I remember visiting the Conrad Centennial Singapore with my family way back in 2000 when I was 7 years old to ring in the millennium. Sixteen years later in 2016, the hotel looks exactly the way it was. So you can only imagine how dated the property is. Considering there are so many options at the same price point, which offer nicer rooms like the Pan Pacific Singapore or the Intercontinental Singapore, it really blows my mind why I even choose to stay here. I guess that is what loyalty programs are for, it forces you to stay at a particular property even if it is the worst offering in the area.
When I arrived at the property I could tell that there are definitely signs of aging, but overall the hotel still did an excellent job with maintenance and up keeping. Personally though, I feel that the property is way past its prime and is in a dire need of a refurbishment. (To their credit, the duty manager did tell me, refurbishment would commence in 2017)
I was promptly escorted to the executive lounge to check in. I love the view that the lounge had, especially the window seats with a view of the Central Business District. Theses seats were like hot cakes and were always occupied. Be sure to come early if you want them.
I was upgraded to a King Centennial Suite thanks to my elite status. There I was also briefed about the diamond benefits which included:
Buffet Breakfast - 6am to 1030am
Afternoon Tea - 230pm to 5pm
Evening Cocktails (and hors d'oeuvres) - 530pm to 8pm
2 Hours Meeting Room Usage (subjected to availability)
Late Check-out at 6PM (subjected to availability)
Complimentary Local Calls
Complimentary Light Pressing on Arrival (up to 5 items)
Complimentary Music and Movie Selection
I was surprised when the room that I was allocated was on the sixth floor, and the duty manager offered to walk me over. Turns out the room that I got was a mock up of what is to be the refurbished rooms. I was pleasantly surprised because it was ultra modern compared to the rest of the hotel. I especially loved the dark colour tone that was used and how the room felt sleek with sufficient sitting area and a proper desk. The floor to ceiling windows allowed maximum sunlight to enter and the blinds could be controlled automatically with a flick of a button. There was not much of a view though with the room facing the nearby Suntec City mall, and it definitely felt more spacious than the 63sqm that it claimed to be. If there was one word that I would use to describe the room, it would be that it is SOLID.
I also received a bottle of Prosecco, a fruit platter and a box of chocolates as my welcome amenity. Small touches like this make me make a conscious effort to stay loyal. There was also the usual Conrad teddy bear which I love collecting. Different Conrads around the world give different stuffed toys and over the years I have amassed 5 bears from Conrad Singapore, 4 elephants from Conrad Bangkok, and a monkey from Conrad Bali.
The bedroom was also very chic and featured an extremely high bed, which was surprisingly very comfortable. As usual there are no brand standards for the type of beds at Conrads, but I can put this bed as one of the top beds I have ever rested my head on. What is better is that there is an extensive pillow menu with over 15 different types of pillow for one to choose from. The bedroom had a slightly better view of the Fountain of Wealth, which is apparently the largest fountain in the world.
The toilet was gorgeous with marble tiling. There were two sinks, a tub, a toilet and a separate shower area. Toiletries were from Aromatherapy, which my mom absolutely adores. But one can easily request for more Shanghai Tang (my personal favourite), The Refinery or Tara Smith amenities over the phone. One thing I liked about the toilet was that they provided a loofah and bath salt, which tons of 5* properties do not. I mean how am I going clean my body without a loofah?
The room was amazing and I could see myself returning once the entire hotel has been refurbished. Out of curiosity I ask the Duty Manager who was explaining to me the features of the new room if I could visit the normal King Centennial Suite and she indulged me.
The room was as I expected, extremely dated as if it was stuck in the 90s. The colour scheme was weird and I cannot imagine it ever being relevant. I did not like how the colours were so contrasting with tons of brown, yellow, red and green. After a quick 5 minutes tour of the Hampton Inn-ish room, I was out of it and headed to the lounge for afternoon tea.
The spread included the typical scones, sandwiches, cakes and cold cuts. I like how it was a buffet spread since I could go for second and third helpings without feeling greedy. I then spent majority of my time there catching up on schoolwork.
Soon it was evening cocktails time and I was the first person there since I did not even leave. The spread could easily be serve as a meal replacement considering they had plenty of hot and cold selection. They used to serve Laurent Perrier and Haagen Daz ice-cream, but this was no longer available. What a downer, but I guess it is one of their cost cutting methods.
As usual I did not wake up for breakfast thanks to the extremely heavenly bed (sorry Westin, but I cannot think of another adjective to describe it). If there was one thing I wished the hotel could do, it would be to follow in the footsteps of Hyatt and provide room service for breakfast as part of the Diamond amenity. But then again, I am just being lazy here.
Overall Conrad Centennial Singapore met all my expectations and even exceeded it. The room was great and service was amazing. There was nothing that I could find fault with. This coupled with its excellent location and good value, I will be back for sure.