Guest fountainhall Posted June 7, 2011 Posted June 7, 2011 Having stayed at the Ritz Carlton in Hong Kong last month courtesy of a client, lightning struck twice as last week I was put up by yet another client in the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. This is the three wing hotel with the free-form pool stretching across the top. From the outside, it looks just amazing. Sorry to say, from the inside it more or less sucks as a 5-star hotel. I'd have a hard time giving it 3-stars! The lobby is like a bus station. Check in or out at the wrong times (i.e. most of the time) and you face long, long queues. Rooms are so - so, but mine did not even have a bath. US$24 per day for wireless internet is more than I have paid anywhere in the world. True, the view from the roof is amazing, but that free-form pool is not all it's cracked up to be, if only because it is packed with families and young kids. The adjoining shopping mall is only for the mega-rich. One night I had a medium-sized pizza and a smallish glass of wine - US$50!! I'll never go back. Singapore has dozens of much cheaper, much nicer and much classier hotels. Quote
Guest Posted June 7, 2011 Posted June 7, 2011 That's an impressive view, but they certainly need a no kids zone. I'm wondering what line of business you are in for the client to put you up in top notch hotels. Must be some high end consulting. Obviously I'm in the wrong profession (that and STILL having to live in Europe). Luckily I'm on the client side in the one profession I can think of where the customer does usually provide the hotel room. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted June 8, 2011 Posted June 8, 2011 I'm wondering what line of business you are in for the client to put you up in top notch hotels. Must be some high end consulting. Yes, I am in consulting but only rarely what you could describe as "high end" unfortunately. Usually I am given a budget and have to work out my own travel and hotel arrangements. It just so happens that on 2 recent occasions clients have provided hotels (I suspect they had some sort of contra deals with them). Quote
Guest voldemar Posted June 8, 2011 Posted June 8, 2011 I am making my own reservations for a short trip to Singapore and I noticed how prices of pretty much all down town hotels went up pretty drastically in comparison with my previous trip in January. For one thing Sing Dollar appreciates pretty fast versus US and inflation (on top of that) apparently is pretty high. I suspect places like Singapore will become unaccessible pretty soon for us, mere mortals from US... Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted June 8, 2011 Posted June 8, 2011 I have never seen hotel prices so high there. If you want to stay in the centre, try the Carlton. I believe it has just been refurbished and is slightly cheaper than the others. Quote
Guest Posted June 8, 2011 Posted June 8, 2011 I suspect places like Singapore will become unaccessible pretty soon for us, mere mortals from US... The trick is to foresee this and to invest what you have spare in "hard currency" zones, rather than countries with the printing presses running flat out. Quote
Guest voldemar Posted June 9, 2011 Posted June 9, 2011 I have never seen hotel prices so high there. If you want to stay in the centre, try the Carlton. I believe it has just been refurbished and is slightly cheaper than the others. I have made reservation in Swisshotel Merchant Court (Ilike to stay in this river front area) through Agoda and it is more than 300 US per night. Unbelievable. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted June 9, 2011 Posted June 9, 2011 Unbelievable, indeed! In future, you might try www.hotelscombined.com. This links a number of hotel search engines, including agoda. Occasionally I will find better deals on it. Quote
atri1666 Posted June 12, 2011 Posted June 12, 2011 I always stay or stayed in Golden Landmark Hotel (now Landmark Village)near Bugis metro station. Always take a room in exec. floor because children are not allowed there. Long times paid around 80 Euro/night and now they want around 120 Euro (238SGD). All the other hotels i stayed increased also their prices up to 40%.Last time Singapore was expensive fun. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted June 13, 2011 Posted June 13, 2011 I was wondering why Singapore tourism has picked up so quickly that they can raise prices so much. Unlike other national Tourism Boards, Singapore's has always actively worked along with the government's Economic Development Board to attract high-cost tourism-related projects. So the island can pay for events which even wealthy destinations like Hong Kong have to pass up. Hence the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix (that must cost a small fortune for just one week-end a year) and the Universal Theme Park. No doubt the Marina Bay Sands casino helps, but with 2,500 rooms, it alone could surely mop up all the gamblers. My guess is two other factors. The major number of Chinese who are now travelling and for whom Singapore is a natural destination. That, and the en-route stop-over traffic fed in daily by several airlines, notably SIA, Qantas, Emirates and British Airways. Quote
