It has been quite some time since I did a staycation in Singapore. I have been mostly away for the past few months and staycations somehow don’t seem that attractive to me anymore with travelling back in full swing. However, a combination of an IHG status match and a lucrative AMEX promo brought me back for a staycation at the InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay. It will be a good way to celebrate my birthday since I will be in Singapore during this period. Hotel prices are ridiculous in town these days given that travelling has recovered. The school holiday and staycation demand aren’t helping things as well. You can see the Hilton charging 500 – 600 a night and true luxury hotels like Ritz-Carlton and Four Season are going close to four figures. This will be my first IHG stay in Singapore. Check out the 24th unique hotel that I visited in Singapore.
Booking Process & Pre Arrival
I book an IHG Luxury and Lifes rate for this stay. For my 1 night stay, the base level standard room cost 350 SGD including taxes. I paid 275 SGD out of pocket after the $75 credit from AMEX. Hotel prices have been ridiculous in Singapore these few days and this made the IC Robertson affordable, especially during the June holidays. This will also be a good opportunity to experience the Platinum status from the revamped IHG loyalty program. By booking a Luxury and Life rate, I will also get to enjoy extra benefits such as a 100 USD credit, breakfast and guaranteed late check out at 2pm. Before my arrival, I was informed by the hotel have been upgraded to a Classic River View Top Floor Room. Do note that club privileges are not extended even if you are upgraded to a room type that comes with club access. In-house hotel guests enjoy complimentary parking and you can simply get a coupon from the staff when leaving the hotel. InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay features 225 guest rooms and suites spread across 9 categories. You can find the breakdown below.
| Rooms | Club InterContinental Access | Bathtub | Room Size | No. of Rooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic | No | No | 24 Sqm | 149 |
| Classic Accessible | No | No | 28 Sqm | 3 |
| Classic River View | No | Yes | 24 Sqm | 20 |
| Classic Top Floor | Yes | Yes | 24 – 29 Sqm | 28 |
| Classic Lounge Access | Yes | No | 28 – 29 Sqm | 3 |
| Classic River View Top Floor | Yes | Yes | 24 Sqm | 5 |
| Junior Suite River View | Yes | Yes | 36 – 44 Sqm | 15 |
| Junior Suite Top Floor | Yes | Yes | 36 Sqm | 1 |
| Penthouse Suite River View | Yes | Yes | 131 Sqm | 1 |
Checking In
I arrived at the hotel shortly around noon complimentary parking is provided for hotel guests and the parking facility is convenient. You have direct access from the parking to the lobby. The first floor is just a reception area and where the driveway is located with the actual lobby on the 4th floor. Bellboys are on hand to assist guests with their baggage if you are arriving from the ground entrance. I was warmly welcomed by the staff in the lobby. Despite the fact that the hotel open back in 2017, the place still looks very new and chic. It has a luxury residential condo feel. There are plenty of seatings by the lobby.
Check in was a breeze and I was thanked for being a Platinum member. I was also asked for my option of the welcome amenity, which is a choice between 600 points or a welcome drink. I choose the drink and it is certainly the better value one. Late check out was fixed at 2pm and I was informed to check back later for a later time. I end up checking out at 4.30pm the next day. The staff also informed me that the 100 USD credit will be worth 150 SGD after conversion. That is generous considering that the spot rate is only 139 SGD. A separate set of elevators takes you from the lobby to the room.
Classic River View Top Floor Room
I was assigned one of the 5 rooms on the highest floor. Room 1035 on level 10. The room was on the smaller side and only measures 24 Sqm but was nicely designed. I love the entire concept of the place and the thoughtful arrangement help maximise the limited space that is available. I never once felt cramped during my stay.
Immediately upon entering, you can find the wardrobe to the right with plenty of hangers. You can also find a luggage storage area, an ironing kit, bath slippers and a safe. All you require for a stay.
I really love the high ceilings here and the floor-to-ceiling window panels that let in an abundance of natural light. Together with the open concept of the place, this helps it feels less claustrophobic. The room looks very chic with the warm and dark tones. To the left, you can find the bathroom, the room only come with a standing shower. All sorts of amenities are provided, from dental kits to cotton buds. The toiletries are from Brown Alchemist, I do love the spice orientated scent of them. I had a great shower here, the water pressure is excellent and temperature control is good from both the rainforest shower head as well as the handheld one.
The toilet is located in a separate room on the other side of the room. The concept kind of reminds me of my stay at Capitol Kempinski. The bedroom area and the entrance area can be separated by a sliding door, this allows you to create your lovely cosy oasis and it is really great for a movie night.
The bedroom is in a squarish orientation and you can find a little minibar set up immediately in the corner. It is equipped with both a coffee machine as well as a kettle. I really appreciate that they have an actual coffee machine in the room. You also have some packaged tea and they are from Monogram, a boutique creation by Gryphon. A mini-fridge can be found below as well and is left empty for your use.
The plush king-size bed can be found in the middle and it is comfy. I love that the mattress had a great balance between firmness and plushness. Plenty of pillows are offered and they are of different sized as well. They were rather mush but quantity makes up for it. On both sides of the bed, you can find nightstands and controls for the lighting as well as the sheers and blinds. I love that everything is electronically controlled here.
