Hotel Chain and Loyalty Program
The hotel belongs to IHG – InterContinental Hotel Group. IHG Rewards, its loyalty program, is applied at the hotel.
Hotel lobby
My arrival to the hotel was in the later afternoon. The reception area is rather small but very stylish, heavily decorated in the traditional Chinese details. It reminds me one of those modern boutique hotels with lots of special details. The reception counter is a long old Chinese table. Interesting. The front office staff was very welcoming and polite, and my check-in process was smooth, fast and pleasant. My receptionist was doing her best to find my IHG Rewards number in the system as I couldn’t find my member number.
An iced coffee was offered to me during my check-in process as a welcome drink.
Location
The hotel is situated in Katong area, very quiet and modern residential area of the city in the midway between Changi airport and downtown. The street with traditional villas and mansions of wealthy Singaporean elite from the 19th to the beginning of 20th century where tasty restaurants and small shops are now, is just opposite the hotel property. It is just few minutes by walk to the beach and famous East Coast Park with plenty of seafood restaurants, and walk promenade. Changi airport is about 11km from the hotel, and approximately 15 minutes by taxi. The Merlion, a lion fountain, the symbol of Singapore in the downtown area is about 15 minutes to drive.
Room
The hotel has got more than 130 rooms on 15 floors. The first thing when I entered the room were colorful patterns and traditional art on every inch of the room. There is a comfortable king size bed with floral headboard and batik red pillows, a rattan-furniture sofa and coffee table, old fashioned large cabinet with glass doors with a kettle and a French press machine, a coffee and tea amenities inside and a minibar fridge inside. In the top of the cabinet, I found a display of an expensive local porcelain just like at many traditional local homes. A TV is mounted on the wall.
The bathroom is again – very stylish and colorful. The sink was an interesting ancient piece with a small blue basin but limited counter space, backlit mirror and the Singer sewing-machine base. There is also a chair and an separte basin for the feet hygiene. A shower corner is a separete part of the bathroom.
The size of the room is not too big. It is perfectly fine for a single traveler but two guests will not have too much space when staying at the hotel.
Restaurants and food
There is only one restaurant at the hotel called Baba Chews Bar & Eatery. It serves modern and traditional cuisine of Straits of Malacca. It is no wonder that the hotel has only one restaurant as there is plenty of other options to have a stunning Asian food in the nearby restaurants. An example is a small street eatery shop called 328 Katong Laksa located just across the street, a place famous for its laksa food visited and admired by celebrity chefs from around Asia and world, including Gordon Ramsay.
Leisure facilities
There is a swimming pool located on the roof of the building. It has a small area with bed and tables. A gym is just next to the swimming pool.
Verdict
Best for :
Colors, art, design
Don’t miss :
328 Katong Laksa eatery shop just opposite the hotel
Room price :
from 190,- EUR per night
Contact