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 other IHG hotels in Singapore, the property was running a weekend staycation promotion (valid until 30th December 2018) with added bells and whistles such as an extended check out time (til 4pm), breakfast for two, free parking and even complimentary usage of board games in-room.

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 Deli and Publico Ristorante are both 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.

Tip: Guests staying in this property actually get a complimentary copy of the Luxe City Guide for Singapore. Make sure to ask for one at the front desk when you check in.

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. This was my first time to stay in the property and the immediate thing I noticed was 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 an enhanced minibar with a variety of alcoholic beverages you won’t easily find elsewhere (including some from Marcello) as well as complimentary coffee capsules and tea from Gryphon. For those with late night hunger pangs, you’ll find plenty of foreign-sourced snacks.

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 to allow 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, as with InterContinental hotels elsewhere, are from Agraria.

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 notable for being open for 24 hours while there are three 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:

• All day exclusive access to the 24-hour Club InterContinental Lounge with alfresco terrace
• Private check-in and check-out
• Personalised stay experience
• Complimentary breakfast, afternoon tea and evening drinks
• Exclusive cocktails curated by Proof & Company bartenders, exclusively available at Club InterContinental
• Light refreshments available all day
• 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 participation in exclusive Club curated activities

I managed to drop by the lounge during afternoon tea. 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. I requested for an off-menu item, iced latte, and this was delivered to me in a jiffy.

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 cheese section and even a salumeria. The Club InterContinental menu clearly marks out the type of wines available as well as bespoke cocktails that the lounge staff are able to prepare for guests.

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 comes with breakfast get to have it at Publico Deli at the ground level from 6:30AM to 10:30AM daily. As Publico also functions as a popular brunch place among locals, you’ll find the buffet concept here a little bit different. There is still a conventional buffet spread but alongside that, guests get to choose one brunch dish be it eggs benedict, pancakes, etc which are also individually priced. If your stay does not come with breakfast, you can fork out S$38 instead to get the same breakfast set. The coffee notably comes from Liberty while the tea, as with the ones in the rooms, are from Gryphon. You can also find the breakfast menu 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.

From 1st June to 30th December 2018, IHG is offering a “Jump Start Your Weekend” promotion with rates for as low as S$140++ per night across IHG hotels in Singapore. This includes free breakfast, late check-out, in room boardgames and other perks. You can book HERE to take advantage of this promotion.