As much as I love my business hotels, I appreciate boutique ones as well. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay at the Intercontinental Singapore, which had subtle Peranakan influence. It was different from the usual Intercontinental hotels, which I have come to expect with every stay, and I like to experience something new every once in a while.
After that stay, I went online to check out IHG’s offerings in Singapore and that was when I found another gem in the Hotel Indigo Singapore Katong. Hotel Indigo is IHG’s answer to SPG’s W Hotels, Hyatt’s Andaz, Marriott’s Autograph Collection and Hilton’s Curio Collection. Each property is designed to reflect the culture, character and history of its surrounding neighborhoods with many of them housed in converted buildings.
Hotel Indigo Singapore Katong, which was opened in June last year, infuses the heritage and character of the Katong neighborhood into its décor and design. The Peranakan influence here is definitely stronger than that at the Intercontinental Singapore and one can experience the property’s cultural charm right from the moment you step into the lobby. The patterned floor tiles, the old school check in desk, the 1960s kiosk that is suppose to represent a “mama shop” and a “living area” with plenty of seating that features colourful lanterns and chinaware. It really feels as though I was transported back into the 1960s.
I was allocated the King Deluxe room on the 8th floor and was blown away when I stepped in. The view I had of Katong was amazing because all the shophouses were 2-3 stories. Even though it was the most basic category, it was decently sized coming in at 30sqm. It should be noted that there are no suites in this property. There are only 12 premier rooms with a tub attached. Size wise, there are no difference.
Immediately to the right of the room was the bathroom and the cupboard was on the left. Personally, I did not like the design of the room with the shower and the toilet in 2 separate locations because it did not seem practical to me.
Further into the room was a carom table, a sofa and a minibar cupboard that is modeled after a traditional porcelain display cabinet. Traditional snacks like the White Rabbit sweets, tea and coffee were provided free of charge, which was a really nice touch. These are the snacks that I ate growing up so it was definitely nostalgic to re-live my childhood again. Even though there was so much going on in the room, one thing that caught my eye was the mural of Singapore in the olden days that was adorned on the wall.
The bed was very comfortable which provided me a very good sleep. I have yet to experience a bed in a chained hotel that I find uncomfortable.
The other end of the room featured the shower and vanity area. Eye-popping coloured motifs separate the bedroom from the bathroom. The enamel wash basin sits on a SINGER sewing machine table, which reminds me a lot like the one that my grandmother owns. There was a spittoon that serves as a rubbish bin and a basin, which comes along with bath salts. I love how they offered those “Good Morning” towels from back in the days and "rooster" mugs at the sink. It really got me reminiscing about the old days where I actually used all of these in real life, whilst staying at my grandparent's.
The infinity pool was amazing, but reminded me a lot of the pool at Aloft Bangkok thanks to the glass panels. The pool was relatively empty the entire time I was there.
The Hotel Indigo, Katong is also close to plenty of great dining options, which are walking distance away. I had dinner at a Mookata place right across the hotel before having icecream at the Birds of Paradise ice-cream parlour. As usual I could not wake up for breakfast the next day.
Overall the hotel is a solid A+. If I were to rank it like how Donald Trump rank his girls, this would be a 9/10. (Just for comparison, the Hilton which I stayed earlier this year would be a 6/10) From check in till the moment I checked out I was never let down. The hardware and the software of the property was outstanding. For the price point I definitely derived maxim satisfaction from the stay. Other than the fact that the hotel is rather inaccessible (via MRT), everything else was amazing. I could definitely see myself coming back in the near future.