GGuest UserI had a staycation at the Swissotel on a weekday night. Since it was quite late, check-in was smooth and fast.
I was given a city view premier (Standard) room on the 24th floor. The room was of an odd shape with a long corridor which reduced noise levels. Since the hotel is almost 40 years old now, the rooms are quite spacious, and I enjoyed sitting and relaxing on the large couch and had a great sleep on the wide king bed.
However, I did notice some very short strands of hair on the pillow even before I laid down, which makes me wonder if the pillowcase had been washed in between guests.
During the daytime, the warm sunlight lit up the surrounding colonial buildings well (CHIJMES, Raffles Hotel etc) and it made for great pictures that I managed to shoot from the balcony of the room.
Having stayed at the sister property-- Fairmont Hotel before, I was a little disappointed that the toiletries were of a seemingly ordinary brand, as opposed to LeLabo used at Fairmont which is usually similarly priced but more luxurious.
I feel that the minibar area can be upgraded, since currently it looks dark and rather out of place as compared to the rest of the well decorated room. Nespresso and TWG Tea were available, while oddly enough the minibar was empty. At the Fairmont for comparison, there is an overengineered but fully stocked minibar with sensors that will detect the drink leaving the fridge and exorbitant charges will be applied.
The room also felt slightly older - Some nicks on the wall, frames etc, as I learned that Swissotel was last renovated in 2019 while Fairmont was renovated slightly later. The USB-A ports also gave away the room's age. There seemed to be rather few charging plugs available for such a large room.
Location of the hotel is superb, with convenient transport downstairs via the MRT and it is easy to get a Grabcar. It is also connected to the shopper's paradise, Raffles City Shopping Mall.
Singapore faces an acute manpower shortage in the hotel and hospitality industry, but I never once felt service was an issue here. The reception and concierge were amply staffed, staff were friendly and could be seen proactively helping guests with their luggage. I also did not have to wait to check in/out.
There is a large gym on the property, raved about by other reviews, but I did not visit it since it is on the Fairmont side of the hotel [quite a walk away] and I got lost trying to find it.
Lastly, I could not resist visiting the Skai Restaurant which Swissotel is most known for since it is among the tallest restaurants in Singapore -- taller than Marina Bay Sands. It is located on the 70th floor of the hotel and I had a 3-course lunch there. Service was great as to be expected, but prices are steep - if you don't have the 30% Accor Plus discount. While the food was alright, the view was simply superb since it is unblocked on all sides. I would recommend visiting just for the view, but I heard that there could be a minimum order of 1 main course needed to enter.
Overall, nitpicking aside, the Swissotel is one of the better 5 star hotels in Singapore and a great choice for business travellers. Asides from the not so clean pillow I could not find any other major faults. However, since Fairmont and Swissotel are both usually similarly priced at $400+, and having stayed at both before, I would recommend the Fairmont over the Swissotel since it offers a slightly more luxurious experience for not that much more.
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