kosy91

In my experience, most luxury hotels with decent customer service standards would be OK with this. Say if you're getting late check-out till 4pm then it's a matter of four hours as you may head to the airport at 8pm for your 10pm flight.

Of course you should not take it for granted or expected and it's always at the hotel's discretion... but you should be OK

747FC

Back from our Singapore stay, with a quick report:

This was our first time in Singapore, and we thoroughly enjoyed the city (except for the oppressive heat and humidity). We ended up booking at Raffles, which on the whole pleased us.

Positives:

1. Early (9:00 AM) check in. I believe that the very early checkin was due to multiple factors: AMEX FHR, plus I booked the VERY EXPENSIVE hotel transport from the cruise ship terminal to the hotel. So, they knew the exact time of our arrival and helped coordinate it. Met at the curb by check-in agent who brought us immediately to the room.

2. Room: Palm Court Personality Suite. They claimed they upgraded us, but the reality was that the the only difference in the booked and given suite was a name plaque on the door. The room was very quiet and spacious, with unlimited complimentary use (except for alcohol) of the minibar.

3. Guide: We booked a guide with the hotel for two days. Good move! She really added value above us wandering around alone. Knowledgeable and funny.

4. Hotel Location: Very convenient to walk to a lot of interesting spots.

5. Dining: Breakfast buffet was very good, as were the two on-site restaurants we tried (Butcher's Block and the Chinese restaurant).

Negatives:

1. Butler: Mostly a big fail. They sometimes neglected to call back after a request was sent. They offer a service to escort guests to restaurants. We asked for that one night, and the Butler was perfunctory and walked far ahead of us due to the fact that he walked way faster than our bodies were moving. Very rude, in my opinion.

2. Raffles as a Tourist Location: I knew this going in, and it generally was a non-issue / not a big negative for us and somewhat added to the charm of the place. Lots of tourists not staying at the Raffles come to take pictures of the exterior and wander around the shops and stop at the Long Bar. We stayed in a location which was isolated from all that, except for needing to access the front door. The doormen try to divert tourists from the front lobby, so I made a habit of saying hello while waving my Raffles water bottle, which prevented "stop and frisk: activity.

3. Signage: They don't have enough signs directing guests to and back from the hotel to the shops and restaurants.

4. Staff: Our biggest complaint was a very rude bar staff member who refused my wife entry into the Writer's Bar because he said that she was dressed in "Gym Clothes." We were flabbergasted by this comment and reported it the front desk. My wife had on a very fashionable shirt she has worn around the world. Needless to say that the bar manager came to our room, profusely apologized and offered us complimentary use of the bar. The incident revealed to us some hiring and training issues in this hotel. (See above comments about Butler). The positive experience for us in this incident is that we ended up in the outdoor area of the bar that apparently was acceptable for those in Gym Clothes, and met two delightful ladies.

United747

Thanks, 747FC!

Interesting comment about Writer’s Bar - I had an awkward interaction with a bartender there last year too. Incredibly overpriced drinks too

RichardInSF

The story that I heard that made the Raffles into a tourist destination was a failed CIA investigation done more than 60 years ago. Here is an ancient newspaper clipping about it which doesn't mention the name of the hotel, but it definitely was Raffles.

https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs...00010015-1.pdf

RayG

I have stayed in this property a fair amount over the last few years post re-furbishment. My most recent was in the residence suite a floor up from the long bar last week. I have noticed since the departure of their hotel manager (the GM is still there) to Raffles OWO last year that some consistency has been lost. Nothing too bad, however, with recruitment of new staff it is noticeable that they are still waiting on the new hotel manager / director of operations.

Shame to hear about both your experiences at the writers bar. Price-wise I don’t find it worse than long bar and pretty much on par for cocktail bars in SG (cf establishments on Amoy street, EO, Gotti, or on Duxton, Catbite Club, Tipling club etc.).

United747

25SGD for a beer was a bit much … But cocktails were more “reasonable”.

Overall, was nice to go once, but there are more fun places nearby.

Fliar

Quick data point: Stayed at Capella a few weeks ago for a night. Really enjoyed it. Great service and lovely pools. Really no negatives I can think of.

scented

Glad to hear service has improved, probably worth giving it another try then.

A certain record breaking US star stayed there recently during the only Asian residency of her tour.

747FC

My wife had a vodka martini and IIRC, it cost $45 SGD. Wish she was a beer drinker!

RayG

Certainly plenty of places around. It is one of the few places open Sunday evenings, so fair few locals go there.

It is the preferred place for max security. A certain summit was held there also in 2018 with two bosom buddies. 😉

As for Raffles service, I will say after multiple stays that staff do go above and beyond and adjust to your prefs.

