Originally Posted by
Stripe
Excellent report. Thank you. My wife and I have a 5 night stay booked in about a month. We also have a room booked at the Conrad Centennial nearby, where I've stayed before, so I will eventually cancel one of them. After reading some reports about perfunctory service at the afternoon tea, and the Long Bar being mobbed with long lines of tourists, and the need to reserve times at the pool and other amenities, I was a bit concerned about Raffles being one of those older hotels trading on its past glory: maintaining a high price but letting service standards slip. It sounds like that is not the case.
No it isn’t.
Genius1 did a fantastic job showcasing what it is like to stay there.
We have stayed a few times and have a few stays booked in March as well, a couple in the Palm Court and one in the Residence suite. I like coming back as I find the service gets better and better, with staff truly adjusting to your needs, eg breakfast offering you almost unlimited options beyond what’s on the menu etc. Enjoying their venues, such as long bar as a guest is an entirely different experience to visiting from outside. Staff go out of their way to make it seamless for you (reserving you tables even though there are queues etc).
For me it is the little things which set the hotel apart and put it in a different league. The fact that staff turn-over is relatively low is a bonus here.
Originally Posted by
Stripe
I wish you had taken them up on the offer to switch to a Palm Court suite. That's what we have booked and I was curious to know how it compared to the courtyard suite.
The Palm Court suite is larger (as you may know), offering you an extra dressing room. Otherwise it is very similar to the Courtyard one.
Originally Posted by
Stripe
During a 2009 visit to Singapore I visited the hotel and recall being able to wander the hotel pretty freely. Is that still the case or are most areas now limited to guests staying at the hotel?
This is no longer possible. You will have your leather key card (if it is one of the named suites it should have a picture of the famous guest the suite is named after on it), allowing you to traverse the entire grounds. You need to tap the iron gates and press a green button (IIRC) to open them.
Enjoy your stay!
(PS: I used to stay at the Conrad Centennial before but no longer as some of the Hilton cost cutting is becoming apparent there and service has declined somewhat in the wake of the pandemic).