Hotel Review: Carlton Hotel Singapore (Executive Room)
Keywords: Hotel - Room review - Carlton - City Hall - Affordable
Month of visit: September 2021
Youtube video review: Executive Room (Carlton Hotel Singapore) | Hotel Review
Carlton Hotel Singapore is a four-star hotel with over 900 guest rooms in central Singapore, just three minutes away from City Hall MRT station. It's location puts itself in close proximity to endless shopping and dining options with Raffles City Shopping Centre, Marina Square and Suntec City within walking distance from the hotel. Its strategic location and affordable room rates make it a popular choice among tourists.
Hotel facade.
Safe management measures require everyone to check-in before entering the hotel. Unfortunately, our experience with the staff here was unpleasant as they lacked sufficient training in a hospitality setting.
Entrance to the hotel.
Our check-in experience was equally sour as we had to stand in line for over 45 minutes before reaching the front of the queue. Unlike other hotels which stagger check-in times, this hotel clearly did not and there was a snaking queue during check-in hours (2-4PM).
Long queues to check-in.
The room package that we booked was the "We are 33" package and at $133++ with breakfast and a sure-win spin-the-wheel game, was value for money. The wheel of upgrades included a wide variety of rewards and you may have a look at the attached image below. We booked three rooms and landed on an Executive room upgrade, $50 dining credit and $50 return stay voucher. While the promotion ends on 31 December 2021, we understand that the complimentary breakfast component has been removed.
Spin the "wheel of upgrades".
Executive room
The layout of the Executive room is similar to most entry level rooms of hotels. This room category differs from the Deluxe room in terms of the availability of a coffee machine, a bath tub and fully carpeted flooring. The entrance was a narrow walkway with the bathroom immediately to the left.
Entrance of the Executive room.
The bathroom was sizeable and well lit. Natural sunlight further brightened the room if the blinds were rolled up. The vanity area had one basin, with a very wide mirror above it. In the shelf below, towels and floor mats were provided.
Overview of the bathroom.
House-brand bathroom amenities were provided, and while not luxurious, they were adequate.
Basic bathroom amenities.
The WC area was separated from the standing shower by a glass cubicle.
Separate WC area and free-standing shower.
An interesting feature of this room category is the bathtub overlooking the room. The privacy blinds could be controlled from the outside which was rather odd.
A built-in bath tub overlooking the room.
Adjacent to the bathroom was an open concept wardrobe area. Here, bedroom amenities such as hangers, bathrobes, slippers, hairdryer and laundary bags were found.
An open concept wardrobe area.
Heading into the main bedroom area, guests can find a relatively spacious room. Although the design of the room was simple, it was pleasant.
Overview of the spacious bedroom.
In the middle of the room was a marble-top wooden counter and a small flat-screened television. This was a good storage location for our belongings.
A wooden counter with cabinets and drawers.
On the right side of this counter was a Nespresso machine with three capsules provided. Below, and hidden in a cabinet were a built-in safe, tea bags, a kettle and cups.
Nespresso coffee machine, tea bags, kettle and built-in safe.
Directly opposite this was a king-sized bed which was fairly comfortable and we had a good nights' sleep.
A comfortable king sized bed.
The bedside tables were where light switches and power points could be found. Close to the window was a single seater sofa.
A single seater sofa and bedside table.
The work desk was found by the window and this area doubles up as a vanity area with a mirror hidden in one of the compartment. The wooden furnitures had a "soft-closing" mechanism which we found to be thoughtful.
A work desk overlooking the city and pool.
Apart from the city view in the background, this room had a pool view as well.
View from the room.
Facilities
This hotel has two pools which were crowded during our visit. Despite the ten person capacity the hotel set for the pool at any one time, there was more than that number and no staff was present on-site to regulate this. As such, we didn't utilise the pool despite making a pool reservation. There were a number of sun decks present surrounding the pools, but they were all occupied.
This hotel also has a small fitness centre but with safe management measures in place, a number of equipment were unavailable. Noticeably, there were barriers in between some equipment to minimise droplets from one guest reaching other guests.
A pool deck with two pools and a fitness centre.
Dining Highlights
This property has a number of dining options and we tried their in-room dining menu and had breakfast at Cafe Mosaic.
In-room dining
A good selection of Asian and Western options were available. We opted for a seafood pizza and vegetarian Hor Fun and we found them to be tasty. The prices were also reasonable although one drawback was the absence of a trolley table.
In-room dining.
Breakfast at Cafe Mosaic
Daily breakfast is held at Cafe Mosaic, on the lobby level of the hotel. The breakfast options were quite limited and each guest could have only one main item. A sharing bread basket and fruit plate were served on the side. Fortunately, the beverages were free-flow and you can expect the typical chilled juices and hot drinks.
Breakfast spread at Cafe Mosaic.
The food quality was quite average in truth but certainly adequate to start the day with. Guests can choose "eggs done your way" for the Western set and a choice from Nasi Lemak, porridge or stir fried noodles for the Asian set.
Breakfast selections at Cafe Mosaic.
Concluding remarks: For $133 a night, a stay at this hotel was well worth our money. Although many improvements can be made, we felt that the overall stay was pleasant. If you're considering a stay here, do look out for promotions like this on their official website instead of third party sites for a better deal.
Location:
Carlton Hotel Singapore
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