0040h arrival at SIN- which transit hotel?
 

Hi.

I arrive at SIN after midnight (EWR-TYO-SIN), so I was thinking of booking a transit hotel in Changi when I arrive for 6-12 hours (about $75 for 12 hrs). I would probably not stay the full 12 hours but it will give me a chance to crash when I arrive and awake rested to head into the city and a proper hotel the following night.

I arrive at Terminal 2 (ANA from TYO).

Questions about the SIN Transit hotels, which are in Terminals 1-3 (Aerotel in Terminal 1, Ambassador Hotel in T2 and T3):
1. Are they similar enough that I should just book in Terminal 2, or is one of the others significantly better and worth a weary traveler going to T1 or T3?
2. And if I do choose the hotel in a different terminal, do I have to clear customs first? (I think not).
3. If I check a bag, to avoid having to clear customs on arrival and re-enter, can I just leave my checked bag at baggage claim, sleep for 6 or 8 or 10 hours, and go to baggage claim in the morning to get it after checking out of the hotel? Is that a safe option?

Thanks in advance.

Huge hassle. Just go straight into town. It’s a 20 min taxi ride at that time of day.

To stay at the transit hotel, you must remain airside upon arrival in SIN. You will not have access to checked baggage. I've always used carry-on baggage, but there are lots of experiences posted here on FT that you can simply pick up your checked baggage after your transit hotel stay after you pass through SIN immigration and before exiting Customs.

I absolutely recommend staying that first night in SIN at the transit hotel. On my first trip US-TYO-SIN trip which arrived near midnight, I assumed I would want the transit hotel for 8-9 hours but actually was more than ready to go after about 5 hours, so I suggest booking the default 6 hours.

I travel for fun, and I like to stay at nice hotels. Arriving at a nice hotel after 1-2 am just seems not cost effective as I don't get the full value for that first day. That's why staying that first night in a transit hotel makes sense to me. A business traveler (spending other people's money) might have a different perspective.

I've stayed at all three transit hotels over the years, and they are all just fine and offer similar experiences. If you check a bag, you must enter SIN immigration/customs at the terminal you arrived because that's where your checked baggage is. Beyond that restriction, T1,T2 and T3 are all connected airside and you are free to visit any or all three terminals. (The new SIN T4 is completely separate and access-restricted).

Check out the Wiki at the top of this classic thread from the Mileage Run forum for ideas about SIN airport and Singapore in general:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/mile...i-4-9-cpm.html

Thanks for the great information, mnbp!

If I check a bag, can I just leave it at the T2 baggage claim and not go to get it until I check out of the hotel the next morning? I assume it would be waiting for me....

Fully agree.

From other threads here on FT, I believe you will simply inquire about your bag at the baggage service office, which would have to be near baggage claim (before Customs), I would assume. Others can offer first hand experiences, or search this forum for prior comments.

Yes, but I assume the hotel where I will eventually stay will let me leave my luggage there until check-in time, and I would be traipsing around Singapore , after a decent night's sleep during normal Singapore sleeping hours, so hopefully I would be rested and ready for a day on the town. As opposed to getting to an expensive hotel at 2-3 am, or possibly later, after flying 25 hours(figuring time collecting bags, exchanging money, figuring out what to do, etc) ...too late to enjoy my stay...and then sleeping until noon if I was lucky. That is my thought process anyway.

I assumed I could prob. just get my bag at lost luggage in the morning.

I know it is something people do every day at SIN, but I would not be comfortable leaving checked baggage at the claim and hoping it made it to the airline baggage office the next morning. That's a personal thing, obviously many people do it without issue. Last time I was at SIN on that midnight arrival from NRT, I just went through immigration, got my bag and went to the Crowne Plaza in T3. It was only $50USD more than the transit hotel would have been for that night, got a full night sleep and took a taxi to the Pan Pacific in the morning.

This should solely be a financial decision in my opinion, all the other stuff you mentioned will be no different whether it is done at 1am or if it is done at 9am. If the hotel you'll be staying in for the other nights in SIN is significantly more expensive than the transit hotel would be, then just stick with the transit hotel (or explore the Crowne Plaza's cost) and head into town in the morning.

Is this to save a night accom at a regular Singapre hotel?

Agree completely. Like I said in my last post, unless the hotel the OP is staying at the other nights is significantly more expensive, I'd just book the night of arrival there too and go into town. Even if it is significantly more expensive, I'd explore the Crowne Plaza as an alternative before looking at a transit hotel just so I could have my bag with me, which is what I did on my last SIN trip.

