Tried & Tested

Hotel review: The St Regis Singapore

27 Feb 2017 by Jeremy Tredinnick
The St Regis Singapore Lobby Area

BACKGROUND The St Regis Singapore opened in April 2008; since that time a plethora of competing luxury brands have entered the market, and the 20-storey hotel is planning a refurb this year.

WHERE IS IT? Just around the bend in the road at the far western end of the famous Orchard Road shopping street. Changi airport is about 30 minutes away by car depending on traffic, and the Orchard MRT station is a 10-minute walk away.

WHAT’S IT LIKE? A study in refined elegance. Order an airport transfer and you’ll be met by a Bentley Continental Silver Spur, inside which is an iPad and wifi connection while you’re being swept into town in style. The 299-room hotel features impressive chandeliers everywhere you go, silk wallpaper in the corridors, plus a fine-art collection that is broad-scoped and interesting at every turn.

ROOM FACILITIES There are four room categories and six suite types. I was in a Penthouse room (52 sqm, all located on floors 18 to 20). Red-brown wood veneer covered the wall panelling, work desk and cabinets, and by the window – which offered great views towards the Singapore Botanic Gardens – was a curving red sofa, a jacket stand, an easy chair and ottoman.

The long work desk under the 42-inch TV was leather topped and great for working on – two universal sockets and other ports were recessed under a flap, though the lack of a USB port was noticeable. However, there was a USB port in the iHome alarm clock/music system on the bedside table, which also allows you to charge and play your iPod, iPhone or iPad. A control panel on each side of the huge bed controlled the lights – there were three mood lighting modes – plus the drapes and blackout curtains.

The bathroom featured heavily veined beige and brown marble, twin sinks with old-fashioned taps, a freestanding bath facing a mirror with an in-built TV, and a walk-in shower with massage water jets for your spine, as well as fragrant Laboratoire Remède bathroom products.

The St Regis Singapore Grand Deluxe King Room

There’s no need for a Nespresso in the rooms as the signature St Regis butler service means free tea or coffee is brought to your room whenever requested – also part of the service is complimentary shoe shining and pressing of two clothes items per day, as well as a packing/unpacking service.

This isn’t a modern, avant-garde room experience, more a nod to old-fashioned comfort, and as such I found it served my needs well and exuded a classy, luxuriant quality that was a pleasure to relax in.

RESTAURANTS AND BARS Four restaurants at The St Regis Singapore include Brasserie Les Saveurs on the ground floor, offering contemporary French cuisine beside floor-to-ceiling windows; renowned Cantonese restaurant Yan Ting on the mezzanine floor (L1U); and on Level 2, with both indoor and alfresco poolside areas, the trattoria-style Italian La Brezza. The ground floor also houses Shinji, a one-Michelin-star Japanese eatery managed by a third party. The Drawing Room is the “English parlour” lobby lounge area, and close to the hotel’s main entrance is the Astor Bar, a dark, clubby room serving classic cocktails, fine whisky and live jazz.

MEETING FACILITIES The 709 sqm John Jacob ballroom is on the mezzanine level of The St Regis Singapore, while five meeting rooms are located on the ground floor, where you’ll also find a business centre.

LEISURE FACILITIES An outdoor pool, looked out on by a mid-sized gym, is found on Level 2, as is the Remède Spa, Asia’s first branch of this US spa brand, which boasts seven treatment rooms, steam rooms, an outdoor spa garden, signature treatments such as the warm jade stone massage and black olive eucalyptus scrub, plus a “Pedi:Mani:Cure Studio” by French podiatrist Bastien Gonzalez.

VERDICT The St Regis Singapore is a hotel for those who like a classic luxury experience. It might not be the first choice for hip, trendy millennials, but there’s still a lot to be said for old-school quality amid superb surroundings.

PRICE Internet rates for a Penthouse room in mid-April start from S$549 (US$380) including tax and surcharges.

CONTACT 29 Tanglin Road, Singapore 247911; tel +65 6506 6888;

stregissingapore.com

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