Oct 3, 2018, 3:09 am
Hotel Vagabond, Singapore, Tribute Portfolio [Master Thread]
Oct 31, 2016, 3:09 am
#1
Original Poster
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Location: SIN
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Hotel Vagabond, Singapore, Tribute Portfolio [Master Thread]
So this place opens tomorrow and price starts at S$234 for 1 or S$254 for 2 occupants per room for the basic room (Classic Room).
Opening offer looks to be 10% off BAR, Breakfast for 1, and Double starpoints.
The basic Classic Room size is 237-258 sq ft / 22-24 m˛. So it looks like it's some sort of Boutique hotel. Website lists only 40 rooms including 5 suites. Free In-Room Movie is a standard here. Free local and international calls as well (for some countries).
The Vagabond Executive Club Lounge
Executive Club Lounge Benefits:
Happy hour ends at 6:30pm.
Opening offer looks to be 10% off BAR, Breakfast for 1, and Double starpoints.
The basic Classic Room size is 237-258 sq ft / 22-24 m˛. So it looks like it's some sort of Boutique hotel. Website lists only 40 rooms including 5 suites. Free In-Room Movie is a standard here. Free local and international calls as well (for some countries).
The Vagabond Executive Club Lounge
Executive Club Lounge Benefits:
- An ŕ la carte breakfast from 7am-10:30 am
- An ŕ la carte lounge menu from 11:00am-4:00pm
- An elaborate spread of hors d’oeuvres and drinks from 4:30-6:30pm
- All-day Premium High Speed Wi-Fi
- $15 laundry credit per room, per night (Non-Accumulative)
- 15% off at all in-house F&B outlets, including Hot Buns & Thunder Balls, and Bar Vagabond
Happy hour ends at 6:30pm.
Oct 31, 2016, 5:15 am
#2
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Nov 2, 2016, 11:46 am
#3
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Marriott press release on the property today:
http://news.marriott.com/2016/11/tri...ond-singapore/
Cheers.
http://news.marriott.com/2016/11/tri...ond-singapore/
Cheers.
Nov 6, 2016, 6:42 pm
#5
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Looking forward to your review. Another FTer stayed on the day of opening and he was their first SPG customer. Looking forward to his review too.
Nov 7, 2016, 10:14 am
#7
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 1,748
Review not up yet RYAN G? OK I'll have a go with mine then.
A. Brief Notes, Location & Access
Singapore gets it's first Tribute Portfolio hotel! The Hôtel Vagabond was opened in ~ Sep 2015 and signed on with *Wood on 1 Nov 2016. The hotel is housed in a row of refurbished shophouses dating back to the 1950. Shophouses are a common sight in SE Asia, usually comprising a 2 or 3 storey building with a shop on the ground floor and the shopkeeper's residence above. This particular row had a chequered history, if the hotel staff are to be believed.
The hotel is owned by Garcha Hotels, started by who else but Mr Satinder Garcha who is quite a character. Besides building luxury homes in Singapore, his hotel group acquired the old Duxton Hotel which will open next year as The Duxton Club, Singapore's first Luxury Collection hotel.
His wife Ms Harpreet Bedi is the GM of the Hôtel Vagabond and can be seen buzzing around the Exec Lounge most of the day; I had a nice chat with her about the hotels and their plans.
The hotel is located in a rather esoteric area of Singapore, at the junction of Little India, Kampong Glam which is significant in Singapore Malay history, Arab Street and Sungei Road, better known as Thieves Market in the old days. They've started gentrification - Thieves Market is no more and the Rochor river/canal has been cleaned up somewhat and the banks paved with granite and lined with trees and benches.
Transportation is still a bit iffy. The hotel does not provide a shuttle service. It's cab, public bus, or a walk to one of four MRT subway stations, all about 10-15mins away - Lavender (EW Line), Farrer Park (NE Line), or Rochor/Bugis (Downtown Line). For those who drive, curbside parking is readily available for SGD0.60 per hour. The hotel does not provide on-site parking and I didn't see any valets. I would estimate a cab ride from to airport to take about 25 mins depending on traffic.
