Hotel review: Conrad Centennial Singapore

Right after my sort-of-mattress-run at the Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium, I checked into the Conrad Centennial, Singapore, for a 3-nights stay. I wanted to see if the rumour, that certain expired Hilton HHonors promotions were still posting, was true, and that required staying at either Conrad or Waldorf-Astoria hotels. Thanks to a client who was liberal with the kind of expense such a stay would normally entail, I was able to book this stay.

The hotel is located across the road from Suntec City, one of Singapore's largest retail destinations and exhibition/conference spaces. 


As a Hilton HHonors Diamond member, I was given a "2-level upgrade" from the base room that I'd booked, to a high-floor (one level) and to the executive floor with lounge access (second level). Sadly, no suite.

Conrad Cenetennial Singapore lobby

I didn't understand the artwork at the check-in desk, nor the art structures in the lobby, but we'll leave it at that!

Conrad Cenetennial Singapore check-in desk artwork

Because I reached the hotel around 3 pm, and hadn't had lunch, it was perfect that the afternoon tea service was underway at the executive lounge on the 31st floor. So I went there first. The tea service is available every day, between 2 and 5 pm.

After that, I headed down to my room on the 29th floor. 

Conrad Centennial Singapore - View from room entrance

The bedroom was quite spacious, not what I was expecting in a place like Singapore (I guess I had Hong Kong type expectations on my mind).

 Conrad Centennial Singapore - bedroom


 Conrad Centennial Singapore - work desk

 Conrad Centennial Singapore - flatscreen TV and radio
 Conrad Centennial Singapore - couch

The room had some pretty good views, to be honest.


 Conrad Centennial Singapore - view from the room - The Fullerton Hotel and Merlion

And I did like the pralines - the one on the extreme right is chili flavoured!


 Conrad Centennial Singapore - In-room amenities - fruit and pralines


 Conrad Centennial Singapore - bed


Conrad Centennial Singapore - view of neighbouring hotels - Pan Pacific and Marina Mandarin

I recalled the Fairmont from my previous visit in 2009. You can see it at the extreme right of the picture below.

Conrad Centennial Singapore - View of Padang, old Supreme Court, Swissotel and Fairmont


 Conrad Centennial Singapore - bedroom


 Conrad Centennial Singapore - Coffee maker

The minibar was rather well stocked too.


 Conrad Centennial Singapore - Minibar


 Conrad Centennial Singapore - Minibar

This hotel has some of the largest bathrooms I've seen in a while.

 Conrad Centennial Singapore - Bathroom


 Conrad Centennial Singapore - Bathroom


Conrad Centennial Singapore - Bathroom


 Conrad Centennial Singapore - Ducky!


 Conrad Centennial Singapore - Toilet

There was even a separate shower cubicle.


 Conrad Centennial Singapore - Shower cubicle


 Conrad Centennial Singapore - Hallway

 Conrad Centennial Singapore - Storage


 Conrad Centennial Singapore - Storage


 Conrad Centennial Singapore - Bath robe



Conrad Centennial Singapore - Stuffed toy!

Breakfast at the Executive lounge

I was determined to try out the executive lounge for breakfast, which is exactly what I did on the first 2 mornings of my stay.


The selection was rather limited, but more than sufficient for both quick and leisurely breakfasts. And if you get a table by the window, you can spend a good hour just enjoying the views.

 Conrad Centennial Singapore Executive Lounge breakfast


  Conrad Centennial Singapore Executive Lounge breakfast - view outside


  Conrad Centennial Singapore Executive Lounge breakfast - view of the lounge


  Conrad Centennial Singapore Executive Lounge breakfast - OJ and coffee


  Conrad Centennial Singapore Executive Lounge breakfast - breads and bakes


  Conrad Centennial Singapore Executive Lounge breakfast - fresh fruit


 Conrad Centennial Singapore Executive Lounge breakfast - fruit compotes

 Conrad Centennial Singapore Executive Lounge breakfast - cheeses, yogurts

  Conrad Centennial Singapore Executive Lounge breakfast - cereals


  Conrad Centennial Singapore Executive Lounge breakfast - sausages, bacon, hash browns


  Conrad Centennial Singapore Executive Lounge breakfast - Eggs and sausages


  Conrad Centennial Singapore Executive Lounge breakfast - Miso and Laksa


  Conrad Centennial Singapore Executive Lounge breakfast - Asian buns


  Conrad Centennial Singapore Executive Lounge breakfast - bread basket

Just remember not to order eggs at the executive lounge. They don't have a live kitchen, so stuff gets prepared at the ground floor kitchens. Food can take up to 20 minutes to arrive, and will usually be quite cold by then.

Breakfast at the coffee shop

The last morning of my stay, I decided to try out breakfast at the restaurant, Oscar's. The early hour meant very few guests, but also low lighting, which explains the quality of these pictures.