Overall I have been very happy with my stays at Raffles. When my parents visit they go out of their way (be it going off-menu for breakfast, or randomly getting my dad a book because he happened to mention an interest in a certain topic, guaranteed early check in at 6am and late check out at 10pm, or being provided a “resting suite” when I had a day layover in SIN free of charge etc.).

There are too many such instances to name and I have never felt like I have been nickel and dimed there.

Fliar

>> As for Raffles service, I will say after multiple stays that staff do go above and beyond and adjust to your prefs.

Same here. I've always had a great experiences there, as have my parents. And it does feel like a special place compared to most other hotel that could be anywhere.

mynameisdmoon

Finishing up a 4 night stay at Capitol Kempinski, booked through FHR (1 night) and Ladies in Red special rate for total of around 2300 SGD (I did have $200 USD FHR credit that I used against the first night's rate which made this closer to 2000 SGD total). Came with 165 SGD dining credit for first night, 50 SGD dining credit to be used in the latter 3 nights, complimentary breakfast for all days, and some small minor complimentary gifts such as various fruits and sweets (cake, tin box of cookies) and wine, and an afternoon tea service (though it was mostly candies and sweets).

This was my first time staying in Singapore and so my metric and expectation for hotels in Singapore is rather non-existent. Despite having a good experience overall I have a lot of mixed feelings about this property in both the hard product and soft product that I do not find myself coming back here as my first choice, and hard pressed to recommend this property unless a great rate (~400 SGD/night after taxes) can be secured.

Hard Product:
I received an upgrade to the Heritage Room (Basic room but there is an enclosed in-door "balcony" section) for all nights. I don't know what the usual size of rooms in Singapore are like but I found this room rather small and cramped. The room design had some quirks that I was not a fan of:

1. Low brightness mellow/dim lighting all around
2. Not so intuitive and easy to use light control (why is the light control for the balcony light on a wall UNDER THE DESK????)
3. Washroom took up almost 40% of the footprint of the room

The showers were decent though the rainfall showerhead was rather subpar. The wall mounted shower head had nice pressure and consistent heat.
Bed was plush and comfortable.

Soft Product:
I found the staff & service at this property to be rather subpar, especially for a property that is supposed to be luxury to some level. The communication with the front desk staff for various questions and requests (My FHR benefits, the rundown of all amenities and benefits for the Ladies in Red rate, late checkout request, etc) was always delayed by an hour or more instead of giving me an answer on the spot. This was the first property where no letter explaining FHR benefits was given and the staff seemed clueless with no immediate answers for any questions I had. For a borderline luxury property, service is the main thing I look forward to and this property was rather lacking in it.
The F&B served in 15 Stamford was surprisingly great. With the credits we had a burger each, and a rack of lamb. Both were delicious and great portions, though the price for what you get is rather questionable but it is a hotel restaurant! The rack of lamb however was the best rendition of it I've ever had and I'd totally buy it again full price.

Other Thoughts:
If you're staying in the Capitol wing do be prepared for a long walk every time to get to the main lobby. The hall way does look very elegant though.
The gym and pool are a complete write off. If you're a fitness enthusiast that is looking to do more than with just dumbbells (up to 36kg) and an incline bench, and was relying on this gym, do look elsewhere. Especially for tourist that need gym access I'd look at other properties and trying to get guest pass at commercial gyms are rather restricting on timing window which will force you to plan you touristing around those hours. Rather inconvenient.
The location of this hotel was very very very convenient. Across the street from Raffles City, and City Hall MRT station & many bus stops. Very convenient to get to anywhere in Singapore.

tdiddy23

Recently finished 3 night stay in Singapore after a return visit to Nepal. Luckily the latter went flawlessly this time without any health scares.

We initially were only going to have 23 hrs in Singapore, we booked the Shangri La as wanted to be near botanical gardens + try out original property. Decided on tower wing (we were booking 2 nights for 1 night stay to guarantee availability after red eye) as had no intention to utilize afternoon tea perks and heard most recently refurbished.

It's a little busy with lots of families, the lobby is nice, rooms were fine. Breakfast food satisfactory but feels like a mall. Spa area seemed average at best, didn't try treatments. All in all would not return but no major flaws.

Our first night, the add on, was at Ritz, with a marina view room. View was very good, as was service. Breakfast at colony excellent. Overall feels a subtle step above shangri la. However as others had commented quite dated in the rooms. Probably would not return here either.

Overall, our stay at Ruma in KL just before was superior to both.

Michaeljinnyc

How is the Four Seasons nowadays? I didn't used to like it but with so many other subpar properties, this one looks nice and comfy.

Mandarin Oriental post-reno is still not a luxury hotel and based on reviews online isn't doing great... can anyone enlighten me?

Kilian Zoll

One of the weakest in the FS portfolio. As expected.