A new MRT station, Jalan Besar Station (DT Line), will be operational in 2017/18. You can see it on the map - it's the construction site to the NE of the Wanderlust hotel, which happens to be 1 of 2 Design Hotels in Singapore. The distance is eminently walkable, though the sidewalks are not really wide. Mattress runs anyone?
A. Brief Notes, Location & Access
Singapore gets it's first Tribute Portfolio hotel! The Hôtel Vagabond was opened in ~ Sep 2015 and signed on with *Wood on 1 Nov 2016. The hotel is housed in a row of refurbished shophouses dating back to the 1950. Shophouses are a common sight in SE Asia, usually comprising a 2 or 3 storey building with a shop on the ground floor and the shopkeeper's residence above. This particular row had a chequered history, if the hotel staff are to be believed.
The hotel is owned by Garcha Hotels, started by who else but Mr Satinder Garcha who is quite a character. Besides building luxury homes in Singapore, his hotel group acquired the old Duxton Hotel which will open next year as The Duxton Club, Singapore's first Luxury Collection hotel.
His wife Ms Harpreet Bedi is the GM of the Hôtel Vagabond and can be seen buzzing around the Exec Lounge most of the day; I had a nice chat with her about the hotels and their plans.
The hotel is located in a rather esoteric area of Singapore, at the junction of Little India, Kampong Glam which is significant in Singapore Malay history, Arab Street and Sungei Road, better known as Thieves Market in the old days. They've started gentrification - Thieves Market is no more and the Rochor river/canal has been cleaned up somewhat and the banks paved with granite and lined with trees and benches.
Transportation is still a bit iffy. The hotel does not provide a shuttle service. It's cab, public bus, or a walk to one of four MRT subway stations, all about 10-15mins away - Lavender (EW Line), Farrer Park (NE Line), or Rochor/Bugis (Downtown Line). For those who drive, curbside parking is readily available for SGD0.60 per hour. The hotel does not provide on-site parking and I didn't see any valets. I would estimate a cab ride from to airport to take about 25 mins depending on traffic.
A new MRT station, Jalan Besar Station (DT Line), will be operational in 2017/18. You can see it on the map - it's the construction site to the NE of the Wanderlust hotel, which happens to be 1 of 2 Design Hotels in Singapore. The distance is eminently walkable, though the sidewalks are not really wide. Mattress runs anyone?
Last edited by travelswithmyself; Nov 7, 2016 at 10:59 am
Nov 7, 2016, 11:24 am
#8
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 1,748
B. HOTEL BASICS - ROOMS & FACILITIES
The refurbishment was done by a famous architect, Jacques Garcia, to Mr Garcha's exacting specifications. The styling is certainly different from any hotel I've stayed in so far. Reflecting the indian roots of the owners, there are elephants, rhino, and monkey statues. Banyan trees of brass and ? gold leaf support the ceiling in the lobby, lounge and toilets, each one taking artisans in India years to complete.
No point doing a rehash of all that - if you want to know more about the design and decor read here and here.
Websites quote 41 rooms, 5 suites. Rooms are scattered on the second and third floors, 2 Artist Suites (Musician and Writer's room) are on the third floor, as well as the top tier Vagabond Suite. 2 Junior Suites on the fourth floor are accessible only by a short fligh of stairs from the third floor. Rooms on the third floor open onto a common open air courtyard. There are no connecting rooms so this common courtyard is the closest you get to that. Those rooms are arranged in blocks of 2, 4, 4, 2 so if you want a cosy corner request the 2 at each end.
Size-wise, the rooms are generally of the same size and differ minimally; I gather the main difference is access to the courtyard, and/or lounge. Details can be found on the hotel website.
The hotel has a bar and a lounge. Both of which double as a restaurant, though public access is only to the bar area, which keeps the lounge quite private. There is no gym or pool, and no business or internet centre. Wifi is free for guests and is being upgraded to "something quite awesome".
If you are interested, the hotel logo printed on the keycards is drawn from Mrs Garcha's family crest, and incorporates Mr Garcha's love of polo.
The refurbishment was done by a famous architect, Jacques Garcia, to Mr Garcha's exacting specifications. The styling is certainly different from any hotel I've stayed in so far. Reflecting the indian roots of the owners, there are elephants, rhino, and monkey statues. Banyan trees of brass and ? gold leaf support the ceiling in the lobby, lounge and toilets, each one taking artisans in India years to complete.
