SIngapore Travel Guide
Tags: Celebrity Chefs / Singapore Hotels / Hotel Restaurants / Marina Bay Sands / → All Tags
Put This On Your Calendar: Chef Orgy at Marina Bay Sands Singapore, 2010
Yes, that is what the hotel of the future will look like.
Thought the hotels in Vegas had lined up some high-powered culinary talent? Think again. Next year, the big chefs head to Singapore for the opening of the $5.4 billion Marina Bay Sands Hotel. Launching with the hotel in 2010 will be six restaurants by powerhouse chefs from around the globe, transforming Singapore’s culinary scene overnight.
To call the Marina Bay Sands a hotel is a bit of a misnomer. Eventually, the complex developed by the Las Vegas Sands Corporation will include not only the hotel, but will also serve as "a launch pad for [Singapore’s] tourism industry" with three cascading hotel towers with 2,500 rooms along the waterfront, a spa, a convention center designed to accommodate up to 45,000 people, "floating" crystal pavilions, a lotus-inspired museum, retail store space featuring international luxury brands, and, as we just mentioned some pretty famous chef-driven restaurants.
Tags: Swissotels / Singapore Hotels / Marathon Hotels / → All Tags
Swissotel Gets Guests To Take The Stairs
Some people go on vacation to shop or relax by the pool. Some people go on vacation to run insanely up the stairs of their 73-storey hotel. And if you're staying at the Swissotel Stamford in Singapore in late November, you're likely to encounter some of the second type.
On Sunday November 22, at the much-too-early time of 7.00am, a bunch of people will begin the Swissotel Vertical Marathon 2009. This involves getting up to the top of the hotel the fastest, except taking the elevator doesn't count. The Men's Open and Women's Open champions will both win trips to New York – but not just to sightsee, they'll then compete in the similarly crazy Empire State Building Run-Up.
Tags: Raffles Hotels / Singapore Hotels / Hotel Deals / → All Tags
Raffles Singapore Turns 122, Gives Us (Complicated) Gifts
Not sure what the gift is for a 122nd anniversary? Neither are we, but the grand old dame that is the Raffles Hotel in Singapore has decided that for her 122nd anniversary, she's giving us guests a few bonuses instead.
Every deal is linked to the magic number, 122, and they run from now through to September 16. Usually $122 wouldn't get you much at the Raffles, but during the anniversary celebrations it can get you a lobster plus a glass of wine at the Raffles Courtyard restaurant, or a full three-course meal with a wine at the Long Bar Steakhouse – or a better deal, perhaps, lunch for two with two glasses of champagne. There's also a $122 spa promotion at the Raffles Amrita Spa and some bonuses in the gift shop.
So far, so good, but here's where it gets complicated (we think the marketing gang at the Raffles have too much time on their hands). Because the Raffles opened up in 1887 (yep, 122 years ago), you can get a further bonus if you have the digits "1887" in your passport or identity card. The bonus is that if you spend more than $122 at any Raffles restaurant, you can get $122 credit for a return visit. We're not exactly rushing off to check our passport for those magic digits but we hope at least a couple of guests figure out how to make use of this overly-complicated deal.
[Photo: Eustaquio Santimano]
Tags: Snapshot / Hotel Bathrooms / Hotel Design / Airport Hotels / → All Tags
Possibly the Worst Peekaboo Bathroom Yet
Last we checked, it seemed that nobody really enjoyed the whole "peekaboo" bathroom trend. This new seethrough-restroom thing that hotel designers seem to be into nowadays appears to appeal to very few of the folks who actually need to use these seethrough-restrooms, and having our jiggly bits displayed to our hotel room-mates — and, good lord, our private business exposed — does not particularly scream sex and sensuality. If there are places to forgo function for style, we think everyone is in agreement that the commode and body-cleaning area is not the place to do so.
But this one may be one of the worst we've seen: check out this snapshot of the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport in Singapore, dropped into the HotelChatter Flickr Pool by lyh1. Doesn't this sort of remind you of what would happen if an aquarium, a bathroom and one of those picture frames you used to make at summer camp (back when Hawaiian prints were super trendy, by the way) all got together and had a baby?
Tags: Hotel Deals / Singapore Hotels / → All Tags
Flying Singapore Airlines Scores You Singapore Hotel Rooms For $1
We'd like to say it's one of our eternal dilemmas, dahling: where in the world do we stop over when we're going on a super-long haul trip? Well at the moment, we're thinking Singapore — because, right now, we can stay there for $1.
If you're flying Singapore Airlines (and from what we've heard, we'd quite like to anyway), you can book the Fabulous Singapore Stopover package, which nets you a hotel for $1 per person for the first night of your stay.
The hotels aren't half bad; there are six to choose from at $1 (with 29 others in five other categories, if you're up for spending more), and we reckon the Peninsula Excelsior looks rather good for a buck (without the package, rooms go for around $94).
Tags: Hotel Openings / Capella Hotels / Singapore Hotels / Escape the Economy Hotels / Luxury Hotels / → All Tags
Capella Singapore Opens On a Pricey Note
A lousy economy filled with budget-aware travelers didn't keep the luxe high-end Capella Singapore on Sentosa from opening for business today.
Unlike another musically named, South East Asian hotel (Tune in Malaysia) Capella costs a lot more than a pretty penny. Room rates start at $750 Singapore dollars per night (which equals about $492 U.S. dollars)for rooms that are double in size than the average hotel room. Capella square-footage can reach well over 4,000-sq-ft.
Tags: Singapore Hotels / Fairmont Hotels / Hotel News / Raffles Hotels / → All Tags
Raffles Loses the Raffle For Singapore Hotel
You can't chew gum or smoke in Singapore, but apparently the Raffles The Plaza can smoothly switch over to become the Fairmont Singapore without so much as a peep. Not only has this iconic property traded hands, but Fairmont is claiming the 769-room hotel as the flagship for their brand.
