A380 Extravaganza: Conrad Singapore

The breakfast options of ice cream looks like the one I had at the Marriott on Orchard, which is not worth the points IMHO. Better usage for the same amount of points like the JW in HK.

My buddy loved the Conrad there, but you are right about many of the hotels being dated or in between and rarely "aspirational." In terms of value, I stayed at a HI for 20K PC points which was quite a value considering the prices of other Hotels in SG.

I am headed to Singapore in May for 4 nights. I currently have 2 reservations (C&P old rate at St. Regis and AXON rate at Conrad). I am SPG Platinum and Hilton Gold. The $600 isn't that big of an issue and I need SPG nights to re-qualify for elite status anyway.

Lucky - which would you choose?

Any idea how this compares to the Grand Hyatt? I am torn between the two for my upcoming stay..

Glad you liked it! Very nice value when they offer points+cash. I also liked the location of the Conrad more than that of the St. Regis, although the rooms there are extraordinary. And with Executive and free breakfast for HHonors Gold/Diamond you get quite nice benefits vs. just free internet at St. Regis for us non-Plats. FHR does give breakfast at St. Regis though.

The bellhop at the Westin Nusa Dua gave my wife and I a thorough tour of our room, including how to use the phone, that one could order room service and sit on the sofa to eat, and best of all, he actually showed us the emergency evacuation procedures printed on the back of the door that nobody ever reads. And he followed every explanation with "Thank you."

After that awkward encounter, I'll take being escorted to my room anytime.

I actually enjoy reading reviews like this, where your room isn't unattainable luxury. It makes me feel better than even the pros sometimes have to stay in rooms that those of us with many fewer points/miles, have to stay in. Makes the dream redemptions you are able to get stay attainable in my eyes. Thanks for sharing!

@ Evan -- I haven't done the St. Regis, though would guess it's substantially better than the Conrad. That being said, 8,000 Starpoints per night is a lot to pay in addition to the cash co-pay, so I'd probably do the Conrad. I think. Unless you have a ton of Starpoints.

@ mike -- I've done the Grand Hyatt before, and you can read about my experience here:
https://onemileatatime.com/around-the-world-in-a-week-part-six-the-grand-hyatt-singapore/

I'd say I slightly preferred the Conrad, though I did have one of the old rooms at the Grand Hyatt, which I'm told aren't as nice as the newer ones. So I'd go with whichever is a better deal.

@ Jake E. -- ROFLMAO!

@ David -- Hah, thanks.

I have stayed at both properties. The lobby at the St Regis is more opulent and there is more of a luxe feel to it. The butler assigned to your room can be a great enhancement provided you take advantage of it. I was there with my kids and they had him draw baths for them and bring them hot chocolate, all for free. As a Plat I was also invited to the bar for a free wine tasting. All in all, if with your family the "bling" value of the SR far exceeds the Conrad. And its location, two blocks from the end of Orchard Road, is not too bad.

If you are there on your own and are fairly independent, I doubt you will find the extra SR amenities to be worth the extra $$$/points.

Lucky,

You mentioned that access to the lounge is free for Gold HHonors members.

The Hilton site says:
"If you are a Gold HHonors guest, you and up to one additional registered guest in the same room will be granted complimentary access to the Executive Floor Lounge only if you receive a room upgrade to the Executive Floor or an upgrade to a room type that confers Executive Floor Lounge access benefits."

Do you find that to be your experience? I ask because I will be staying at the Conrad Cairo in Feburary (if things calm down) and I booked our first night and last night into Executive Suites, but will need to book a few more nights. If I save my money and get a non-executive level room, will I be able to make use of the lounge? I am HH Gold.

@ Heather -- The policy is a bit tricky. The Hilton HHonors policy is indeed that you only get lounge access as a Gold if you're on the club floor (while if you're a Diamond member you get it regardless). That being said any individual hotel can go above and beyond and still give access even if you're not on the club floor.

I don't know the policy of the Conrad Cairo, though I would guess they'll let you have access the whole time.

