For this 1 night stay, I use my points - as the going rate for the night that I wanted was way above what I would normally pay for a Holiday Inn property.  This property seems to be quite new, with a very modern interior decoration and did reflect a much higher standard compared to the usual Holiday Inn properties which I've been to. 

Location

The property is located on Serangoon road and just outside of the hotel is the entrace to the MRT station of Farrer Park.  Although it is close to the MRT - going to Changi from this station is not he most convenient as it involves at least 2 changes.  Based on the location, I believe with shared rides, it would be about 20 mins to the airport. 

Around the hotel, there are lots of shops since it's located in the Little India area and walking to Kampong Glam from this property takes about 20 mins.  It is also within walkable distance to Bugis area. 

Check In

I arrived just after noon at the property - with the expectation that I would not be able to get a room - however to my surprised they did manage to find a room for me.  At the time of my arrival, the lobby area was quite busy, however the at the front desk, although they had 2 associates working, only 1 seemed to be assigned to process guests.  I waited about 5 mins before being assisted.

The check-in process as again textbook style with the usual recognition of my elite status - which bascially does not give much meaning if it's just part of the routine and not really sincere appreciation.  

When I enquired about elite benefits, it seems that this hotel does only points - except for Diamond members which receives breakfast complimentary. 

Room

I was assigned a room on the 16th floor (If I remembered correctly).  When I entered the room, I was actually shocked as the room was really the size of a mouse hole.  There was really hardly any space to navigate and if you have a 2-3 bags, I would not be able to imagine where I would be able to fit them.  View of the room was towards the side of the building and some water feature, but nothing too exciting. 

They did try and fit the basics into the room - which did seem successful, however this means you have only that much space left.  With 2 in the room, I think this will be quite a challenge and for certain this is not a room where you would want to spend the whole day inside - I would even dare say that if someone is claustrophobic, this room would be an issue.  I don't believe I've even had such room size in Tokyo/Japan.

I do admit that the room was quite modern and well appointed - especially being on the more luxury side for a Holiday Inn.  

internet speed was stable and sufficient for normal browsing/work.  TV channels were the usual local channels and international options. The room did have tea/coffee making facilities. 

Sleep quality was ok - with the bed being comfortable.  Climate control was good -without being too noisy at low fan speed and the room temperature was well maintained at the desired temperature.  As for noise disturbance, I did not have too much disturbance from the outside, but internally, depending on the type of neighbours, this could be an issue.  In my case, at around 1 am, the occupants of the room close to me came back and there were some arguments with their kids and the kid was sent outside which i could hear everything.  This lasted about 15-20 mins - if it had been longer I would have called down.

The bathroom size was like the room, mouse hole size and certainly not large enough if two persons were in the area at the same time.  Water pressure and temperature control was good.  Toiletries were provided in pump size bottles - and it seem to be some local brand.  Other than that, other amenities provided were also slightly better compared to the usual Holiday Inn - although this seems to be the standard for Holiday Inn's in the Asia Pacific region. 

Overall

Since my room was without breakfast,  I did not partake in the breakfast.  However all in all, this is quite a modern and well appointed Holiday Inn, however from value point of view - I felt that it was not worth the regular asking price especially for the room I received.  The only main positive point of thie property is the location.  

For the current asking price, I would say even though the location is good, I would not really recommend this property - with it's limited elite recognition and especially the size of the room.