Hotels

Opened in December 2023, the new InterContinental Bangkok Sukhumvit is located along the main Sukhumvit stretch, at the intersection with Soi 59. It is the second InterContinental property in Bangkok, with the older InterContinental Bangkok in the Ploen Chit area being the other. 

intercontinental bangkok sukhumvit lobby

InterContinental Bangkok Sukhumvit is around 5 minutes walk to Thong Lo BTS Station. It counts the Marriott Bangkok Sukhumvit and Ascott Thonglor as some of its most immediate neighbors. 

intercontinental bangkok sukhumvit lobby

intercontinental bangkok sukhumvit lobby

intercontinental bangkok sukhumvit lobby

The property has 241 rooms from 34 to 68 square meters, ranging from the entry-level classic room to suites. During a recent trip to Bangkok, I stayed in a Premium Room.

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Fraser Residence River Promenade is a new serviced apartment opened by Frasers Hospitality. It occupies the 3 warehouses that used to be Zouk’s location before the nightclub moved to Clarke Quay. Situated in Jiak Kim Street, the 72-rooms at the property are available for stays of a minimum of 6 nights. 

The structure that makes up the Fraser Residence River Promenade is made up of two parts. The first is the series of 3 heritage warehouses where the expansive lobby and events space are located. The second is a newer structure where the actual rooms are found. The latter is similarly low-rise, with only 5 floors. 

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Far East Organization formally opened Far East Village Hotel Tokyo Asakusa in April 2023 with a location that is about 5 minutes walk away from Tawaramachi Station and near the traditional Asakusa district surrounding the iconic Sensoji Temple. This is Far East Organization’s 3rd hotel in Japan.

The property itself is rebranded from what used to be Red Planet Asakusa. With the Far East Organization acquisition, certain changes were made to some furnishings, amenities and aesthetic fit the color scheme of the brand.

With 135 rooms, this is a mid-sized hotel with just 12 floors. The lobby plays a focal point in the hotel stay as some room amenities are kept here. Aside from check-in/check-out formalities, bathroom amenities such as shaving kit, cotton buds, etc are also placed here for guest to bring back to the room.

There is also free-flow coffee from the lobby’s Nespresso machine, with 4 different types of coffee capsules to choose from. 

To differentiate itself from local hotels, the property also has a “Live Like a Local” booklet containing various recommendations around the neighborhood. This includes places to eat as well as tourist attractions in the vicinity. 

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Conveniently located just opposite the Guggenheim, the Gran Hotel Domine Bilbao opened in 2002 as what was then (and still is) one of the poshest hotels in the largest city in the Basque Country.

The luxury property, which has 145 rooms, seems to be a much larger hotel than what its capacity suggests. It has at least 3 dining outlets including a rooftop terrace, a gym, spa and sauna. At the time of this writing, there is even a fine-dining restaurant under development. It is pretty much a full-service property by any sense of the word. 

Tip: Although it’s a standalone hotel, Gran Hotel Domine Bilbao is a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts – a group of over 650 independent properties around the world. Preferred Hotels & Resorts has its own loyalty programme – I-Preferred. If you decide to stay at this property, you can earn points from the stay and enjoy additional benefits by booking the I-Preferred member rate. You can get more information here

You can’t expect a hotel located just next to the Guggenheim to be cookie-cutter and in that respect, the Gran Hotel Domine Bilbao is almost like an art gallery in itself with unique pieces peppered throughout the public areas. The artworks are from Javier Mariscal who designed the hotel when it first opened.

The art pieces in the hotel are not just mere paintings. Of note is the tall bag of rocks soaring above the hotel’s distinctive curving atrium as well as the mini-clocks at the lobby that form to tell the time. Even the lift lobbies on the individual floors have some sort of art work displayed.

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One of Singapore’s longest running hotels, Grand Hyatt Singapore, closed temporarily in 2022 for a total refurbishment. The property is expected to reopen in phases from Q1 of 2024 onwards and will take on the themes of “a grand living room” and “wellness haven” in the Orchard Road area. With 699 guestrooms and suites, the refurbished hotel will be complemented by theatrical gourmet and lifestyle concepts.

renovated room in grand hyatt singapore

I personally remember dining and having staycations in the property. I have fond memories of their club lounge and the attentive service of staff members there. I also remember the delightful Sunday brunches at mezza9 so I’m quite excited to see how the Grand Hyatt Singapore will look like once it reopens. The refurbishment will take over a year to complete so it’s likely that we’ll see a very different Grand Hyatt Singapore when it reopens.

