kaizen7

Westin is not a bad choice ... its pretty much the closest marwood hotel from airport. although SG is quite small.

Downtown MRT nearby, then if you want to try local food, can try Lau Pa Sat Food Court which is in a walking distance from Westin.
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Thunderroad

Thanks to all for the helpful comments. To reply to a few...

I've been through Singapore a few times, but perhaps I'm misunderstanding something about the geography. The Westin seems to be walking distance from the Marina Bay area, along with the restaurants and attractions around there. Am I missing something here, overestimating the Marina Bay area, etc?

The fact that it's primarily for business customers is kind of an attraction for us if it means it might be less busy than other hotels on a Saturday.

I've stayed at the airport hotels a number of times and find them fine. Plus we love the airport! But we figured that for almost a full day in Singapore we might want a nicer place and maybe wander around a bit.

Thanks for that link. Kind of beauty-products heavy, but it still added to the list of things to do at the airport. My only complaint is that it underplays the marvelous Butterfly Garden.

Regrettably, not a 75-night SPG Plat.

I always appreciate your comments, so thanks for these. My hesitation about the St. R is that a number of posters have complained about the service there. (I know you disagree.) So in terms of checking in early and maybe other perks, I wonder whether it would be less suitable than other places.

I'd considered the W also, and might yet give it another look, but the draw of a lounge to hang out in at the Westin while waiting for our room is appealing.

Antonio8069

[QUOTE=Thunderroad;30094339]My hesitation about the St. R is that a number of posters have complained about the service there. (I know you disagree.) (QUOTE)

Hey, if the St. Regis is good enough for President Kim Jung Ill and his entourage, it must be good enough for you??

Seriously, my vote is the Westin - hands down!

Kacee

I don't at all doubt some of the negative experiences reported (and one in particular was rather troubling).

My sense is that service can be a bit hit or miss anywhere in Singapore.

Flying for Fun

I spent a weekend at the Westin Singapore back in January as an SPG Platinum and the experience was terrible. No upgrades and no recognition of status. The lounge was by no means relaxing, in fact standing room only and grossly understaffed. The Friday "cocktail hour" was a complete disaster. Within 30 minutes, there was absolutely no food available, completely depleted and replenishment was very slow to the point people were hoarding anything they could if they were lucky enough to be close in the crowd and then leaving half of it uneaten.

I chalk it up to poor management since they knew how many people had access and didn't account for it appropriately. If the lounge wasn't over capacity it surely was on the brink.

The property is nice & the location is good but don't expect much more. If a relaxing lounge is your deciding factor, perhaps the Westin isn't for you.

James

CJKatl

Agreed. 21 hours is probably too long for an airport hotel unless it is somewhere difficult to get in an out of, but thought it should be mentioned.

BTW, the Orchard Road Marriott assigned me a filthy room. The pics are posted to the property thread on the Marriott forum.

LF72

Was there in Feb. Stayed at the Westin for 5 nights and was upgraded to an exec room. Stayed in the JW for one weekend night and was upgraded to a large suite.

Only complaint with the JW is the pool. It is cold and doesn't get sun.

frenchft

Great upgrade at JW too here, always and I love the location (and miss Frenchft too... shopping paradise around).

Annalisa12

Why would you want to spend time in a hotel lounge if only there for 24 hours

FriscoHeavy

bennos

It's a solid outdoor walk from the MRT station through a construction zone (for the new MRT line) and the hotel isn't really directly connected to anything but offices. As mentioned upthread the lounge is tiny and gets overcrowded, IME more so on weekends. A number of the closest food options close for the weekend.

It's walking distance, depending on your definition of walking distance. You can do much of it via link malls.

The 18F pool or the 6F pool? The 6F pool is much better.

Anyway, +1 to the JW (South Beach) as an option. The lounge is huge, even when the hotel is busy IME there is always space. And the offerings are (IMO) superior to the Westin. The immediate surroundings are superior, and I suspect if you do mobile check-in advising of early arrival you're likely to get an early room. Airport access via MRT is equally annoying compared to the Westin, but at least the last bit is covered if it's raining.

Regardless of the hotel, you might email the property in advance and tell them you'd basically like a day room. The JW seems to staff housekeeping much later than the Westin (I missed evening turn down at the Westin twice, but never at the JW), so they might be more amenable. Plus it's a larger hotel.

MSPeconomist

xar

Recap of options
1. The area around Westin will be quiet over a weekend. Its close by Marina Bay Sands (MBS) / Gardens by the Bay. Be sure to drop by Lau Pa Sat for local delights.
2. Vicinity around JWM offers lots of shopping (Suntec, Bugis and City Hall) - MBS / Gardens are near by too.
3. Marriott at Orchard is another one you can consider if you are still looking out for shopping.
4. Sheraton / St. Regis / W, while they are 'nice' too, i feel they are a little out of the way if you are looking for key attractions.

Enjoy!

Hipplewm

You can always rent the hotel rooms in the airport, they are small, comfortable and relatively inexpensive. From there you can take the train anywhere in the city or take the free city tour from the airport. Also, you can spend 3-4 hours doing stuff at the airport, which includes a pool.

Thunderroad

A belated and big thanks to everyone for the useful replies. We're leaning toward the JW Marriott because the larger lounge makes it sound like a nicer place to hang out if we can't get into a room early, plus the area around the JWM sounds better to wander around nearby if we feel up to it in the morning. But any more advice is always appreciated. (Under the merger, as a Platinum I'd still have access to lounges in either hotel, right?)