The Orchard Hotel Singapore pays accolade to its rich Asian heritage, with a vibrant straits Chinese-inspired design. Affable, classy and with criteria of hospitality that are next to none, the hotel oozes period charm from its key location in the heart of Singapore.
Hotel
The hotel’s legacy is apparent from the moment you enter the lobby, where the iconic clock tower that epitomises the hotel’s expedition through the ages welcomes you. The story of this hotel dates all the way back to the 1950s when it had 34 rooms and four storeys. This clock tower has been since restructured to keep in stride with contemporary times, boastful a present-day chandelier-inspired art sculpture, but still preserving that colonial, past appeal.
If you are staying on the signature floor, a feature wall bearing a collage of Chinese paintings holds court to the pavilion, where a pop-up doubles as a Chinese tea ware stand.
Service by the crew is fittingly elegant and peacefully proficient, clever, fast, observant, warm – from the door attendant onwards, plus a charming dash of the special touch. My manifold requests for bottled water, for example, were speedily attended to. The service is efficient, knowledgeable and professional.
Room
Rooms are an endearing amalgamation of old and new, a little sizable to be assigned as boutique, but there’s a cosy charm here. Brightened and overhauled to characterise warm Asian hospitality with signature class facilities, Orchard Hotel Singapore lodges the most ideal room and suites. By Singapore benchmarks, even the lead in grand deluxe rooms are extremely spacious. Nespresso and mineral water come as regular and safes are roomy enough for laptops.
While all rooms have a diverse layout, they are decked in a uniformed theme of royal red, Ming blue or orchid green muted tones. To draw attention to its unique straits Chinese theme, curios and even tea and coffee mugs are custom-made by a resident ceramic studio while the cushions and bedspreads proudly showcase the hotel’s silhouette in textile. For extra space, ease and extravagance, you can’t beat the suites, my signature suite’s bed, with premium linen, was sink-in comfy.
Food and drink
The lobby bar, Intermezzo, which gets full in the evenings, serves a cocktail menu that echoes on diverse chapters of the hotel’s history, where it honours the history of people from dissimilar backgrounds coming together to appreciate what life has to offer. From the humble beginnings of the lower-class living from Orchard’s homestead antiquity to the higher class of the expats that transported forth the inspiration in its premature days.
The hotel also houses the prize-winning Cantonese restaurant Hua Ting steered by master chef Lap Fai and The Orchard Café. Expect signature-class buffets, bringing the globe right to your table, with an ever-evolving menu and showcasing a surplus of dishes extending from Singapore’s legacy indigenous cuisines to vibrant cultures from across the planet from speciality chefs, offering you an overgenerous yet gorgeous buffet experience.
If you prefer to eat out, take a quick wander to the nearby Orchard Road where food and drink options flourish.
To do
Separately from the a 25-metre outdoor pool and fitness studio, an option for gym bunnies, there isn’t much in terms of facilities – not that you’ll need them. The hotel has everything going for it: a key location in the heart of Orchard Road, admission to dining outlets and retail therapy on its doorway and, best of all, reasonable rates. The pool offers a reflective break from the buzz of the city. Don’t miss the hotel’s astounding collection of art: you could spend hours appreciating the pieces on show.
The hotel has the most privileged location of all hotel properties in the key Orchard Road district. All of the city’s major shopping malls – counting Paragon, ION Orchard and Ngee Ann City shopping centre, are reachable on foot and close proximity to Singapore Botanic Gardens which is honoured as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Raffles MRT station in the Central Business District is just a few halts away by train. As far as location goes, you cannot get any better than this.
In a nutshell
A tasteful dwelling soaked in colonial grace, yet utterly bare of flamboyance, Orchard is robust on the wow-factor and offers a break from the standard of old-style. Indulgent windswept outdoor areas balance the indoor spaces with trimmed landscaping.
Factbox
Room rates are from 270 Singapore Dollars for a grand deluxe room to approx. 670 Singapore Dollars for a premier suite per night including breakfast.
Address: 442, Orchard Road, Singapore 238879
Phone: +65 6734 7766
Website: orchardhotel.com.sg
