A surprise giftaway that I won from Traveloka from making a killer The Fullerton Hotel Singapore booking a week ago leads to another staycation, making this the 10th unique property that I visited in Singapore. This time around, I will be checking out M Social, a trendy and unique lifestyle property that endears the millennials with their loft style rooms and glass panels. This being slightly out of the norm of the hotels that I would usually stay at. Usually I will haunt for luxury chain hotels and slightly more upscale ones, especially those with a club lounge. Under the Millennium & Copthorne group they also have a similar concept sister hotel just a few blocks away, known as Studio M. M Social is located in the quaint Robertson Quay enclave with numerous surrounding restaurants, cafes and bars. But I do have to say that the hotel lack immediate public transport options. The nearest MRT, Fort Canning Station on the Downtown Line is a good 15-20 mins walk away and that isn’t ideal in Singapore sweltering heat. Complimentary parking are not provided for inhouse guests as well and parking cost a bomb.
Booking Process & Pre Arrival
Given how I have already splurge on numerous staycations over this past few months “Quote mid four figures”! I do not want the voucher to go to waste given that it expires at the end of February. Checking out the rates, two hotels caught my eye and falls within my budget. Between Orchard Hotel, I choose M Social instead. The rates I saw on Traveloka for a last minute stay comes up to 107 SGD Nett. After the 75 SGD voucher I had won and stacking on a 20% discount for payment with a DBS / POSB card, I paid 10.72 SGD out of pocket! What a heck of a deal! This hands down makes it the cheapest stay in my entire life! Yes, it is just a room without breakfast or lounge or anything but still, 10 bucks! That is unbelievable! M Social have a total of 293 rooms across 5 categories. They are basically the same. Room are separated into two main groups, normal rooms known as Alcove or Loft rooms. Do not expect bathtubs at this hotel.
| Rooms | Bathtub | Size | No. of Rooms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alcove Cosy | No | 19 Sqm | 200 |
| Alcove Terrace | No | 19 Sqm | 13 |
| Loft Gallery | No | 22 Sqm | 36 |
| Loft Premier | No | 22 Sqm | 36 |
| Loft Terrace | No | 22 Sqm | 8 |
Checking In
I wasn’t given any information prior to my stay or received any pre arrival email. But thankfully I saw on the hotel website that we are invited to make a reservation for check in slots. This is probably for staggering purposes. It applies to third party bookings as well, like mine. I managed to select the 12 – 12.30pm slot. I am unsure if my room will be ready then or I will still have to wait till the usual check in timing after registration. I arrive at around 12.30pm and was glad that my room is ready. M Social have a rather discreet driveway and lobby area. It is located in a far end of a small street surrounded by residential buildings. Due to the currently situation, there is a registration desk at the entrance by the outdoor area.
The actual lobby is chic and small. There isn’t any kind of seating inside as well. I can’t say that the bright neon pink lighting and decor is my kind of thing. I do get the vibe that they are trying to project. There are two check in desks and two kiosk for automated check in. Personalized human interaction is not something that this hotel is looking to stress on here. Check in was a breeze and I was just handed over the key card without mentioning of any details after a deposit was taken. I have to inquire about the pool, gym and the check out timing. It is weird that my request for a late check out was denied and I was told to check again the next day before departing. This is in spite of the low occupancy on Mon tomorrow. Finally, I got it extended to 12pm on the day of departure, it was stressed that this is the latest.
Alcove Cosy Queen Room
My room is located on the 6th floor, I was assigned room 671, a short walk away from the lift. Keeping in mind with the “cosy” theme of the hotel, the corridors were narrow as well. Despite this, the hotel still manage to squeeze in 22 rooms into a floor! Upon entering, the entire room is within view and apparent to you in one look. With the rooms measuring a petite 19 sqm, the only salvation and highlight of the room here are their high ceilings. I love the pyramid design of the roof and it really opens up the space, making it less claustrophobic.
Immediately to the right you can find the bathroom and to the left you have a small open door concept racks which is also the wardrobe set up. You can find bathrobes and bath slippers provided here, alongside a safe and a hairdryer.
