the booking was made online using Suite Night Ugrades, we didn’t expect or receive a further upgrade. The room description includes the words “high floor”, but we were ‘only’ on the 28th floor. I would expect “high” here to mean, at least, the upper section of the hotel that begins on the 38th floor. (Rooms in this zone can be reached using a dedicated bank of lifts serving floors 1-8 then 38-70, whereas guests staying below the 38th floor need to take two lifts to reach the 65th floor lounge.)

How are the rooms?
The room was clean and spacious and delivered the promised view. We loved it. However, despite the space (around 80m²) and the ‘guest’ WC and washbasin, I would still class it as a junior suite: it isn’t possible to receive visitors without them being very aware of the “bedroom” part of the space. There was also only one TV, viewable from the sofa rather than the bed.

The room had stacks of storage space (more than we could possibly use) and a full-size fridge-freezer.

Light operation wasn’t entirely intuitive, but easy enough to learn.

The light on the magnifying mirror didn’t work. Floor lights under one wardrobe couldn’t be turned off at night.

Welcome drinks, amenities or any other special perks?
A plate of fruit and a bottle of cheap but cheerful red wine were waiting for us in the room. At check-in we were advised that a free drink each could be claimed in our choice of the Swissôtel or Fairmont bars or restaurants using our key card. That worked, although the list of drinks available using the voucher was extremely limited – it would be easy to get the feeling that we were viewed as freeloaders rather than valued loyal guests.

At check-in we requested and were granted a 14:00 checkout. However shortly before 13:00, simultaneously, a friendly woman from the lounge knocked on the door and a less-friendly woman from the front desk phoned, both to ask when we would be leaving. The front desk person muttered something about “high occupancy”, although some hours later I could see at least four units of our room type being offered for sale.

The L65 Lounge
We had breakfast in the lounge – lots of options, good quality – and visited once for an evening beer. A very nice space with pleasant staff and enough space for the number of guests. We look forward to returning.

Value for money? Would you return?
The room rate was fair, given that prices everywhere we’ve visited or looked at recently have tended in the direction “eye-wateringly high”. Getting the final bill right took some discussion, though, as the SNUs hadn’t made their way into all corners of the booking.

We’re looking forward to the two new Pullmans (Orchard Road and, later, Hill Street) but for the time being the Swissôtel is likely to be our new go-to, replacing the Novotel. In our opinion it’s vastly superior to its sister and neighbour the Fairmont (about which I’ll be posting shortly).