Hotel Review: InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay – Luxurious Residential-Style Living

InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay opened in October 2017 after taking over from the old Gallery Hotel in the same site by the Singapore River. Unlike its Peranakan-influenced sister hotel in Bugis, the newer InterContinental hotel – and the second of the brand in Singapore – carries a pronounced residential-inspired concept in keeping with the expat-oriented neighborhood surrounding it. This particular InterContinental hotel is only 10 floors high and was designed by the award-winning firm, SCDA.

Along with the gradual reopening of some IHG hotels in Singapore, the property also reopened in December 2021 after nearly 2 years of being a quarantine hotel.

In keeping with newer hotels these days, the actual lobby of the InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay is situated at the 4th floor while its F&B outlets such as Publico Ristorante are located at the ground level. This is quite a compact hotel where most of the facilities are contained within just two levels. For instance, you’ll find the swimming pool and club lounge at the same level as the lobby which makes it easy and quick to get to various spots within the hotel.

Room

InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay has plenty of room categories and most of them, unless you are staying in the suites, are 23 square meters in size. For this particular stay, I was at the Club Riverview Studio King Room which offered sumptuous views of the river and even Singapore’s CBD in the distance. Despite having stayed here previously, I could not help but notice how much more modern the look is here compared to the InterContinental Singapore. In fact, the bronze / dark color scheme reminds me a bit of the refurbished rooms at the InterContinental Malta which I remember from my stay there last year. Despite the markedly smaller size of the rooms here, they are undoubtedly plush and also possess a more sophisticated vibe.

The relatively urbane target market of the InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay is evident through inroom amenities such as complimentary Nespresso capsules (and machine) and tea from Monogram. There used to be a rather cute alcoholic and snack selection inroom but these have been removed, presumably due to the current situation. I was also pleasantly surprised to find some newly replenished items. For instance, the kettle was new – with a manufacturing date of just 2 months prior to my stay – probably as part of the upkeep after the hotel shifted back to leisure stays.

There is no need to stick in your key card somewhere to activate the power in the room and a convenient room control panel is situated at either side of the bed allows you to turn on/off the lights and even raise the curtains from the comfort of your bed.

Despite the modest size of the room, there are actually multiple seating formats here. The first is through an armchair, second through some booth-style seats which are more appropriate for getting some work done. Third, is a granitic block situated by the wash area which can alternatively be used to put things.

A sliding door separates the room from the wash area but what is notable here is how the wash area can seamlessly integrate into the room itself – thus adding an extra sense of space into the 23 square meters that’s advertised. The parts that can’t be integrated – the showers and toilet – are tucked away in separate enclosures. Do note that while the glass door leading to the shower is reflective, it is still partially transparent which means that you can see the inside if you look closely. Toiletries are from C.O. Bigelow.

Club InterContinental at Robertson Quay

My stay came with access to the Club InterContinental Lounge which carried a range of benefits. The lounge here is open from 11AM to 9:30PM (it was open 24 hours before the pandemic) while there are two meal services to note. Another refreshing change is the presence of an alfresco area as part of the lounge, again something which reminds me of the InterContinental Malta. The complete set of benefits at the lounge include the following:

• Complimentary breakfast at Publico, afternoon tea and evening drinks
• Evening canapes exclusively available at Club InterContinental
• Light refreshments available while the club lounge is open
• Complimentary local calls
• Complimentary hosting of one guest at Club InterContinental Lounge
• Complimentary pressing of two pieces of attire upon arrival
• 25% off all laundry services
• Complimentary usage of The Study for 1 hour per stay

I managed to drop by the lounge during afternoon tea, which is served from 2PM to 4PM. InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay has its own version of the 3-tier tea seat with a variety of scones, small sandwiches and pastries. The lounge staff were quite flexible with drinks. There’s a menu with all that the club has to offer, including coffee from Lavazza.

The venue also serves evening cocktails from 6 to 8pm. I dropped by to see what was on offer. InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay has a decidedly western menu with plenty of cold items and a canape station with the finger food arranged on the spot. At the time of my visit, there were scallops and prawns. There was also a mini salad section and fruit selection. The Club InterContinental staff members were very proactive in offering drinks to me. Drinks selection included wine and prosecco. Bespoke cocktails are no longer offered.

Facilities

Aside from the lounge, there are few other facilities in the hotel left to explore aside from the lap pool and the fitness center downstairs. The latter is a marked improvement here compared to the one at InterContinental Singapore and includes just about a complete set of equipment for a decent workout.

Breakfast at Publico

Guests whose stay come with breakfast get to have it at Publico at the ground level from 6:30AM to 10:30AM daily. As Publico also functions as a popular brunch place among locals, I found the ala carte buffet concept here more to my liking. Guests get to choose as many brunch dishes they like, be it eggs benedict, pancakes, etc. While here, I heavily recommend getting the Fluffy Banana Pancakes, health buffs and millennials may also be pleased to note that they serve Smashed Avocado Toast here.

Verdict

I loved the enhanced level of service at the Club InterContinental lounge here, perhaps one of the best among the InterContinental hotels I’ve stayed in so far. This may be a modestly-sized hotel but they certainly did not scrimp on the interiors or the furnishings. You probably won’t go wrong with either but if you are deciding between the InterContinental Singapore or the InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay, you can consider the latter if you’d like a more laidback pace during your stay.

Booking It

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