Hotel Staycation Review: Grand Hyatt Singapore – An Oasis in the Heart of Orchard Road

The Grand Hyatt Singapore is one of the most iconic hotels in the country. Located very close to the intersection of Orchard Road and Scotts Road and right at the heart of one of the world’s most popular commercial strips, the hotel has been around since 1971 when it was known as the Hyatt Regency. In the ensuing decades, new dining concepts as well as a couple of refurbishments have ensured not just continuing relevance but of sustained popularity. I don’t know exactly how many times I have already seen Straits Kitchen, one of its restaurants, appearing in best Singapore buffets lists. Along with other concepts such as Mezza9, 10 Scotts, Pete’s Place and Oasis, Grand Hyatt Singapore has a pretty strong F&B proposition despite the lack of a dedicated Chinese restaurant.

grand hyatt singapore lobby

I had the opportunity to check out the property for a staycation during one weekend. Coming here was a breeze. Orchard MRT station is only around a 5 minute walk away while many of the well-known shopping malls such as Tang’s and Ion Orchard are just close by. The property has a minimalist theme combined with a distinct zen feel. Rock gardens abound and despite the property’s location in a highly dense zone, one of its decorative highlights is a multi-tiered waterfall located near the restaurants.

As I was staying in a Grand Club Room, I was immediately led to the grand club lounge for check-in formalities when I attempted to register myself at the lobby. I had arrived earlier than the check-in time so I initially wasn’t sure whether my room was already available but the front desk staff was kind enough to give me one, and even upgraded me to a Grand Deluxe Room at that! As part of the club amenities, I was also reminded that I could have a complimentary suit pressing which I eventually availed later that day.

Grand Deluxe King Room

grand deluxe king room – living area

Entering the Grand Deluxe Room for the first time, I could not believe my eyes! I had thought that the front desk made a mistake as my room came with a separate living area and I called just to make sure the room given to me was indeed just a “Grand Deluxe Room” and not a suite of some sort. At 54 square meters, it could certainly qualify as a suite elsewhere and certainly seemed larger than the published size to me.

While the interiors of my previous hotel stays were very thematic in nature, presenting either a deliberately garish or hipster look, my room was refreshingly devoid of that and instead I observed that the design here carried a timeless quality with heavy usage of wood, warm hues as well as marble. Overall, the layout and design elements were heavily geared to be functional – the working desk was quite prominent along with a desk lamp, plenty of power outlets and drawers to suit business people. Beside the working desk was a spacious couch with a generous 42 inch flat-screen TV opposite it as well as a stack of magazines to ensure guests don’t run out of things to do while in the room.

grand deluxe king room – bedroom

Housed in an enclosure of its own is the bedroom which came with another TV (slightly smaller, at 32″). I particularly noted the symmetrical layout of the bed here as well as the lighting fixtures which to me came uncannily similar to scenes from the film “Lost in Translation” which by the way was filmed in another Hyatt property (the Park Hyatt Tokyo).

Turndown service is available here upon request and I called for it before going to sleep that night. One of the things that must be noted about the room was how effective the curtains were in blocking out the light. If it were not for my alarm ringing the next morning, I would have thought that I actually woke up in the middle of the night!

grand deluxe king room – bathroom

grand hyatt singapore toiletries from june jacobs

The bathroom was another “grand” affair befitting the name. Decked in marble, it contrasted with the relatively unassuming elegance of the rest of the room. There was a separate shower area as well as a large bathtub while toiletries were generously provided. Bath amenities were from June Jacobs which was just perfect as the Green Tea and Cucumber products offered was a cooling solution to the haze outside.

Grand Club Lounge

grand club lounge – grand hyatt singapore

As I was staying in a club category room, I was able to make use of the property’s grand club lounge. Like club lounges elsewhere, one can partake of breakfast, afternoon refreshments and evening cocktails here. I particularly enjoyed the evening cocktails assortment at the grand club lounge. While there were a good variety of canapes served as in elsewhere, the property makes it a point to include at least 3 hot dishes in the evening offerings, effectively making for a decent dinner for those with no time to find a restaurant outside.

Here is a summary of the benefits from the Grand Club Lounge:

• One hour complimentary usage of the boardroom
• Complimentary all-day refreshments from 6:30AM to 10PM
• Complimentary continental breakfast from 6:30AM to 10:30AM on weekdays and until 11:00AM on weekends and Public Holidays
• Complimentary beverages and canapes from 6PM to 8PM
• Complimentary suit pressing

There were many things I enjoyed during evening cocktails that it’s hard to list them all. Among the notable ones were the raspberry tarts, sushi assortment and the local goodies. They served Roti John at the grand club lounge during my stay! One thing that I observed as well was how attentive the staff members were in the grand club lounge. They would always remember to greet me by name and made efforts as well to have conversations with as many guests as possible. I think it’s a marvelous idea for this property to hire very experienced people to do the job (i.e. folks in their 40’s or 50’s having spent decades in the services sector), something which I’ve only seen in one other luxury hotel in Singapore.

I similarly had my breakfast at the grand club lounge the next morning as part of my stay. While the spread wasn’t as wide as in Straits Kitchen downstairs, I did find the food offerings at the lounge to be of excellent quality. All the breakfast essentials were there – from eggs to toast, even local specialties such as char kway teow were represented not to mention fruits I rarely find in a hotel breakfast such as strawberries and raspberries.

grand hyatt singapore swimming pool

Later that evening, I decided to go for a night swim at the hotel pool. As with elsewhere, I prefer swimming at night to avoid the sun exposure. It’s also less crowded as with the case at this property. Despite the popular poolside BBQ buffet that was happening next door, I was sharing the pool with just 3 other people that evening.

I also did try the BBQ buffet at Oasis. Although the property already has other dining outlets serving buffet, Oasis was still filled to the brim the night I dined there. For SGD 98++, guests could feast on seafood delights such as oysters and prawns as well as steaks, sausages, chicken and tuna. There’s also a separate Mongolian section as well as an elaborate salad spread.

Verdict

Great for both business and pleasure, the property is perhaps one of the most compelling “integrated” hotels in the country. It mixes a strong F&B foundation along with the chain’s service culture as well as topnotch rooms. One practically need not leave the property while staying here unless attending to some business or sightseeing activities.  As a veteran in Singapore’s hospitality scene, Grand Hyatt presents an efficient and elegant local service culture that is slowly disappearing and which can be found in just a handful of other stately properties here.

Booking It

The Grand Hyatt Singapore has a staycation package that starts from S$200 net per night for a room-only stay. Top it up by S$50 net for breakfast for two and avail of other benefits such as afternoon tea, dinner and late check-out. They also have a limited time 1-for-1 promotion where you can stay in an 83sqm Grand Suite for S$720 net for 2 nights inclusive of club lounge access. You can check out their packages here.

Grand Hyatt Singapore
10 Scotts Rd
Singapore 228211

You can read more of my hotel reviews here.

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