No point doing a rehash of all that - if you want to know more about the design and decor read here and here.
Websites quote 41 rooms, 5 suites. Rooms are scattered on the second and third floors, 2 Artist Suites (Musician and Writer's room) are on the third floor, as well as the top tier Vagabond Suite. 2 Junior Suites on the fourth floor are accessible only by a short fligh of stairs from the third floor. Rooms on the third floor open onto a common open air courtyard. There are no connecting rooms so this common courtyard is the closest you get to that. Those rooms are arranged in blocks of 2, 4, 4, 2 so if you want a cosy corner request the 2 at each end.
Size-wise, the rooms are generally of the same size and differ minimally; I gather the main difference is access to the courtyard, and/or lounge. Details can be found on the hotel website.
The hotel has a bar and a lounge. Both of which double as a restaurant, though public access is only to the bar area, which keeps the lounge quite private. There is no gym or pool, and no business or internet centre. Wifi is free for guests and is being upgraded to "something quite awesome".
If you are interested, the hotel logo printed on the keycards is drawn from Mrs Garcha's family crest, and incorporates Mr Garcha's love of polo.
Nov 7, 2016, 11:38 am
#9
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 1,748
C. PLATINUM BENEFITS AND A JUNIOR SUITE
Platinum guests receive 500 points or a drink at the bar (I didn't enquire further). There is no local gift at present. Room upgrades are to the 2 Junior Suites, and in the future all four smaller suites (2 Artist suites and 2 Junior suites) will be classed as Junior Suites and will be available for upgrades.
Late check-out at 4pm, and breakfast, lunch and tea
. More on that later.
I received an upgrade to one of the two Junior Suites by using an SNA. The room was spacious and bright. The two suites are on the top floor of the building and have slanted ceilings with multiple skylights allowing plenty of natural light. They do not have windows per se, and the skylights cannot be opened, but are provided with motorised remote-controlled blinds.
There is much much cupboard space, a small round dining table, a small desk and a large king-sized bed. The walls are adorned with pictures taken by Mr Garcha himself. Some might find the colours a bit garish but I liked them. Access to the bath and toilet area is controlled by an oriental privacy screen.
The bathroom has a shower stall with shower hose and rain shower. Pressure was more than adequate. Toiletries are by Etro.
Platinum guests receive 500 points or a drink at the bar (I didn't enquire further). There is no local gift at present. Room upgrades are to the 2 Junior Suites, and in the future all four smaller suites (2 Artist suites and 2 Junior suites) will be classed as Junior Suites and will be available for upgrades.
Late check-out at 4pm, and breakfast, lunch and tea
. More on that later.I received an upgrade to one of the two Junior Suites by using an SNA. The room was spacious and bright. The two suites are on the top floor of the building and have slanted ceilings with multiple skylights allowing plenty of natural light. They do not have windows per se, and the skylights cannot be opened, but are provided with motorised remote-controlled blinds.
There is much much cupboard space, a small round dining table, a small desk and a large king-sized bed. The walls are adorned with pictures taken by Mr Garcha himself. Some might find the colours a bit garish but I liked them. Access to the bath and toilet area is controlled by an oriental privacy screen.
The bathroom has a shower stall with shower hose and rain shower. Pressure was more than adequate. Toiletries are by Etro.
Nov 7, 2016, 11:48 am
#10
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 1,748
C. Contd... JUNIOR SUITE
HVAC was COLD and I had a bit of difficulty getting it to the right temperature. There was no street noise and since I had only one neighbour across the hallway there was no noise from that end either.
Ample cupboard and closet space, and a rather different selection of drinks in the minibar.
The hotel provides a Handy (tm) phone, something which appears to be more and more common these days. In addition, the hotel provides well-drawn maps of the surroundings, in-room and in the lobby. As a guide to exploring the local area, these are invaluable.
Wall-mounted LED TV with access to the hotel's own library of free streaming movies, TV shows and music. A portable retro-styled bluetooth radio, and retro-styled phone complete the look.