I stayed at the Conrad two months ago for five nights. The room was adequate/nice but the service/food available in the lounge was terrific. I ate breakfast there, sometimes had their tea service in the afternoon, and the evening food was almost enough for meal. Good location.

Not as "aspirational destination but I would go back again.

Nice write up, it's definitely nice to see the other areas besides orchard!

I had a weekend stay at the St Regis in nov. It's a good 15-20 min walk in the heat to the subway, albeit a pretty lively one. The pool was nice but didn't have any views, especially like of the flyer you posted. Also, all the Lady Astor rooms faced the inside residences and wasn't much bigger than the standard rooms, so just kept it.

The z3h rate makes the price decent.

Thanks for the tips for asking to access the executive lounge. I should that next time I visit that property (I was there recently but I did not ask 🙂 . Just wondering, did they take away the fruits behind that Conrad bear as part of the business amenities?

@ JH -- LOL, I don't believe they did.

You definitely need more friends in banking in Singapore that can get you access to nicer hotels at very decent corporate rates 🙂

If your room was a single King bed, where does your travel buddy (blue shirt) sleep? On the floor?

@ Mark -- I was staying here alone. Travel buddy with blue shirt?

Whoops, sorry. I misinterpreted one of the pictures (reflection in gym mirror). Cheers

@Mark I always read Lucky's comment section for a gem like that and you didn't disappoint!

@Jake E. said,

"The bellhop at the Westin Nusa Dua...actually showed us the emergency evacuation procedures printed on the back of the door that nobody ever reads...."

Wise up pal - those instructions might save your life someday.

I believe the escort to the room is to add a touch of luxury, as well as an opportunity for a tip. Read "Heads in Beds" by Jacob Tomsky, a great inside look at luxury hotels from a long time hotel employee. It is highly readable and gives great insight.

My fav is the St Regis in Singapore. Small hotel, but stylish and opulent. If you get a suite upgrade even nicer. They do not have a club floor, so you get free breakfast, snacks by the pool, and wine tasting at the bar (a bit like St Regis BKK). The french restaurant is quite good too.

As HH Gold, was upgraded to business floor but denied executive lounge even after I requested. Guess it was probably full during my stay in Dec 2012.

Thanks for the pics of the lounge Lucky. 🙂

Right now I have a double room reserved in the middle of April at the Intercontinental and also at the Conrad in Singapore. I am Platinum with Priority Club and Gold with Hilton. This is my first time there, and I am leisure traveling with a friend to sightsee for 2 days and 2 nights as part of a larger trip. Based on that info, do you recommend one over the other? Location is important, but so upgrades and other perks would be nice too! Thanks!

I'm not sure if you noticed, but your simple "change" from a business floor room to one that included executive lounge access is actually an upgrade typically reserved for HH Diamond members! There is a separate "business floor" breakfast lounge for HH Gold members that is next to the pool on the 4th floor. We just asked for it at the desk, and they printed out a new letter right there on the spot.

We stayed there last year, and with the "upgrade" comes the option to eat breakfast at Oscar's. We spent hours there every morning - it made the whole trip worth it. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

With lounge access, you also had the daily freedom to reserve a business room for two hours a day on the executive lounge level, which is the equivalent of getting your own private living room and dining room. This is where they put us with our young kids, getting around the "minimum age restriction of 12 years old." A tip for Mommypoints?

@ Mark -- You'll get better perks as a Hilton Gold than Priority Club Diamond, so I'd go with the Conrad. You'll get free internet and breakfast at a minimum, while you won't get either at the InterContinental.

Ahhh... beautiful views of Suntec City from the hotel!

I'll be here for 8 nights over CNY. Hope that doesn't cause it to be too full as I would love to have lounge access.

What about 17.70 % per room per night at this Hotel? If using points only, do we have to pay taxes?

@ Mr. N -- You only pay that tax for the cash component of the stay. If you only use points you wouldn't have to pay the tax at all, while if you used part points and part cash like me, you'd only pay it for the cash component.