travelswithmyself

Just got back from a brief 30min sneak preview:
. everything seems in place but considering that opening day is tomorrow, there seems to be a lot of work going on. They're sure they will be ready though :P
. took some photos but embargoed till opening... ah well

Impressions:
1. the most impressive part of the place is the view - there's lots of natural light and floor to ceiling windows (the lobby has ~ 2.5 storey high windows)
2. however, aside from the huge lobby and restaurants, everything else is on the small side - lounge, gym, pool and rooms
3. that said, they've done a great job with what they have - eg bathrooms are narrow but beautifully done with floor to ceiling windows, bathtubs, marble everywhere. Everything is very swank and modern - furnishings and fittings are top notch. Even iPod docks are updated to lightning connectors

I'm not really sure what else to say. It's a very elegant sleek place, but it's small and on top of an office tower in the middle of the business district. My overall impression is a nice place to come back to, but rooms feel a bit too cramped to relax a whole day in, especially for a family. No problem for a solo traveller though. I would class this as a business hotel.

Going to stay a night in Dec, more reports then

Richey66

Rooms should start at 40m2 per website? is this not the case?

travelswithmyself

OK they're officially open so I guess I can put these up.

The 1st floor entry and cafe



The 32nd floor lobby and bar



The inifinity pool



The rooms

Right, I can't really remember the exact type of rooms I was shown. But I was told there are like 10-11 configurations of the basic room depending on the location within the hotel.





Double is very spacious - good for families



The Sea-View Suite

jpdx

Great photos, thanks for sharing! Looks very good; I'm excited to check it out! (They were wide open on C&P, and this looks like much better value than the other SIN options, despite the location).

Richey66

In December new MRT line will open in SIngapore and Downtown Station should be at immediate vicinity of hotel, at Central Boulevard: http://sg.news.yahoo.com/first-six-d...042755520.html

MSPeconomist

This is not a hotel for someone who is afraid of heights. Those floor to ceiling windows are stunning but could upset some peope. Similarly for the bathtub with a view.

Jon_Heng

Me too .. just visited this hotel as it was just a 5 mins walk from my office! I must say the Pool on the 35th Floor is amazing! Although small, but its just has a different view to offer compared to Marina Bay Sands Pool.

I'll be attending to their Grand Opening on 29th nov ... will be updating about the hotel to you guys on my blog and here too =)

travelswithmyself

Heads-up for those who are located in Singapore:
. your SPG card entitles you to a 30% disc at the two restaurants at this hotel, great views included
. had dinner at "Seasonal Tastes" - was actually pretty good though I would not have paid that much for the buffet, especially without the discount
. the view was pretty spectacular

For those who wonder if you can see the fireworks that are usually fired off in Marina Bay during holidays - the answer is a qualified yes - there is a small corridor about one city block wide through which you can see MB Sands and the Art Science Museum, so presumably the fireworks can be seen too.

DurandilToss

Sounds good to me! How is the service at the Westin compared to the W Sentosa Cove? I'm thinking of having a short stay next week to try out this new hotel as well as their new restaurants

travelswithmyself

Restaurant service was great! But for about an hour we were the only people there, so what do you expect :P. Anyway, the ones on duty were obviously experienced staff, from wait staff to kitchen/station chefs. You know, in all my visits at Sentosa, I've never had the bad restaurant service people keep talking about.

You're not the only one, if what they said is true, they're about 50% occupancy right now, and moving on to almost 100% by weekend! Can forget about upgrades . It's also very busy during lunch apparently - lots of office-types coming to makan...

Parking is accessed from the lane behind the buildings, unless you want to take your chances with the parking aunties roadside. I can imagine that it would be very difficult to get a space during office hours. And NO parking redemption, either as a guest or for eating at the restaurants.

Oh yes, the bar/grill has this wine dispensing machine run by a smart card. I don't drink but the concept is really cool :P. Someone else will doubtless review it.


Btw, dinner buffet was $78++. Ala carte items at a glance looked to be about $18-25. I had a shock when I got the bill, my fault for not asking first. I admit I expected it would be something like $42-45. Thank goodness for SPG 30%.

Thunderroad

Thanks, travels and everyone else, for the initial information on this hotel. It sounds good!

Is anyone in a position to compare the Westin with the Conrad? My wife and I will stay at one or the other for a few days in February.

Happy

Is the SPG 30% discount only good for the locals?

Canceled the Conrad across the bay and booked a reward night at Westin.

We just miss the start of the MRT line as we are leaving on the 22nd!

travelswithmyself

Absolutely not. This is an SPG benefit not a local discount. Just remember to bring your card. Less problems with showing that than showing your smartphone "card".

Re the MRT opening... I don't think you'll miss much

travelswithmyself

It's been years since I've stayed there and I haven't yet stayed at Westin:
. Conrad is part of a huge mall area and much more central. You want convenience - I think Conrad is better
. But the Westin is new, fresher, and to my mind equivalent. Even more so if you can get C&P :P. I've given up maintaining my HH acct...
. So far I've met one FD mananger from Ritz Carlton, and one sous chef from Conrad. Doubtless there are more

3rdworldresident

Great. I'll give it a try.