Review: Conrad Centennial Singapore (Centennial King Suite)

After our travel plans in April and May fell through due to unforeseen circumstances, we decided on a two-night stay at Conrad Centennial Singapore in May 2022 to make up for the disappointment. The hotel is located near Marina Bay, which is one of the reasons why we choose this property as it has been a while since we last stayed in this area.

Hotel Background and Information

Conrad Centennial Singapore opened in 1996 and is housed in a postmodern building with the number thirteen on its façade. The hotel had an extensive refurbishment of its guest rooms, lounge by the pool, spa, and fitness centre in 2018 and the refurbishment was overseen by Jaya Ibrahim Design, whose works include Capella Singapore, Aman at Summer Palace, Beijing, and Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay.

The hotel has 512 rooms, with the breakdown of the room types as follows:

Conrad Centennial Singapore is located in the Marina Bay area, and is within walking distance of many attractions in Singapore, with Marina Bay, Marina Bay Sands, and Singapore Flyer all close by. In addition to being close to many attractions, the hotel is also a stone’s throw away from two metro stations, and numerous retail and food outlets, making it a good base to explore the city.   

Metro stations that are near the hotel:

1. Promenade (3mins) – Circle line (CC4) / Downtown line (DT15)
2. Esplanade (6 mins) – Circle line (CC3)

For non-locals, tourist attractions that are near the hotel:

1. Esplanade Theatres on the bay (9 mins walk)
2. Singapore Flyer (12 mins walk)
3. National Gallery Singapore (13 mins walk)
4. Merlion (14 mins walk)
5. Marina Bay Sands Mall & Art Science Museum (15 mins walk)

Nearby Malls:

1. Millenia Walk (beside the hotel) – Good range of cafes and Japanese food. Has a Japanese supermarket.
2. Suntec City Shopping Centre (beside the hotel) – Huge mall with a convention centre. Supermarket can be found.
3. Marina Square (3 mins walk) – Typical mall
4. Esplanade Mall (10 mins walk) – Mall attached to a performing arts theatre
5. Raffles City Shopping Centre (11 mins walk) – Typical mall. Supermarket can be found
6. Bugis Junction (12 mins walk) – Mall featuring Singapore’s first glass covered, air-conditioned shopping streets. A supermarket, numerous restaurants and retail outlets can be found here.

Nearby food options (in addition to food options found in malls):

1. South Beach Avenue (7 mins walk) – Numerous restaurants of various cuisines
2. Chijmes (10 mins walk) – Numerous restaurants and bars housed in a former heritage building
3. Liang Seah Street (11 mins walk) – Row of shophouses with many hotpot restaurants.
4. Arab Street/ Haji Lane (14 mins walk) – Cafes, bars, and restaurants offering Middle Eastern cuisines can be found.
5. Makansutra Gluttons Bay (15 mins walk) – Open-air food court with local hawker fare

Booking Process and Pricing

Hotel prices are through the roof in Singapore these days, and since we do not have status with Hilton Honors, we decided to turn to an OTA in hopes of getting a lower rate. After browsing through a couple of OTAs, Trip.com happened to be the cheapest and thus we proceeded to book our King Centennial Suite with the site.

We were fortunate that Shopback (a cashback website) was running an enhanced cashback promotion of twenty percent cashback for hotel bookings on various OTAs when we were making the booking and this further reduced the cost of our stay.

Check-in & Lobby

We emailed the hotel two days before our stay to request for an early check-in but did not receive a reply. Regardless, we headed to the hotel early and arrived at around eleven-thirty on a Saturday morning. There was only one other guest that was checking in at that time but we had to wait for about ten minutes as there was just one desk that was manned. It was only when the second desk opened up then we were attended to.

During check-in, the front desk staff informed us of our executive lounge benefits (which we are entitled to as we were staying in a suite) and invited us to book a timeslot for afternoon tea and evening cocktails as these were only available in one hour slots which required advance booking. After which we enquired about a late checkout and were told that it was going to be difficult as suites are limited but despite that, we were granted a 1 pm late checkout.

Upon completion of the check-in formalities, we were told that our room was not yet ready and so we left the hotel for lunch. We got a call from the hotel about an hour later informing us that our room was ready and we returned shortly thereafter, collected our keys, and proceed to our room.