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In a city where hotel room prices are sky high, it has become rather challenging to recommend more affordable full-service hotels to friends who are visiting Singapore. S$300 a night has become the norm since the full reopening of the travel sector in 2022 that anything below that is considered a rarity for a full-service property.

Due to this rarity, I was quite intrigued when the kind team from Copthorne King’s Hotel Singapore invited me for a staycation. The property, which first opened as King’s Hotel back in 1970, has been a long-time fixture in the city’s hospitality scene. The hotel has recently seen developments in two fronts. First is the recent opening of the Havelock MRT Station around 5 minutes walk away and the second being the recent renovation of some of their guestrooms. The property is under the Millennium Hotels & Resorts, and counts some of the other hotels in the vicinity such as the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel and M Social Singapore as its sister hotels. 

Some 142 guestrooms in Copthorne King’s Hotel Singapore’s Tower Wing were renovated in 2020. The tower wing is the taller cylindrical structure appended to the shorter main building of the hotel. Unlike rooms in the main wing, the rooms in the Tower Wing don’t have a balcony but its cylindrical nature allow for rather interesting guestroom layouts.

Copthorne King’s Hotel has a rather conventional lobby. My check-in was rather uneventful, except that my room was not initially ready and reception invited me to wait for 15 minutes at the club lounge. My room did not come with club lounge access so it was my sole chance to have a peek inside. 

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One Farrer Hotel is an upscale hotel located in the vibrant Little India district of Singapore. It is a modern hotel that features 249 rooms and suites, all of which are equipped with high-end amenities such as flat-screen TVs, minibars and high-speed internet access. The rooms are spacious and well-appointed, with contemporary decor and exceptionally wide windows that offer stunning views of the city.

Despite being initially geared towards medical tourism (the hotel is integrated with Farrer Park Medical Centre), the property has won plaudits among business and leisure travelers and also has a strong base of local clientele who come for staycations. 

It has been a while since I last stepped into One Farrer Hotel. I had a very good staycation there a couple of years ago and I also went for a dinner event in The Nest in 2022.

The neighborhood where One Farrer Hotel is situated is seeing a lot more interest recently – especially with TimeOut magazine listing Little India as one of the world’s coolest neighborhoods. 

The property can be thought of as having four different propositions. The first would be the standard rooms which the property calls Mint Hotel. The second would be the Loft Apartments – a SoHo living concept with lower and upper sections in the room. The third is the Skyline Hotel & Sky Villa – the more exclusive upper floors of the hotel where rooms get club lounge access as well as a separate pool dedicated to guests staying in these levels. The fourth would be the Saranggong Villa concept – suites which offer bells and whistles such as courtyard, jacuzzi, BBQ facilities and even chefs that can serve in-suite meals to guests. 

I was recently invited back by One Farrer Hotel to stay in the property – this time at their rather private and luxe Saranggong Villa.

One Farrer Hotel has a few villas for guests to stay and each one is named after a plant or flower. The sky villas which are located at the upper floors are named as Peony, Lotus, Jasmine, Orchid and Calla Lily – with the latter being the hotel’s equivalent of the presidential suite. 

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Roughly 4 years after they demolished the old Pan Pacific Orchard, the same property undergoes a new lease of life with a striking new building taking its place. The new structure, which was designed by renowned architecture firm WOHA, features a vertical setup with lush, tropical elements throughout. From afar, the building looks like jenga blocks assembled on top of each other.

pan pacific orchard facade

Even though the current version of the Pan Pacific Orchard is spanking new, this is a property that I have fond memories of. I remember doing staycations in the previous incarnation of the property. I remember how great the service was and the nice room upgrades they gave to GHA Discovery members. I also remember going for dinners at the previous all-day dining restaurant called 10 on Claymore and rushing out to grab takeaways at the Thai eatery in nearby Orchard Towers for supper. Pan Pacific Orchard counts the likes of voco Orchard, Four Seasons Singapore, Yotel Singapore Orchard Road and Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza as its neighbors. 

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