Turn-down consisted of preparing bedroom slippers, "turning-down" the bedcovers, and a carafe of flavoured water.
HVAC was COLD and I had a bit of difficulty getting it to the right temperature. There was no street noise and since I had only one neighbour across the hallway there was no noise from that end either.
Ample cupboard and closet space, and a rather different selection of drinks in the minibar.
The hotel provides a Handy (tm) phone, something which appears to be more and more common these days. In addition, the hotel provides well-drawn maps of the surroundings, in-room and in the lobby. As a guide to exploring the local area, these are invaluable.
Wall-mounted LED TV with access to the hotel's own library of free streaming movies, TV shows and music. A portable retro-styled bluetooth radio, and retro-styled phone complete the look.
Turn-down consisted of preparing bedroom slippers, "turning-down" the bedcovers, and a carafe of flavoured water.
Nov 7, 2016, 12:07 pm
#11
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 1,748
D. THE EXEC LOUNGE AND MEALS
The bulk of the ground floor is taken up by the Executive Lounge, open to Club level and Platinum guests. Did not enquire if Gold guests would receive the same benefits. Luxurious and opulent, even the placemats are "gold". I can see that a lot of care and thought has gone into making this a different experience.
I suppose one could bring one's laptop and plonk down on one of the sofas under the skylights. Some of the pillars had electrical sockets.
The lounge doubles as a movie theatre and stage for performing artists. The hotel runs an artist-in-residence programme though I think no one was there while I was staying.
Breakfast is provided for Platinum guests, by ala carte menu. Quality was good!
From 11-4 commences Small Bites, which is an unlimited ala carte buffet lunch, again free for those with access to the lounge.
Tea/Dinner is a little disppointing after lunch and breakfast - a long spread of cold cuts, cheese, salad and booze.
The bulk of the ground floor is taken up by the Executive Lounge, open to Club level and Platinum guests. Did not enquire if Gold guests would receive the same benefits. Luxurious and opulent, even the placemats are "gold". I can see that a lot of care and thought has gone into making this a different experience.
I suppose one could bring one's laptop and plonk down on one of the sofas under the skylights. Some of the pillars had electrical sockets.
The lounge doubles as a movie theatre and stage for performing artists. The hotel runs an artist-in-residence programme though I think no one was there while I was staying.
Breakfast is provided for Platinum guests, by ala carte menu. Quality was good!
From 11-4 commences Small Bites, which is an unlimited ala carte buffet lunch, again free for those with access to the lounge.
Tea/Dinner is a little disppointing after lunch and breakfast - a long spread of cold cuts, cheese, salad and booze.
Nov 7, 2016, 12:16 pm
#12
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 1,748
D. Contd... Tea
E. FINAL THOUGHTS
It's a really nice hotel. Well-designed and clearly a lot of thought has gone into making it appear luxe. The staff are quite well-trained and quick to remember names etc. The hotel was 80% full on my day but I hardly saw anyone.
However, it isn't really on the main tourist track, and has no traditional facilities like a pool and gym. Access is a liitle difficult too.
Counter that with the ~ full board, and opportunity to get out of the comfort zone of the tourist belt and explore another espect of Singapore, and you have a hotel that might just suit the tourist looking for a different experience.
Lastly, keep a look-out for boss-man and boss-lady's blue Ferrari
E. FINAL THOUGHTS
It's a really nice hotel. Well-designed and clearly a lot of thought has gone into making it appear luxe. The staff are quite well-trained and quick to remember names etc. The hotel was 80% full on my day but I hardly saw anyone.
However, it isn't really on the main tourist track, and has no traditional facilities like a pool and gym. Access is a liitle difficult too.
Counter that with the ~ full board, and opportunity to get out of the comfort zone of the tourist belt and explore another espect of Singapore, and you have a hotel that might just suit the tourist looking for a different experience.
Lastly, keep a look-out for boss-man and boss-lady's blue Ferrari
Nov 7, 2016, 8:49 pm
#13
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Very nice review once again travelswithmyself, I assume the breakfast is continental as shown in the menu as 'Breakfast package' 1 BITE, 1 SIP, and 1 SQUEEZED?
Nov 7, 2016, 9:30 pm
#14
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 1,748