In my case, the difference between the Crowne Plaza and the Pan Pacific for my night of arrival was well over $300 which just wasn't worth it to me so I did the Crowne Plaza for the night and took a cab from T3 to the Pan Pacific at my leisure the next morning. If I was someone who was actually comfortable leaving my bag at baggage claim, maybe I'd feel differently about the transit hotel but I just couldn't do it.

I’m just lazy and look for the simplest path! I do like the CP but only use it for overnights in between flights. My regular hotel is the IC and I will always head straight there for longer stays (although have used it for overnights too).

Response from OP....

You have all pretty much convinced me that the Transit Hotel was probably a mistake, but it is too late since it is non-refundable.

It was not a financial decision. It was a decision of convenience. It seemed like a good idea, if I was to be awake 25 hours flying, to just crash immediately by 1 am or so, sleep as long as I wanted, and wake up refreshed at a reasonable hour in the morning to explore Singapore .

As opposed to arriving in a hotel in Singapore closer to 3 am....possibly later if flight is delayed....waste a good chunk of the next day sleeping and take longer to adapt to the new time zone.

I will only be in Singapore 2 more nights after I arrive before heading to Thailand so I wanted to also maximize my daytime hours. I figured a sleeping pill at 1am would knock me out, regardless of the noise or whatnot at the transit hotel, and I could enjoy a good complimentary breakfast in the airport before hitting the town.

The responses here seem to be nearly universal that I made a mistake. I didn't realize getting into town was so easy and quick. But my reservation is non-refundable, so I am committed. Next time I will consider other options as outlined above.

Thanks.
protagonist

I don't think you made a mistake at all, it is a very popular option that people utilize every day for the exact same reasons you state. The only reason I personally wouldn't do it is because of the bag issue, I just wouldn't be comfortable trusting my bag to still be there, even if that is probably an irrational fear at an airport like SIN. The last time I flew to SIN on that after midnight arrival from Tokyo, it took well over an hour to clear immigration and I was the first person off the plane. I didn't get out of the airport until 2. I was reconsidering my transit hotel stance after that one after 20+ hours on a plane.

You should get a good night of sleep and be good to go bright and early. Make sure you don't sleep on the flight from Tokyo and depending on how quickly sleeping pills go to work on you, you may consider taking it in the final hour of the flight so you aren't waiting for it to kick in.

That is exactly my plan. Ambien usually kicks in after about 15-30 mins and it is short acting- doesn't interfere with REM sleep. I take it whenever I do a red eye flight and iit works great. Thanks.

Clearly there are two schools of thought for late arrivals into SIN. OP, please do come back to this thread and report your experience.

I've got a sort of related question... Arriving into SIN in the evening (on a QR flight) and have a separate booking for a flight the next morning SIN > DPS. We'll be hand luggage only and the Transit hotels are far cheaper than the other airport hotels. The other half isn't keen on trekking in to Singapore itself in the evening.. Is it possible to stay in the Transit hotel then go through flgith connections to get the morning flight if I check in online, or do we need to exit through immigration & customs then go back through security in the morning?

Depending on the airline that your connecting to it shouldn't be a problem, even if you do have to exit and re enter it should take all that long with no checked baggage anyway.
the hotel is a good option, used it twice in T3 in the last month. The bed was a bit hard for me but apart from that the room was very adequate.

I did the transit hotel many times. Stayed at all 3. Yes it is to save money, $60 for the night vs $200+ downtown. Lots of things to do inside the terminal. Various lounges and a restaurant I could use with the Priority Pass.

Luggage was very safe in "lost luggage" department. Including couple times I arrived on UA and LH with F luggage tags.

One time I was told air-side transit was not possible because there was no interline agreement between the 2 airlines concerned. I flew in on LH, and the next day connection was on a LCC.

Also air-side transit is possible only if regular check-in for the connecting flight is open at the time. So for cheap airlines (like UA), you can't use the transit desk until 3 hours before flight departure.

I stayed at the transit Hotel and if I could get a reservation for the same price and arrived on the same flight I would do it again. The reservations via Chase Ultimate Rewards we're about $70 for a 12 hours stay or about $45 for a six hour stay Plus taxes. My flight was about an hour late so I got in around 1:30 a.m. after traveling about 26 or 27 hours. I only had carry-on luggage. I would only do this with carry-on luggage because if you check out through immigration you would have to go through customs to get back in. But it was very convenient. The room was small but the bed was comfortable and they had good showers. Some people said in reviews that the front desk staff was very rude. I did not find this to be true at all. They were quite helpful. It included a 15 Singapore dollar voucher for food. I took a sleeping pill and woke up refreshed at a reasonable hour. For me it was preferable to having to figure out transportation, change money, deal with immigration etcetera after not sleeping on a long flight. In the morning I took the MRT to my hotel.