Concorde Hotel Singapore Review

One of the most recognizable hotels in the Orchard Road stretch, the Concorde Hotel Singapore is the only property of the hospitality chain, HPL Hotels, in the country. The location of this mid-rise hotel, right between Dhoby Ghaut and Somerset MRT stations is highly central. A shopping mall is never too far away.

The 407-room hotel used to be the Le Meridien until HPL Hotels took over a few years back. The property is one of the few that still features an open atrium lobby – not exactly considered optimal in today’s space-deprived Singapore but most certainly a bright and airy alternative from what we see in newer venues.

I was standing in reception to check-in when I was advised to proceed to the Premier Lounge itself. The lounge is only a short walk away from reception so thankfully, I did not have to go up to some random floor just to get my keys. During the registration process, I was also told about the club benefits which are the following:

• Complimentary coffee, tea and soft drinks available in the Premier Lounge from 7am til 11pm
• Personalized check-in and check-out at the Premier Lounge
• Complimentary late check-out til 3pm, subject to availability
• Breakfast at any of the following venues
  • Premier Lounge – 7am to 11am
  • Spices Cafe – 630am to 1030am
  • Room Service – 6am to 12nn
• Evening cocktails from 6pm to 8pm
• Complimentary DVDs available for loan upon request, up to a maximum of 2 per day
• Complimentary use of meeting room for 2 hours per stay
• Complimentary mini bar
• Complimentary laundry for 2 pieces daily per room (non accumulative, excluding dry cleaning)
• Complimentary shoe shine service
• Complimentary 2 bottles of mineral water
• Complimentary 1 invited guest for evening cocktail (in addition to the registered guests)

During evening cocktails, I was also told the lounge prohibits children under 12 to enter the Premier Lounge.

Premier Club Room

All Premier rooms are located at the topmost floor (9th) of the hotel. Compared to the other floors, the rooms here are markedly newer as these have been refurbished recently. My Premier Club room was 31 square meters in size, elegantly furnished and carried a subtle oriental theme. I found ornamental pottery and orchids by the desk while a number of magazines were sorted in a rack for me to choose from. The bed has one of the best mattresses I’ve encountered so far.

One defining feature of the Premier rooms is the complimentary minibar which has a decent selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, a small can of Pringles and a bag of nuts. This is especially helpful for late-night hunger pangs when you don’t have to worry about heading down to grab a midnight snack.

The bathroom comes with a window that looks out to the bedroom, as with some newer hotels. You can lower the blinds in order to have some added privacy. You won’t find a tub here but the shower area is spacious and comes with a separate shower head. I also love how the shower handles are actually located by the entrance and away from the shower heads. I found this a very practical solution especially if you want to avoid getting sprayed all of a sudden with scalding hot or freezing cold water the moment you turn the shower on.

Toiletries are from the in-house brand. The interesting thing about them is how each piece is number-coded using only odd numbers. I also liked how they provided the complete set in one go so that I didn’t have to call to ask for a toothbrush for example.

The bathroom mirror was not particularly big but it was fog-free and had a swivel to reveal a vanity mirror.

Premier Lounge at Concorde Hotel Singapore

I dropped by the Premier Club Lounge during evening cocktails to find a surprisingly extensive array of items in the buffet spread. I was told that the spread normally gets beefed up during weekends and the one I encountered on a Sunday was probably one of the most satisfying evening cocktails spread I’ve seen so far. There was an amazing variety of sushi including mackerel, salmon, unagi and even scallops. You also get around four hot items in the evenings. I even chanced upon an interesting paper chicken dish during my stay.

The lounge itself is pretty big and has a separate relaxation area with fluffy couches for sitting and a dining area in another corner. I dropped by for evening cocktails during two occasions. It was pretty quiet during the weekend but busier during the weekday. If you need to get some work done, there is a PC terminal that’s free for guests to use.

Breakfast

For breakfast, I had the option of having it at the Premier Club Lounge or at the Spices Café. The all-day dining restaurant in Concorde Hotel Singapore is quite popular among local residents for its Peranakan buffet held during lunch on weekdays. If only they could offer it for dinner or during weekends, I would probably come here a lot more often.

As it wasn’t particularly busy at the all-day dining restaurant, I decided to have a full breakfast at Spices Cafe.

I quite liked the morning spread at Spices Café and they had exactly the local specialties I love. I had quite a number of soon kueh and kaya buns for my morning meal. The chicken ball soup was also commendable. Other than this, if you fancy western items such as bacon, omelet and oatmeal, Spices Café will have you covered.

Verdict

Prior to this stay at Concorde Hotel Singapore, my encounters with HPL Hotels were mostly with their resorts so my experience here offered a peek into their execution for the urban setting. Even though the property is not classified in the luxury category, I love how they really pay careful attention to guests booked in the Premier category — and I do recommend booking the Premier rooms when staying here. Club benefits are decidedly more generous – the free minibar and allowing one outside guest for evening cocktails are practically unheard of elsewhere. For all the extras they provide plus the better-looking room that you’ll be getting, it’s definitely worth the extra $100 or so per night.

Concorde Hotel Singapore
100 Orchard Road
Singapore 238840

Tel: +65 6733 8855