The area also serves as the mini bar setup as well. Bottles of housebrand water and some packaged tea from Raffles Lighthouse are provided. I have to say that it’s my first time hearing about this brand. At the bottom you can find a small fridge. It’s also weird that you can’t find any power sockets at this area which doesn’t make any sense. Seeing how it will be more convenient if we are using the kettle?
Then you enter the main space of the room itself with the queen size bed taking up most of the space. Immediately it caught my eye that the sink is weirdly located in the room area, just next to the TV. Yea, that is how small the room is! At least the mirror with built in lights look chic enough. The usual amenities are provided including dental kits. It’s nice to see that they are offering actual Colgate toothpaste rather than the knock-off AME Brand. Given that the washroom is near the entrance, wouldn’t it be more suitable if the sinks and the wardrobe swap places? Facing the bed you can find a setup of the Smart TV mounted on the wall which supports Chromecast. You can find a limited amount of cable tv channels here, they are sufficient with some movie channels and Fox Sports. Immediately below the TV, there is a little platform that act as the working desk and a chair. The area isn’t spacious but seems alright for short periods of working. Outlets can be easily found here! Wifi is strong and easy to connect in the room. Unexpectedly, there isn’t any care kit or mask left on the table, which is a norm these days.
The mattress was pretty firm which is to my liking. A combination of both mini size pillows and regular ones are left on the bed. They are pretty fluffy which is commendable and gives good neck support. I will certainly prefer for all pillows to be full size regular ones. Night stands can be found beside the bed and I’m happy to see that power outlets can be conveniently located on both sides of the bed. I’m surprised that the hotel didn’t install any form of USB outlets or wireless charging spots given how the whole concept of marketing towards the millennials. There isn’t much of a view to speak about since the room just faces the residential apartment building next door.
The washroom can be found near the entrance and it’s real tight. Oh well. They can’t even fit the sink inside! It’s a standing shower with both a removable shower head and a rainforest shower. Normal Millennium & Copthorne branded toiletries are provided. Water pressure and temperature control is bad. For a 4 star hotel caliber, this should be better! There is a tiny little knob on the inner side of the showering area that controls the blinds to screen off the showering area to the rest of the room, if you require additional privacy.
Pool
The pool is open from 7am-9pm daily and there is a limit of 20 people in the pool area at any one time. This is on a first come first serve basis. No pre booking of slots is possible. It is located on the 5th floor. The pool area is actually pretty nice and there is a manned bar beside it as well. While there is a cap, I do not see any forms of control or temperature taking before entering. It is a pretty small area and good for lazing around although the regular shape does allow you to get some laps in.
There’s a nice number of sunbeds around for tanning! Somehow, together with the little bar on the side, the pool gives me a little Phuket or Bali hostel pool kind of vibe. Towels are offered by the pool and located on a rack nearby. There are no bottled water or pool attendants nearby. On the day of my stay, they have a margarita day specials where they go for 8.80. I got a couple of them and they were lovely! I particularly love the one with the caramelised lime.
Gym
The gym is open from 5am-9pm daily and you may contact the hotel one day prior of your arrival date to book the time slot. It is all on a first come first serve basis and it is very limited given that only 2 pax are allowed at a single time. But ya, kudos to a private gym each and every time! While I did not use the facility I went to take a brief look. It seems to be sufficient especially with the capacity cap.
Conclusion
A perfectly alright stay if I am doing the review based on a 85 SGD rate a night stay. An excellent stay if based on my out of pocket payment of 10 SGD after the coupon. Cookie cutter no fuss stay experience here at M Social. Perfectly alright for a 4 star hotel at this price point. There is nothing luxurious but it doesn’t let you down if you just require a clean and comfortable environment. It gets the basics right. Space is a precious commodity here and I appreciate the little design quirks they did to maximise, like the high ceilings and mirror finishing. Seeing The World In Steps out! Next up, The Fullerton Singapore!
Seeing The World In Steps 
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