Named as among the Top 500 Hotels in the World in 2008 by Travel + Leisure, the old Raffles went through a smooth transition to the new Fairmont as their brand is actually owned by Fairmont — how incestuous. The change has brought more than new stationery; room rates have dropped slightly from an average of $210 under Raffles to $180 as the Fairmont. For travelers headed to Asia in this economy, any little lower difference matters, and so we couldn't be happier with the rebrand.
[Image: Fairmont Hotels]
Tags: Hotel Contests / Ibis Hotels / Singapore Hotels / Hotel Openings / → All Tags
You Can Pay Whatever You Like at the Singapore Ibis
Because we can never pass up an opportunity to insert at TI lyric into the headline.
We're starting to believe that there has never been as good of a time than right now to be a hotel guest. Hotels are bending over backwards trying to entice you to their hotels. Since guests only care about price these days, hotels are trying to lessen the sticker shock we've experienced over the past years by offering insane crazy deals.
Like the British hotels that are offering rooms for a pound and Last Minute Travel's hotel rooms for $1, the soon-to-open Singapore Ibis is allowing guests to pay whatever they like for their hotel room.
Rooms at the Singapore Ibis, a member of the chain with the same name, normally start at 138 Singapore dollars ($92) but, as part of a promotional campaign ahead of its Feb. 12 opening, guests can log onto a website (www.paywhatyouwant.com.sg) to put in the price they want to pay for a limited time each day.
The hotel is also offering you a chance to win a four-night stay with two return airfares to Singapore. All you have to do is play some virtual game where you test your skills as a general manager. We signed up for the whole gig but unfortunately we were outside of the sale time today.
In all the "Pay What You Want" excitement we forgot to even look at what will be in the hotel. Turns out all the rooms will have free WiFi, 22" LCD TVs and large bay windows. But the rooms will be fairly small--about 215-sq.ft. Downstairs, the TASTE restaurant downstairs will serve Asian Tapas and The Bar will serve, wait for it, drinks. So how much would you pay to stay here?
Tags: HotelChatter Flickr Pool / Singapore Hotels / Hotel Beds / → All Tags
The Beds at the Fullerton Hotel Are a Let Down for One Guest
Thanks to Flickr Member YY for dropping this photo of a room at the Fullerton Hotel in Singapore into our HotelChatter Flickr Pool. And double-thanks for letting us know about the bed sitch:
The double bed is actually 2 single beds put together, so one cannot really sleep on the center of the bed. And as you can imagine the size of the room from the width in the photo, very tiny.
Another Flickr commenter asked YY exactly what we were thinking, "I thought Fullerton Hotel in Singapore is 5 star?" To which YY replied, "Yes, it is 5-star, but the room are not better than other 5-star hotels." Ouch.
To be fair, lots of European hotels seemingly push two beds together to make one giant one. But we can understand the let down here at a five-star hotel. This looks like a Post Master room which is the lowest room category. For a better experience, we say book one of the suites.
Also, according to TripAdvisor reviews, the service seems to be spot on so perhaps a ride in one of the two Rolls Royces at the hotel would make things all better?
Tags: Hotel Spas / Hyatt Hotels / Singapore Hotels / → All Tags
Grand Hyatt Singapore Opens a New Spa; Already Makes Us Sleepy
The Grand Hyatt Singaporehas opened a swank new spa, called Damai, which means "peace" in Malay and Indonesian.
Above is an image of the couples' treatment room. Kinky. Like the rest of the hotel, the spa's decor features carved stone artwork and lots of illuminated wood. The hotel calls it a:
A modern lifestyle club guiding you on a personal journey to discover your own path to peace, serenity, and complete well being.
We don't know if it's the verbose marketing copy, but we're already half-asleep. The spa fuses ancient Chinese, Malay, and European treatment and meditation techniques into its services. Yup, we're almost on our way to sleepland but this bit perks us up.
One would assume that all that self-improvement comes with a price tag. But at $75 Singapore dollars for a half-hour massage (about $50 USD), we can feel at peace with our spirits and our wallets.
Tags: Singapore Hotels / Women Only / → All Tags
Sorry Men: Ladies Only at One Floor of Naumi, Singapore
With plenty of women here at HotelChatter, we're not afraid of a women-only floor in a hotel: we embrace it. Thumbs up to Singapore's boutique Naumi Hotel who recently launched their dedicated ladies-only floor, saying they're giving travelin' gals "a sense of security and privacy in luxurious surroundings".
Most of the guests on the women's floor are either businesswomen or shoppers, and it's been 80% full since it opened. As well as men being banned from this zone, there are a few treats for the women who stay here including:
In-room cosmetics such as make-up remover, toner and aromatherapy products from all-natural Australian brand Aesop and pink and gray flowery wallpaper.
Sounds good to us. Naumi currently has a City Escapes rate of S$290 (just over US$200) a night--that's valid whether you're on the ladies-only floor or not, so no complaints please, men. Oh, and by the way: it's got an infinity pool you could really get to love.
[Photo: dxbtravel36]
Tags: Interviews / General Managers / Singapore Hotels / Luxury Hotels / Historic Hotels / → All Tags
The Fullerton Hotel Singapore :: Old On the Outside But New On the Inside
Today we're hotel-chatting with Louis Sailer, General Manager of the Fullerton Hotel in Singapore. This month the hotel is gearing up for the Formula 1 Grand Prix on September 28 which will speed by the hotel on its course. The race is going to be the world's first night-time race and will surely be a sight to see. But if you can't get to Singapore later this month, the Fullerton is still going to be there. In fact, it's been there since 1928 but not as a hotel. Keep reading to find out more.
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