In October 2022, we learned about plans for the Regent Singapore to close, undergo a renovation, and reopen as the Conrad Singapore Orchard. The refreshed hotel has officially opened as of today, so let's go over all the details.Regent Singapore becomes Conrad Singapore OrchardThe Conrad Singapore Orchard has opened as of December 28, 2023, so…
Continue reading: New Conrad Singapore Orchard Now Open (Former Regent)
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I am sad to see the property being rebranded. My husband and I stayed there for 10 nights in November 2022. It was a great point redemption property as the nightly rate was between 30K and 34K with breakfast included. We opted to upgrade to a one-bedroom suite, which was twice the size of the basic room, for ~$100 USD per night. We had a comfortable and lovely stay.
Lovely hotel, the location is not actually quite on Orchard Road, it is a bit of a walk to the start of the road, and quite a distance to the main shopping area. More of a quiet retreat type of hotel though I suppose with the Foreign Affairs and Tourism Board right there and Gleneagles Hospital, not to mention the US, British, Chinese and Australian high commissions right across the road, the appeal is obvious.
Used to have a really nice and chilled American-style steakhouse downstairs, my uncle would take us there on weekends. Probably long closed.
This has some interesting insights into the background of the re-brand.
During the SARS outbreak I flew SFO-NRT-SIN for $188 roundtrip, plus earned double miles from a promo, and stayed at this property for about $30/night. That one trip earned me silver status on NW.
Re: the rebranding- Seems they chose the Conrad brand since it fits best with that particular hotel's size and room style. It seems not luxurious enough to be made into an LXR or a Waldorf but not distinct enough to be made into a Curio/Tapestry/Canopy. And that atrium photo with its orange lighting makes the hotel look dated already and is doing it no favors.
For a city to have 2 luxury properties of the same brand, I thought it was not common but not totally unheard of. Hong Kong had 2 Intercontinentals (until one rebranded as the Regent), and Seoul had 2 Hiltons (at one point in time, now they have none). Maybe something to do with property location?
As for the Regent/Intercontinental brands, I'm just confused as to their individual brand strategies. IC tries too hard to compete in several different market segments and Regent feels like an overlap of IC. If there's a way to say, differentiate the brands, maybe that will work. But then again IHG can't seem to build their brands to give them strength so they feel a lot weaker and seem to have less cache/recognition than the equivalent Hyatt/Hilton/Marriott brand. Outside of Holiday Inn that is.
Lucky, I'm afraid you're missing a lot of context here. Just to clear things up, the Conrad Singapore Orchard and the Conrad Centennial Singapore are owned by the same owners – Pontiac Land Group. They are a huge conglomerate owned by the Kwee family, who also owns the Capella and Patina hotels as well as a few other hotels in Singapore and Australasia.
Until 2018 the hotel was known as Regent Singapore, A Four Seasons Hotel. And yes, this property was the last Regent to stay under FS. The hotel was supposed to be rebranded as a Capella hotel when the 26-year FS contract with Pontiac ended in 2018. Pontiac later changed their mind and IHG entered a brief contract to manage the hotel as Regent Singapore.
However, they probably decided that the hotel's size was not appropriate for Capella and having already had the rights to using the Conrad brand in Singapore, decided to rebrand it as such. Regardless, the physical aspect of this hotel is also completely different to IHG's intimate vision for Regent, which probably helped with the termination of the contract.
Furthermore, regarding Regent and IHG: Regent Hong Kong was originally a Regent Hotel until its initial owners sold the property to InterContinental. When Formosa International Hotels (FIH) sold Regent to IHG in 2018, FIH CEO Steven Pan only agreed to the transaction if InterContinental Hong Kong were to be reflagged back into Regent.
I’m staying at the Conrad orchard now for opening night. A bit disappointing compared to the centennial Conrad. Lobby, executive lounge and atrium decor need updating. Pool area has horrible ac noise pollution. No upgrades for diamond member even though low occupancy. Very low quality food and drinks in executive lounge.
"Lovely hotel, the location is not actually quite on Orchard Road, it is a bit of a walk to the start of the road, and quite a distance to the main shopping area."
Great point, and an important one at that.
"More of a quiet retreat type of hotel..."
100% agreed; I view the Shangri-La on Orange Grove Rd. the same way.
Personally I love the design of the atrium, but it's rooms that look like straight out of 80's to me. Not great for a freshly renovated hotel.
This property is NOT situated on Orchard Road, but Cuscaden Road, and is actually quite a hike to the part of Orchard Road where the retail is concentrated.
Exactly. I make a point of trying to stay in a John Portman-designed hotel wherever possible, but admittedly I am a very keen admirer of his work. His hotels across the USA are wonderful to behold, examples being the Bonaventure in LA, the Marriott at the Renaissance Centre in Detroit, three hotels at the Peachtree Centre in Atlanta (his home) and the Hyatt Regency at Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco among many more. Sadly, there is not one John Portman building here in England!
I've just booked this Conrad for my trip next October, thanks to this article.
Not an amazing property, location is not great, and like many atrium hotels, you don't want to stay there if you are sensitive to noise. Esepcially if you are still jetlagged after a long flight and in need of an early night while there is a wedding taking place...
Definitely not on Orchard Road, a bit of a hike in the heat. Not particularly near public transport either.
I considered staying there a few years back when it was a Regent but decided it was just too inconvenient. The Conrad Centennial is a fantastic hotel, our “go to” Singapore hotel, and we “go to” Singapore most years, sometimes more frequently.
If you want a big hotel on Orchard Road in the Hilton Portfolio you would be much better booking the recently renovated Hilton. Unbeatable location.
Just stayed two nights ... would not recommend at all.. Rooms are ok , for sure better than they were but bathroom... can t close the door , you can only lock it once inside .. so at night some faulty lights would not turn off and door can t be closed can only remain wide open... very bad
Adding they did cheap renovation by keeping the ugly orange marble in the center and removed the bathtub replacing it with a walk in shower not using any stone but plastiky tiles that looks soooo cheap
Some staff are nice but I came across one who brought tray from in room dining who was hardly polite.
Noisy as sound proof dates back to the 70s and it s an atrium, when kids yell you can hear them really well
The elegant entrance with beautiful flower display , elegant desk and round console are things of the past , they made way for an ugly orange carpet and huge black rpund table with potted plants .. some half alive.. ugly and cheap
Regent when managed by four seasons had some charm , now it s hilton and just your average american style hotel lobby
Under staffed check in counter ..
I don t recommend this property at all