Benny8444

I am taking my dad to Singapore this July and have narowed down the hotel choice to 2. I have chosen the Raffles Plaza or the Oriental.

We are looking for the hotel with the best location (near city center) and the best club lounge. Also which hotel has the better service?

If anyone has any recent stays at these two hotels I would love to hear what you have to say. I want to make this the best possible trip for my dad

Thanks
Ben

MACH81

Been to the Oriental in December, club level and loved it. Unfortunately it was just one night. Never been to the Raffles. Maybe it's a little closer to the center, but the area around the Oriental is not bad and it's close enough and cabs are cheap.

TRAVELSIG

Hi Ben,
If you search around, there are quite a few threads on Singapore Hotels. In regards to the Raffles Plaza- I don't think it is anything special. The Oriental has certainly become a better hotel since its recent rennovation. The city centre is closer to the Raffles Plaza, but with the generally excellent public transport in Singapore I doubt it matters much. Taxis are cheap etc as other posters have mentioned. Your dad should be happy with the club level at the Oriental- in addtion, you can have late checkout up until 20:00 if you request it which is convenient for evening flights.
Enjoy Singapore.

m60521

The Oriental has better service, but the Raffles has the history and the Singapore Sling. Both are convenient to the subway system which gets you ANYWHERE in Singapore.

There is no bad choice here.

mario33

Raffles the Plaza is attached to a mall Raffles City and a MRT station (City Hall). It was formerly a Westin and one of the wings have very modern rooms and Heavenly Beds. The original Raffles hotel is just across the road.

Oriental is attached to a mall Marina Square and a long walk from the MRT station (City Hall) but taxis are inexpensive in SIN. This location is quieter than Raffles City and is generally more pleasant. Cant comment about the rooms.

Kettering Northants QC

I don't agree

The subway system isn't bad but it doesn't take you anywhere in Singapore. It won't get you anywhere near Sentosa, The Zoo, Night Safari - nor is it particularly conveniant for some of the quay areas at night.


I'd echo the comments supporting the taxis - very cheap, plentiful and meters that get switched on without hassle.

The Raffles Plaza is certainly not to be confused with Raffles, I think it was formerly the Stamford Plaza a fairly solid 5* hotel that stood next to the very tall Westin Stamford (which I think is now the Swisshotel)

mario33

Raffles The Plaza (yes thats how they name it now) was formerly The Westin Plaza.

trekkie

The oriental has received better reviews in the past and is closer to the new marina square shopping centre.

The raffles the plaza is conveneiently located ontop of the subway system in the country with access to a very major shopping centre. lots of airline crew stay at the swissotel which is indicative of a busy and crowded environment.

The oriental would be preferred.

SacFlyer

Agree with most earlier posters. You won't go wrong either way. Both are excellent hotels. Raffles The Plaza is a bit more centrally located, but the Oriental is in an equally nice (and slightly newer) area and taxis are cheap.

We stayed at Raffles The Plaza a year ago. I thoroughly enjoyed standing on my balcony (I believe all rooms have them) on about the 30th floor, looking out on Singapore Bay straight ahead, or right to the old harbor with the wall of modern high-rise buildings behind it, or left to the venerable Raffles Hotel. I never tired of that view. However, you're likely to get equally interesting views from a room on a higher floor at the Oriental.

Our room at Raffles the Plaza, while not new, had every modern convenience and was a cut (or half-cut) above rooms in most other quality hotels I've used. Again, I expect that's also true at the Oriental--and also at 10 or so other 5-star hotels in Singapore.

It's fun to compare hotels and to look for the best deal, but in this case, you really can't go wrong. Much as I enjoyed RTP--and I highly recommend it--I might just pick the Oriental next time for comparison purposes.

BobBHX

Yes the Swissotel is busy and crowded (but you can't beat the views). The Plaza however, I found to be a haven of peace. It has a separate lobby area which is connected by corridor to the Swissotel lobby. Other facilities such as restaurants and (I think) the pool are shared with the Swissotel.

My only complaint about the Plaza was the room I was given. It was a very strange shape (sort of like a pie wedge with the point cut off) and the bed was at the narrowest part of the room meaning that it was impossible to fully open the wardrobe doors as the bed got in the way. The room was very well furnished and had some nice touches such as a Bose Wave radio/cd player.

mario33

Raffles The Plaza has the advantage of having lowrises (Raffles Hotel etc) and open spaces (Padang etc) as its immediate neighbours, hence view from most higher floor rooms are quite decent (though not as good as the sister hotel Swissotel next door which was once the tallest hotel in the world). They also do a good job in keeping street noise out of the rooms with very good soundproofing. And the remote control curtains in all rooms is a nice touch

The Oriental is right next to the bay and a room with harbour view (with city skyline) would have similar view as the Ritz Carlton next door. If its a special trip I would go for one of these rooms on a high floor. Be aware that some rooms face highrise buildings in Marina Square/Suntec City. The trouble with the Oriental is that it has an identity problem. All the 3 hotels in the Marina Square development (MO,Meritus,PanPac) looks very similar externally with the same colour scheme and the Oriental wasnt really positioned as a top hotel in SIN unlike the MOs in other major cities. It has often been overlooked as a major hotel, infact when I think Marina Square, the PanPac comes to mind instead of the Oriental ! However with the latest makeover and excellent reviews, things seems to look brighter for them.

As to which hotel to choose, I would probably choose Westin The Plaza (new rooms) if its a short and hectic stay: with modern rooms, busy location (gives you a better feel of the city), easy access to MRT etc. For a longer stay I would probably choose The Oriental : with more traditional rooms, quieter location, spectacular views (of the harbour) etc. In anycase the 2 hotels are within 10-15min walk from each other.

mario33

Oh BTW I wouldnt put too much priority on the exec lounges. You are better off buying some freshly fried local snacks from Old Chang Kee (do watch the calories though) and a Tiger Beer or a Sugar Cane juice; and enjoy them in the privacy of your balcony. I would save the lounge experience for another city ....

Benny8444

Thanks for all of your responces. I think the Oriental will be better for us.

Will they let us check in at 7 30 AM our flight from LAX gets in early in the mornig?

Also

Does anyone have any recent stays or reviews of the Pan Pacific? Someone told me they have a nice Club Floor and their service is comparable to the Oriental

Thanks Again,
Ben

Kettering Northants QC

Pan Pacific is a nice hotel linked to the same mall as The Oriental. In many cities the Pan Pacific would be right up there but in SIN is a notch below the top flight. The Oriental is generally accepted as being in the top flight alongside The Shangri La, Four Seasons, Raffles, Ritz Carlton and Fullerton

mario33

Not true, at least before the refurbishments. I have lived in Singapore for many years (and consider myself a local) and the Oriental was never a major hotel in town. Infact I didnt even realise it was a MO until I stayed in one of their hotels elsewhere quite a few years back. Ask any local where PanPac is and you will be given the right directions, ask them for directions to the Oriental and chances are that they will direct you to Chinatown or worse Geylang