 Conrad Singapore - Breakfast at Oscar


  Conrad Singapore - Breakfast at Oscar


  Conrad Singapore - Breakfast at Oscar

 Conrad Singapore - Breakfast at Oscar - Asian section

  Conrad Singapore - Breakfast at Oscar

  Conrad Singapore - Breakfast at Oscar - live egg counter

  Conrad Singapore - Breakfast at Oscar - mixed cuisines

  Conrad Singapore - Breakfast at Oscar - mixed cuisines

  Conrad Singapore - Breakfast at Oscar - Asian

  Conrad Singapore - Breakfast at Oscar - Indian and continental

  Conrad Singapore - Breakfast at Oscar - fruit

  Conrad Singapore - Breakfast at Oscar - yogurts

  Conrad Singapore - Breakfast at Oscar - cold cuts, meats

  Conrad Singapore - Breakfast at Oscar - cheeses

  Conrad Singapore - Breakfast at Oscar - bakery products

  Conrad Singapore - Breakfast at Oscar - bakery and assorted

 Conrad Singapore - Breakfast at Oscar - ice creams and desserts!

Overall, I had a great room with wonderful views, and enjoyed pretty decent breakfast offerings. And the internet speeds were good.

I did have a specific issue with the pillows in the room, which were way too soft for my liking. I tried reaching the housekeeping team but got no response on the phone. So I informed the front desk of my request for firmer pillows. A few hours later, when I asked them if this was taken care of (I'd gone out of the hotel during the day), they were quite nonchalant about it and said something like "Maybe housekeeping has done it. I don't know." I found that quite a let down for a brand like the Conrad.

Overall, I think the hard product of the room was perfectly fine. On the services side - and it could've been the pillow issue (it probably is) - I didn't get the same feeling of warmth and hospitality at the Conrad, as I did at the Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium. 

Readers: Have you stayed at this hotel? What are your thoughts, views or feedback? Let us know in the comments section below.

Comments

  1. singapore airport hotelJune 12, 2016 at 11:17 AM

    Thanks to a the author who posted this. a stay in the hotel would normally entail, I am now able to book this stay as soon as I will get there.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Le Meridien Etoile, Paris

Image
I checked out of the Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile yesterday morning, and checked into the Le Meridien Etoile, just around the corner from the Hyatt, in the evening after a day's sightseeing. Hyatt was kind enough to hold my bags for the duration of the day (which is a surprise in today's world of terror threats), and I'm grateful to them for that. The Le Meridien has standard and chic rooms as two of their base category rooms. As I mentioned in the introduction post, I booked a chic room on an award. Here's a review of the hotel and room, but not breakfast (that didn't come with the room, and we planned to head to the airport a little early in any case). Index of posts Bonjour Paris: Introduction and summary of posts Review: Chennai to Colombo on Sri Lankan A320 regional business class Review: Serendib Lounge, CMB airport Review: Colombo to Paris on Sri Lankan A330-200 international business class Review: Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile Review: Le Meridien Etoile, Paris Re...
Read more

Hotel review: Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium

Image
As part of my recent business visit to Singapore, I spent an extra night there just so I could catch up with friends, some of whom I haven't met in over a decade. And because I needed one more stay to qualify for the bonus under IHG's Accelerate 2016 promotion , and also simultaneously earn a few more IHG Rewards Club bonus points under the Book Direct promotion, I decided I was going to spend the extra night at an IHG hotel. Luckily for me, just hours before my flight to Singapore, I was able to get a rate of SG$150++ a night, which is a fantastic rate for Singapore, especially for a booking as late as mine was. However, I had received mixed reviews when I sought inputs from my Singapore-based friends, and so I decided that I would have a dekko at this myself. I had already been in touch with the hotel (even before my booking was done), to check if they were able to offer me early check in (official check in time is 3 pm, and my flight was to land at 9 am). They said they...
Read more

The week that was - 23 October 2016

Image
Hello from Paris, where my business-and-vacation trip is coming to a close. Vinay is in KUL on work, an Sam has been largely incommunicado. And I've had a fabulous week in Paris, the weather being fantastic (coming here from a rather long Indian summer)!!! Meanwhile, here's a round up of the week that was - a summary of posts on this blog as also other things travel, aviation, points and miles that we found interesting.Hope you had a great week, and here's wishing you the very best in the next one! Paris trip reports Here are the reports I've published so far, from my Paris visit. Bonjour Paris: Introduction and summary of posts Review: Chennai to Colombo on Sri Lankan A320 regional business class Review: Serendib Lounge, Colombo airport Review: Colombo to Paris on Sri Lankan A330-200 international business class Review: Hyatt Regency Paris Etoile Review: Le Meridien Etoile, Paris Airline news and offers Here's how your travel to, from or via Mumbai could be affect...
Read more