Hotel Review: 24 Hours in pure luxury at The Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
- Anson
- Feb 17, 2020
- 6 min read
Updated: Mar 3, 2020
Private check-in, Champagne, Freshly shucked oysters and a panoramic view of the Marina Bay Area. My 1 night stay at the Mandarin Oriental, Singapore has been pure luxury.
As a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite guest, I often default to Marriott properties due the complimentary lounge access, upgrades & late check-out etc. However, I have always wanted to stay at The Mandarin.
The hotel, known for its luxury service and prime location, attained the Forbes 5 Stars for hotel and spa for their ninth consecutive year in 2020. With numerous accolades and people swearing by the brand, I knew I had to stay there when i had the chance.
Check-in
When we arrived, we were assisted by a dedicated staff manning the entry and exit points, checking our temperatures and offering us hand sanitizers as a safety precaution due to the Coronavirus outbreak happening now. It was comforting to know that the hotel has various measures in place to ensure the health and safety of the guests.
We were then checked-in by Ee May in the lobby at about 1817Hrs. We were extremely delighted when she informed us that we had received an upgrade to the Junior Suite which offered an amazing view of the Ocean and Marina Bay area. She then verified our room rate, type and package inclusions before taking a security deposit on our credit card and then asking us to sign on the digital screen in front of us. Ee May then offered to show us to our room which we politely declined. The entire check-in process was quick and prompt and Ee May remained professional throughout.
Room
For this stay, we stayed at the Ocean Grand room (53sqm with a balcony) that offered Club Access on one of the highest floors of the hotel. We were informed that there was only 1 of this room type on every floor and that it was a corner room which allowed for the view of both the Ocean (Singapore Flyer area) and the Marina Bay (Marina Bay Sands). The room was absolutely spectacular. From the vintage marble design of the toilet flooring to the floor to ceiling windows in the bedroom, the room felt incredibly luxurious. Not only that, the bed was extremely comfortable and soft, unlike some other hotels where it can feel slightly plastic. The bed was more comfortable than the one I had at home. Furthermore, as I had put a note on the reservation that this stay would be in celebration of a friend’s birthday, we had some amazing amenities set up in the room, namely a bottle of wine from The Mandarin Oriental Private collection, a basket of hot tea (Which was surprisingly still hot), a box of chocolates, a fruit platter as well as a mini birthday cake together with a peg board that said “Happy Birthday” laid neatly with some balloons on the bed. I was not expecting this considering that this was my first stay with the Mandarin and the fact that they only had a membership program called “Fans of MO” which all guests can register to take part in without having any prerequisite. The amenities I received were equivalent to one that I would have received if I was a Hyatt Globalist or Marriott Ambassador.
This was a testament to the Mandarin’s service and the attention to detail (considering that I literally only wrote 2 words “birthday celebration” on my booking lol). One downside to the room that we stayed at was the lighting. When the sun set, the room was rather dim as there were not many ceiling lights installed. Although a part of me acknowledges that this may have been intentional as the dimly lit room just makes the view from the full sized windows even more breathtaking.
The Oriental Club Lounge
As it was cocktail hour when we arrived, we proceeded to the lounge where we were seated and offered drinks, including free flow champagne. The lounge, facing the city, spans half the 19th floor and is considerably one of the largest Club Lounges in Singapore. With 2 bathrooms, 2 boardrooms and plenty of tables, the lounge never felt overcrowded (contrary to how I mostly feel when in lounges across Marriott’s network) due to the fact that The Mandarin does not have a loyalty program which includes lounge access. Sipping my glass of champagne and enjoying the food (which you could tell were of a higher quality than membership lounges) with the likes of a lobster salad, some takoyaki and yakitori sticks with the attendant Matthew coming by ever so often refilling our glass of champagne, I felt like royalty.
Usually, despite having access to the club, I would always choose to dine at the main buffet restaurant. However, I knew the Oriental Club was different, and I was right. Upon arrival, we were warmly greeted and escorted to the table. We were presented a menu and was offered coffee, tea or champagne to start. Obviously, I chose champagne.
After all, that was the selling point of having breakfast at the Oriental Club. I proceeded to order some items from the menu (apart from the selection of buffet items) which you could tell were cooked on the spot, as it took about 5 to 10 minutes before my pipping hot orders were served to me.
Princes and Matthew were extremely warm and welcoming.
They came by every few minutes with the bottle of Ruinart, refilling my glass of champagne. They even offered some berries to go alongside the champagne. Never once did I have to ask for a second glass. After dining at the Oriental Club for breakfast, I was so satisfied that I did not even go down to the buffet restaurant for a second meal.
In the afternoon, I decided to drop by the Oriental Club again for afternoon tea. We requested for some sparkling water and proceeded to take some
light bites from the counter (which by the way changes every day). Shortly while we were eating we were surprised by the staff at the Club Lounge with another birthday cake! We were absolutely delighted to receive a 2nd delicious birthday cake
(Apart from the one in the room) from the staff. It is evident that all the staff here at the Mandarin pay great attention to their guests’ profile.
Room Service
At about 2330Hrs, we phoned the 24hrs room service (Not as usual as you’d think, most room service stops at 2300Hrs) and the call was picked up within 2 rings. We were warmly greeted by Roselle who addressed me by name which made me feel extremely appreciated. We asked for a bucket of ice and an extra wine glass. Roselle then confirmed if the ice was for drinking or to chill, and whether the glass was for champagne, red or white wine. Once again, exemplifying the Mandarin’s focus on the luxury guest experience. Within 5 minutes, the room service attendant Hui Ee arrived and was extremely professional. She smiled and addressed me before confirming if I requested for the items and politely asked if she could enter to place the items. As we had rejected turn down service earlier, Hui Ee brought up a box of chocolates for turn down and neatly placed it on the table. Hui Ee politely asked if there was anything else she could assist us with before leaving the room.
Special Touches
As we had late check-out arranged for our stay, we realized that house-keeping had made up our room while we were at the lounge. What was really impressive was that they had folded our clothes, arranged the wires neatly and tied them with a velcro strip, as well as replaced the room with an additional bottle of water as we had finished the other bottle the previous night, can you get more detailed than that?
Conclusion
Marking the end of my 24 hours of luxury, I couldn’t bear to leave. Everything from start to the end was either perfect or of exceptional standard. The only underwhelming experience was the billing process when we tried to pay for our dinner after we had checked out, although Izni from the front office was quick to offer her assistance in resolving the issue. Apart from that, the entire stay has been fantastic and I am looking forward to my next stay at the Mandarin, and this time in Bangkok.
*From now until 29 February 2020 book a stay at the Mandarin through us (chat/email) to receive the following exclusive rate:-
Deluxe room (Guaranteed upgrade to either Ocean/Marina Bay View room) @ SS$308++ (Originally worth up to S$599++)
Rate includes:-
- Daily buffet breakfast for 2 persons
- Complimentary late check-out till 6pm
- Complimentary upgrade mentioned above
*Rate is only valid for stays by 31 March 2020
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