Good hotel, expensive thought
by TripAdvisor Member happyemailer
Good location (right on Orchard Road, the main shopping street).
Good size hotel - very international feel.
Good facilities - the pool in particular was great, openair.
If you can, take advantage of the executive floor. Breakfast and evening cocktails had decent snacks too.
Its expensive though, and in my trip others recommended the nearby Meridien as being better value.
Also, since flights back to the UK are light night - you'll have to budget 50% day rate simple to stay between midday (normal checkout) and 7pm. After that - its another full day !
Not what I expected from a Marriot
by TripAdvisor Member travelbugabbd
We only stayed at the Singapore Marriot for one night and I would not stay there again. The rooms were small, and the service could have been better. This was an average hotel that was very expensive. We stayed here because we tend to like most Marriot properties and had heard good things but it left much to be desired!
Big Mistake
by TripAdvisor Member Faithful_Suitcase
Recently I took a trip to the Philippines and had stopovers in Singapore in both directions.
During the first stopover I stayed at the Shangri-La and out of curiousity and comparison sake, I wanted to stay somewhere different on the way back. I chose the Marriott over the Oriental solely because of location and the availability of a particular room.
Big mistake.
Although I booked and stayed in the Tang Sok Kiar Suite, (supposedly the best room in the place), it was like eating at McDonalds after dining at the best restaurant you can think of but having to pay double for the McDonalds meal than you did the fancy one.
Check-In/Check-Out
Booked airport transfer with the hotel and was picked up in a vehicle not as nice as the luxury taxi's you can get from the airport for S$35. Car dropped us at the front entrance of the hotel and had to fight throught the intense Friday night crowd on the street just to get into the hotel. Noticed later there are two back entrances right next to the reception. Why on earth wouldn't they use these????
Although advertised online and in the room itself, the in-room check-in didn't exist as the guy and girl checking me in confused themselves for 15 minutes. It got worse when I enquired about a late checkout on the day I was leaving, like this had never been requested before and they didn't know what to do. If you book executive/club rooms/suites with other top-end hotels, (Oriental, Shangri-La) a late check-out (up to 8pm) is just part of the room. Not so here, I was informed if I wanted the room past 12noon I had to pay the whole day rate. Since I wanted the room until 7ish I reluctantly agreed. I found out on check-out when the girl at the desk asked why I was leaving early, that I could've paid a half-day rate if I had checked out by 6, but since it was 7:30, "I have no choice but to charge the entire day rate". Nice! My own fault for not pressing the issue, but if I'm paying S1200/night I shouldn't have to "press" anything.
Room
The room was a little isolated which is good & bad, depending on how you look at it. Very modernly furnished. Although for a suite it was slightly smallish, (about half the size of a suite in the Shangri-La Valley Wing). Patio area was nice although not quiet as it is on the front corner of the hotel, (Junction of Scotts&Orchard). So you get noise without view. The private plunge pool was actually bigger than I expected but also unheated. Even for someone such as myself who relishes cool water splashes.......it took over 15 minutes to get acclimated to the temperature. Not really what you're looking for if you want to come and relax after a busy day of shopping.
Restaurants/Food
Only ate in the outdoor bar on the side of the hotel and this was only once. Never had breakfast since when I asked at check-in, it was explained to me that I had three options of being delivered to my room, none of which inspired me. No mention of an executive room or breakfast room. Pool bar/grill was closed 2 out of the three nights I was there for weddings. Chinese restaurant was also closed one night I was there. After eating at The Line in the Shangri-La, the buffet in the lobby restaurant looked outright pathetic. Plenty of other otions close though as you're right on Orchard road and in Singapore!
Service
Since Singapore is renowned for service, this was the biggest disappointment. Already mentioned the check-in debacle. I still don't know where the executive lounge is despite asking.
On the Saturday evening I had an appointment so I called the "at your service" number first thing in the morning to request a hotel car for 6pm. The girl told me "no problem" and I was off for a day of shopping, etc. I got back a little late so I rushed up for a shower and a change then headed back to reception to ask about my car. They pointed me across the lobby to consierge/luggage desk, which pointed me out to the front where the taxi rank was. When I said, "No, I called requesting a car so it should be booked" the guy started shuffling some papers, confused. Then a girl came up and asked if I was the gentleman that called earlier in the day for a car at six. I breathed a sigh of relief and said yes.....she then pointed towards the front and said "Ok, just go stand in the taxi rank and our doorman will get you a taxi" [--]!?!? So, quietly unimpressed, I went out to the cab rank only to find out luckily there were ONLY 7 other hotel guests in the line as well and it ONLY took 20 minutes to get a car. Luckily I had planned to be there early.
Sunday night I went downstairs to the bar for a drink which is a cool little place although all of the tables seem to be reserved. They had a comedy/drag show on which was good. When I went back upstairs around 1am I was informed that the lifts weren't working. When I offered to take the stairs the guy told me that wasn't an option and that we had to take the service lift. I found out the next day they had a water pipe/leak problem that shut down the lifts and soaked all the stairs/carpets from the fifth floor down. I feel sorry for people in the rooms affected. Getting back to the service lift thing........I'm thinking if I'm supposed to be a high-end hotel the very very LAST thing I want is to give my customers unscheduled tours of the lobby restaurant/bar/room service kitchen in order to get them to a service elevator. The fact an establishment this large doesn't have a better contingency/access blew me away and after seeing the state of the kitchen, prevented me from eating there again.
Since I was leaving later Monday evening and wanted transfer arranged I had learned from my previous dealings with the "concierge". I stopped in early SUNDAY evening to the front desk and asked that a airport transfer be arranged. When the girl asked is I wanted a taxi or the luxury taxi, (didn't even offer the hotel option which I wouldn't have taken anyways), I opted for a luxury taxi thinking they'd have to book it in advance AND opted to have it charged directly to my room, (had to sign a piece of paper and everything!), so i would have some sort assurance it would be booked. Then, not taking anything else for granted, stopped by the "concierge" desk at 3PM on the Monday, confirming if the booking had been made. To no surprise, it had not yet been booked and I sat and waited while the guy called to book the car in my presence.
All in all, I wouldn't stay here again even if I didn't know there were better options and I definitely wouldn't recommend it to anyone else. The only thing this place has is location, but the Shangri-La is only a 10 minute walk away and there is no comparison.
Photos
My friends in front of Singapore Marriott hotel
Forum Posts
Hotels Near Shaw Centre
by nazizma
Hi,
Could you recommend some family-friendly hotels within walking distance of Shaw Centre on Orchard Road?
Will be staying there mid-to-end December.
Thanks
Re: Hotels Near Shaw Centre
by DarkRay
All the hotels in the area are 5 star hotels and they all seem family friendly to me. The nearest hotels, Marriott (http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/sindt-singapore-marriott-hotel), Royal Plaza on Scotts (http://www.royalplaza.com.sg) and Grand Hyatt (http://singapore.grand.hyatt.com) all have family rooms as far as I recall.
Royal Plaza on Scotts serves a good international buffet at Carousel and Grand Hyatt's Straits Kitchen serves a local buffet feature famous Singapore dishes in a nice more upmarket restaurant setting.
Just my 2 cents.... :-)
Re: Hotels Near Shaw Centre
by tifosay
Hi there,
Most of the hotels along/near Orchard Road are 5* graded. Of course, they do have family-friendly facilities. Near Shaw Centre is the Orchard MRT station and this will greatly help you with your transportation. Many of the shopping malls are along Orchard Road and you'll have to spend a few days to walk through all of them. Have fun
Tien from S'pore.
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