WHAT’S IT LIKE? Open since 1971, Singapore’s Shangri-La is set on about 6ha of lush gardens and consists of three hotels within one: the Garden Wing, the Tower and the Valley. This last is self-contained with a separate entrance on Anderson Road and can be “locked down” when used by visiting dignitaries, most recently Barrack Obama during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in November 2009. It is tastefully furnished in quite a restrained style.
WHERE IS IT? On Orange Grove Road, a few minutes walk from Orchard Road for shopping.
ROOM FACILITIES There are a total of 750 guestrooms including 131 rooms in the Valley Wing, as well as 127 serviced apartments and 55 residences. All rooms have the use of a free shuttle to the CBD.
The various wings of the hotel make the Valley Wing seems almost like a hotel within the main hotel, and with various “upgrades” from the standard five-star arrangement elsewhere in the Shangri-La complex. Guests enjoy complimentary champagne and cocktails at the lobby downstairs, a 24-hour personalised menu, personalised stationery, personal butler service for all suites, complimentary broadband internet access and a private elevator and entrance for Speciality Suites. I stayed for three nights, but had a lot of work on, and despite the temptation of non-stop free champagne in the lobby, the only bit of this I took advantage of was the free Wi-Fi.
The views of the gardens were refreshing, and there was a proper fluffy bath mat on the marble floors in the bathrooms, rather than the thin towels which slip when you step on them. The large soaking bathtub came with a pillow at one end and a TV at the other. The night light was a useful feature – you can get up in the night without waking a loved one or, in my case (solitary traveller) dazzling myself and falling over a wheelie bag.
Negatives: what I didn’t like was the noisy guy in the room next door who woke me with 90 minutes of business conversation starting at 7.30am (I’d been working until 3am). Unfortunately, there was nothing financially sensitive that I could make money from, but at least I heard it when he said he was leaving that evening.
The staff responded to requests immediately. As one example, I had to leave at 5am for a flight. I rang and requested a wake-up call and reminded them about the car to the airport. They said it was all booked, and then asked if I’d like a cup of coffee before I set off. I said I would, but down in the lobby rather than in the room, to go, with milk and one sugar. The call came on time and the coffee was there waiting the next morning as was the car.
RESTAURANTS AND BARS The Line is an all-day restaurant with a modern décor designed by Adam Tihany, and several different food stations (noodle shop, dim sum kitchen, woks station, tandoori ovens, crustacean bar); Shang Palace for Cantonese food and Nadaman Japanese. Exclusive to the Valley Wing is the Summit Room, where Valley Wing guests have complimentary breakfast. Finally, Blu restaurant at the top of the tower has a great bar.
BUSINESS AND MEETING FACILITIES The hotel can hold up to 1,300 people banquet-style in the Island Ballroom, with a further 610 in the Tower Ballroom. There are dozens of meeting rooms, including some with access to the gardens for outdoor areas. The Valley Wing has a small business centre behind the reception and all rooms have complimentary broadband access.
LEISURE FACILITIES A fully equipped health club, spa, Jacuzzi, sauna and steam room, outdoor pool, floodlit tennis courts, three-hole pitch and put, and a children’s play pool. It’s the sort of hotel where your family could come with you for a week and never get bored, treating it as a leisure resort while you work all day, and with a great selection of restaurants in the evening.
Fact File
HOW MANY ROOMS? There are a total of 750 guestrooms as well as 127 serviced apartments and 55 residences. The Valley Wing has 131 rooms including 27 suites, with the entry-level Deluxe Room being an impressive 57sqm.
ROOM HIGHLIGHTS The large china teapot and plenty of teabags, and the water heater – which is shaped like a kettle, and keeps the water close to boiling so I could drink tea for hours while working.
PRICE Online Best Available Rates for a midweek stay in April started from S$600 (US$425) for a Valley Wing Deluxe Room.
CONTACT 22 Orange Grove Road, tel 65 6737 3644, www.shangri-la.com
VERDICTVery good. It’s not easy to keep service at these high levels, particularly with all the new resorts currently opening in Singapore, but the Shangri-La scores highly in all three of these “hotels within a hotel”. The Valley Wing is where you go for a very special occasion, such as a wedding anniversary or to celebrate being elected head of state.
Tom Otley
