SHLTP

Concierge has always had to call property to apply TSU. That, along w having to phone concierge, has always been a slow part of TSUs. Sometimes I wish it could be automated so I can buy plane tickets fast.

59Impala

My MHC always books directly, while I am on the phone! unless it is a points reservation, where the TSU needs to be booked "locally" in the system via the hotel itself.
She also does the rate adjustment while I am on the phone.

weird, is it a know-how thing? My Mainz MHC is fantastic as I have stated multiple times in the MHC-master thread. I seem to have another ++ here.

Kacee

Just had a one night stay here on points (20k) upgraded to Andaz Suite using SUA (way harder than it should have been to confirm the upgrade, but that's another story).

Had relatively low expectations based on this thread, but very pleasantly surprised how much we liked this property. Interesting and convenient location - very walkable and convenient to MRT. Really liked the overall property design, especially the suite - comfortable, stylish, great views, quality construction. The lobby lounge, with coffee, tea, snacks and comfortable seating is a nice touch. No opportunity to try the breakfast due to early departure for a morning flight. Look forward to returning.

lsquare

The breakfast was fantastic. I ordered from the restaurant. Too bad there's no lounge here. If paying cash, I have a hard time justifying paying more to stay here over the Conrad Centennial or Hilton Orchard.

askyamaz

Can you please elaborate why you prefer the Hilton over Andaz if cash paying, considering cash paying a couple nights, basically same cost, but I'm building Hyatt loyalty. Have explorist almost globalist.

OutofToiletPaper

Piggy backing this question and for anyone who's stayed at both Conrad and Andaz. Which property is better? Having been to Conrad before but not Andaz, we enjoyed the Conrad and breakfast there is excellent. However the last time I was there in 2019, the hotel was definitely showing some of its age and Andaz's newer hard product looks much nicer.

OsakaWino

We've stayed at both the Conrad and the Andaz, and even if the rate was as much as 50% higher, I would still choose Andaz. The room is much nicer, especially since we place a premium on having a separate WC. Breakfast variety was greater at Conrad, but quality was significantly higher at Andaz, and the breakfast atmosphere was much, much better at Andaz, with more spacious seating, more natural light, etc.

saaveraward

Looking at the virtual tour online, it appears the TV in the living room of the Large Suite King is in some tiny alcove with a bench (what is that space?it looks like it can be closed off if you want to stay in a Japanese capsule hotel) and can't be enjoyed sitting on either sofa. Is that accurate?

OsakaWino

IIRC the TV does swing out. Still maybe not ideal for viewing from much of the living room. We stayed in the Large Suite one year and then in a Residence Suite the next, and I have to say the smaller Residence Suite was much easier to use, especially the bathtub.

mechu

The TV in the living area of the large suite definitely does swing out all the way and you can watch from either side of the sofa. There’s also Bose system with surround speakers that fills up the living area pretty well.

askyamaz

The hardware was super nice for the value, the people were nice, the systems for some reason is so bad. Keep getting requests denied and inconvenienced in this international hotel.

What hotel in the world, especially a chain such as Hyatt doesn’t have a charge against room for local currency?

literally all Hyatt’s do this, random hotels in Turkey and all over the world. Charge my room, give me cash so I can spend. Instead they have a machine in the building that takes 20% commission for cash conversions only.. convenient

also very skimpy with upgrades, only 1 tier up allowed. Hotel had all rooms available.

might have to break Hyatt loyalty while in Singapore, nothing gained only losses here.

lsquare

I'm back at the Andaz Singapore. My last stay here was in May 2022. I asked if I can be upgraded to a suite and was denied as all "standard suites" aren't available until December 4th. I'm not eligible to be upgraded to the other "premium suites" that I pointed out were available via the app. Apparently, I was "upgraded" to a room with a bay view. The layout of the room seems identical to the room I had back in May. Nothing much seems to have changed except maybe the label on the water bottles. It now says "Complimentary Oxygenated Drinking Water". I'm attracted to the design of the rooms and the hotel. However, the price has been really high. I'm paying a bit over $500/night with taxes. I don't have much of a choice as I need the EQNs to requalify for Globalist next year. Hopefully, the breakfast will be as good as it was in May. I won't know until I wake up in the morning. It still seems poor value for the money as there's no lounge and evening food spread. I did get a voucher for a drink tomorrow evening. I can't wait until the GH Singapore reopens in Q1 2023. I think a more reasonable rate for the Andaz Singapore is in the S$300 range. Like I said, I'm short of EQNs and I happen to be flying in and out of Singapore so the Andaz has me where they want me.

Doppy

I've had hotels do this for me in a pinch, but I never imagined it was a standard policy at all hotels in the world, as you say above, to give you cash in exchange for charging your credit card. If that's the case, it would seem like a perfect "manufactured spend" opportunity. Given that hotels have to pay credit card transaction fees, this actually costs them money.

Looking at the website, there are no standard suites available for sale, so that seems as expected? The hotels I get upset at are the ones where the rooms are clearly available for reservations online, but they claim the hotel is "full."

WISEMEN

You're right that $500/night is expensive for Singapore. I'd be looking at other properties at that price point. Since the hotel changed owners in late 2019, there's been a concerted effort to improve their average nightly rates, and it seems they're succeeding. For now at least.

Suites are hard to come by and an acknowledged design flaw. If I recall correctly, there are only 8 studio suites, and they have no problem selling these. They guard the upper suite categories quite tightly, so it's unlikely they'll ever upgrade beyond the Studio for Globalists. After almost 300 nights here, I've never had an upgrade beyond the Studio, even when it has been available. It's important to set expectations accordingly.

On a side note, I had a tour of the renovated rooms/suite mock ups at the GH. I can assure you that they're very, very nice.

lsquare

​​​​​​Dollar for dollar, I would go with GH over the Andaz after the refresh since I've read there is a lounge. The Andaz doesn't have one, so from my perspective it doesn't provide as much value for a Globalist like me.

Btw, for all those that are interested, the breakfast at the Andaz has changed since my last visit in May. It's now buffet and much better than before. I ordered off a menu during my previous stay. The buffet was good, but in terms of selections, it's better at hotels like the Conrad, W, and the Marriott Tang. I just have higher expectations when I'm paying more than S$500/night.