Opposite the bed, you can find a high-quality Smart TV. The size is perfect for the room and the quality is good. The ability to stream your device to the TV via Chromecast makes it perfect for a movie night. Besides that, the TV comes with a good number of cable TV channels as well.
The highlight of the entire room has got to be the view out of this place. Being on the highest floor, you naturally have a great view of the surrounding which includes the central business district and the nearby Outram public housing. It is quite marvellous to get the blend of both retro-looking HDB flats and the skyscrapers of the central business district out there. It is quite near to the building next door so privacy might be an issue here. It seems like they could easily see through into the room.
An armchair can be found on the side as well as a little fold down couch next to the TV. This is a great concept especially given how space is a precious commodity here. The table is good for dining or working in the room since you do not have a proper working desk here. Outlets can be easily found here and wifi is fast in the room.
Later on, the staff brought over a welcome amenity which include a personalized handwritten note, a fruit bowl as well as a small cake given that it is my birthday.
No turndown service was offered but staff told me that they can make up the room. I felt that this is a little lacking.
Pool
The pool is on the smaller side and does not look welcoming at all. It is located on level 4 and just by the lobby. I have seen private villas and suites with a bigger pool than this. It doesn’t have a view and barely gets the sun too. The elongated design does allow you to get some laps in if necessary. I feel like this is one of the badly thought-out aspects of the hotel. The pool is open from 7am to 9.45pm.
Fitness Centre
The gym can be found on the ground floor towards the back of the entrance. It is a nice place with plenty of natural light and looks quite lovely to use. It is not spacious but it does seem that all sorts of gym pieces equipments can be found here. Towels and bottled water are provided too. It is open 24 hours which means you can get a workout anytime you want. Great for business travellers.
Publico Ristorante
I had lunch at the hotel’s main restaurant, Publico during my stay. The restaurant is actually located out of the main building and on the ground floor just around the corner. Despite being here on a weekday, the restaurant was packed and popular even with outside guests. Do make a reservation if you would like to dine here, especially if you would like to have an indoor table. The restaurant have both indoor and outdoor seats. Publico is rather popular and a great Italian restaurant in town. It is popular for its well priced set lunch. You can check out the menu here. You can also use your hotel credit here for the set lunch. I also redeemed the welcome drinks voucher here. This is a good way to go with the meal. We got the house red and a beer. Quite a good value in fact since the drinks prices are high. The welcome drinks are easily worth 30 – 40 SGD.
We simply got the set lunch and opt for the soup of the day which is mushroom soup and the caesar salad. Both of them were quite good. The mushroom soup was chunky and earthy. I prefer the salad if I have to choose between the two of them. I would however love it if they add in some extra pancetta for some texture.
It took some time for the mains to come and we got their specialty Maccheroncini Amatriciana pasta and the vongole. The pasta was pretty good but it seems slightly underwhelming given the long wait. The vongole was bad as it seems that the chef has forgotten to season the pasta while cooking. The dish was extremely tasteless.
For desserts, we got the Nutella pizza as recommended by the staff as well as the tiramisu. The Nutella pizza was a huge portion and the better one. The tiramisu is slightly too overpowering with the alcohol. Great meal and we spent about 100 bucks which are nicely covered by the credit.
Breakfast at Publico Ristorante
Breakfast is served at the Publico restaurant, the main restaurant from 6.30 to 10.30am. Reservation can be made via the online digital concierge or walk-in is fine too. I was surprised to be warmly welcomed in and addressed by name! Breakfast is served buffet style and guests can help themselves to all the food and drinks from the buffet line. It has been a long time since I had a real buffet in Singapore. There is a good selection of food. Just by the bar, you can find drink choices from fruit juices to coffee and teas. You can also request for coffee to be made from an actual espresso machine behind the bar which is marginally better than what you get from those instant coffee machines ones. Iced coffee and tea drinks are available upon ordering as well.
By the entrance, you can find some Asian selections consisting of congee, sweet and sour fish, fried rice, pork sausages and mushrooms.
The main buffet line consists of a salad bar, fresh fruits, yoghurts and an egg station where you can order eggs to your liking. You also have plenty of pastries and the chef is on hand to whip up some waffles and pancakes as well.
At the far end, you have some cold cuts and cheese as well. It is definitely not the best buffet selection in town but still not too shabby. I would still make it down for breakfast during my stay if it is included in my room rate but it would be a different story if I would have to pay for it.
Conclusion
Quite a lovely stay and in some ways it might have just exceeded my expectations. Great value for money especially when you combine both the hotel credit and the AMEX offer. It was a good way to spend my birthday in Singapore. This is one of the two InterContinental hotels in Singapore and should be the top choice for IHG elite members. The status match came in at a good time for me and I had a hint of the elite treatment here. The residential feel of the place does offer something different from the rest of the hotels in Singapore. A great choice for both leisure and business travellers. With that, InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay becomes Seeing The World In Steps 24th unique hotel in Singapore.
Seeing The World In Steps 
One thought
Comments are closed.