That Time Of The Year!

Not bad an achievement eh for such a gloomy year.

Having been an Intercontinental Ambassador member since 2017, their weekend night certificate is certainly the most valuable item.  I have used it in London Intercontinental in 2018 and New York Barclay Intercontinental in 2019.  I was meant to use it this year in the new Maldives Intercontinental but alas it was not meant to be.  I decided to use it in Singapore instead.  There are 2 Intercontinental hotels in Singapore, the original one in Bugis (which I did) and Robertson Quay (which I will be doing during Chinese New Year in 2021).  I booked the Executive Suite (for 4 person) and with my IHG Platinum and Ambassador membership, these were my privileges:

• Guaranteed early check in at 10am (Ambassador)
• Guaranteed late check out at 4pm (Ambassador – I was given till 5pm)
• USD $25 dining credit (IHG Platinum)
• 20% off for dining in hotel (IHG Platinum, can be utilized concurrently with the dining credit)
• 50% extra points (IHG Platinum)
• Complimentary High-Speed Internet (IHG Platinum)
• Complimentary Bottled Water (Standard IHG membership)

Additionally, being in the Suite (not Junior and Family Suite) comes with these perks:

• Club Lounge access with daily drinks, breakfast, afternoon tea and evening Canapes
• Return Limousine transfer from Changi Airport (with Covid-19, Intercontinental is flexible with the destination)

Unfortunately, IHG devalued the Ambassador upgrade privilege not too long ago that the guaranteed upgrade will only apply to non-suite rooms.

So how was my stay like?

Room

With the weekend certificate, I tried to book the highest allowed room that can accommodate 4 persons.  I only managed to get Executive Suite (although I was hoping to get Ambassador or Royal Suite).  I was told by the Club Manager that I could always call in if the room I desire does not appear on the website.

The Executive Suite I was in was located at the 15^th floor (2^nd highest) facing the National Library with pool view below and some sea view.  The room is 55 square meters with a separate living room and bedroom.  Once you enter, you will have a long corridor leading to the living room.  The living room is spacious enough to accommodate 2 roll out bed on top of the existing sofa and work desk which is already there.  The bedroom is equally big with a large king-sized bed and 2 armchairs.  There are 2 bathrooms – one in each room (good for the family).  Although there are 2 wardrobes, only 1 came with safe box and 2 robes provided.  

Intercontinental is still very generous with their amenities which is topped up daily similar to their coffee and tea.  Bottled water is provided complimentary and for those who need more, you can always call for it (or get it from the gym).

Both bathrooms are equally spacious with a separate tub and shower cubicle.  Water pressure in the shower cubicle was strong and hot.  One problem during my stay though was the sink in master room toilet was slow to drain.

Club Lounge

One of the highlights of the hotel is certainly the lounge.  It is very spacious with ample seating.  Although the sofa seats are comfortable, it is a rather hard to eat at these seats.  There are regular dining table available.  The lounge is inspired by peranakan design that is part of the cultural heritage of Singapore.

There are no more buffet items due to the Covid19 situation hence food is all ala-carte.  The afternoon tea and evening canapes come nicely presented in a tiered rack. 

Usually, the dress code and child entrance policy for evening cocktail is strict but with the Covid situation, this has been loosened.  Child under 16 are allowed into the premise despite alcohol being served.  As for dress code, slippers and Bermudas are allowed into the lounge as well.

Food choices for all 3 meals serving are great!  Great cooked to order choices for breakfast served in the lounge with better privacy over Ash and Elm which is the other breakfast location.

Noon tea items looked fairly similar to the items served in the Lobby Lounge.  I believe there are 4 sets of menus which is rotated on a daily basis.  Unlike breakfast, noon tea is only available free in the club lounge.

Evening canapes come with alcohol choices and there is no prohibition for children to enter, leading to the lounge being quite crowded with kids.

Food quality in the lounge is generally good but service can get rather slow when the lounge is full.

Facilities

One aspect of hotel that I had never reviewed before – hotel gym.  In all my previous reviews, never once have I talked about gym facilities as I have always been a couch potato.  Circuit Breaker somehow managed to get me to exercise and here I am visiting the gym.

InterContinental’s gym is large and very well equipped.  It has free weights ranging from 1kg all the way up to 30kg!  There are few machines as well both for strength training and cardio exercise.  There is even a pull-up bar (which is rarely seen).  There is small corner for aerobics which doubles up as a TRX training area.  Within the gym, there is a sauna in each of the shower room and toilet.

While previously one can enter the gym directly, gym entrance now is only via the swimming pool which is located one floor above and one needs to register before entering.  During my few visit the most I had was 2 other people in the gym with me.

The pool on the other hand is very small and I would say it’s not worth spending the time there.

Finally, the last benefit which I utilized for the Inside SIA visit to SIA Training Centre – the return limousine from hotel (instead of airport).  We had a very comfortable ride to STC and back.

I would certainly come back to Intercontinental Singapore if I am not able to travel in the near future.  It is very centrally situated making it excellent for tourists visiting Singapore.  For staycation, it is still a good choice but its proximity to CBD may turn some off as it feels far from being a staycation.

Next, I shall write my long delayed short piece on my Inside SIA experience.