Room: Centennial King Suite

The King Centennial Suite that we were assigned was on level 14, which is a mid-floor suite and it measures 63 sqm (680 sqft) with separate living and bedroom areas.

Based on the floor plan, there seems to be only one suite on each floor and all suites are corner rooms.

Due to the pandemic, Hilton has introduced The Hilton CleanStay room seal (no longer required in the US) to be placed on room doors after they’ve been cleaned and inspected to provide some form of assurance that the room has been thoroughly cleaned.

This policy seems to still be in force during our stay as we found one of these seals on our suite’s door. Despite the intentions behind introducing the seal, the seal certainly did not serve its purpose as we managed to open our door with the seal kept intact.

After entering the suite, there is some built-in storage space with two drawers to the right, and to the left is the minibar area.

In the minibar area, eight water cartons, two water and wine glasses, an ice bucket, a kettle, as well as a Nespresso coffee machine can be found.

More cutlery, six Nespresso coffee pods, four Ronnefeldt teabags, and one OSK Japanese green teabag are stored in the minibar’s drawer.

Like many hotels in Singapore, since the pandemic started, the minibar fridge in the suite was empty. Guests can however scan a QR code found on the minibar for both the minibar and room service menu and order through the hotel’s in-house system. Below is the menu if you are interested.

Beyond the minibar area is the suite’s living room. The living room is reasonably spacious and has a long L-shaped day bed alongside a study table, a small side table, and a dining table.

There wasn’t much of a view from the living room as it looks out to the convention centre that is located opposite the hotel. Being on mid-level meant that we couldn’t see Marina Bay even though we were partially facing that direction.

A 55-inch Samsung smart TV is wall mounted in the middle and there is a good variety of channels to choose from should you want some TV time.

The study table makes a proper working desk and can be found beside the daybed. There is a desk lamp, phone, and a book on the architecture and history of Singapore’s City Hall and Supreme Court on the table.

If you are planning to get some work done, you’ll be pleased to find two 230V power outlets built into the table for your computer devices.

Guests enjoy complimentary WIFI and we did a test on the WIFI speed as follows:

At the other end of the room is a round dining table which is where the welcome amenity was placed.

The welcome amenity consisted of a jar and a packet of homemade red velvet cookies, which tasted great, as well as a jar and a packet of fruit medley. On top of that, there was a box of four chocolates (two white and two milk chocolates), a small bottle of still water (Aqua Panna), and a small bottle of sparkling water (S Pellegrino). A handwritten card with the general manager’s name card was also found among the welcome amenities.

We liked how the general manager’s name card was made available to us as it allowed us to easily contact him should there be any issues or feedback during the stay.

The bedroom is separated from the living room by a sliding door. In the bedroom, there is a King-sized Simmons bed, a 48-inch Samsung television, a sitting area with one armchair, and a small side table.

Unlike the living room, the bedroom boasts a better view as it looks out to Suntec City and the Fountain of Wealth, which is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the largest fountain in the world back in 1998. The fountain has a light and laser show at night which runs daily and we could see it clearly from the comfort of our suite.

Like many Conrad hotels worldwide, a complimentary stuffed toy is placed on the bed and for Conrad Singapore, a bear is given which can come in different designs depending on the occasion.

If the in-room pillows do not provide enough comfort for a good night’s rest, the hotel has an extensive pillow menu that offers up to 14 different choices! We tried the Cuddle ‘U’ pillow and found it great for sleeping and as neck support when watching TV.

On each side of the bed is a bedside table where the lighting controls can be found. Both bedside tables are equipped with a 230V AC power outlet and a USB-A outlet. An alarm clock, a phone, a notepad, and a hygiene kit are some of the items placed on the bedside table.

The hygiene kit had standard items such as surgical masks, one bottle of hand sanitizer, and wet wipes with all items placed in a paper box.

There are two built-in wardrobes and a dressing table sandwiched between them in the bedroom.

The dressing table opens up to reveal a mirror with lights and is also where the hairdryer is kept.

In the wardrobes, you will find two traditional bathrobes, one Kimono, an ironing board with an iron, an electronic safe, an umbrella, and bedroom slippers.

The laundry bag is placed in the wardrobe as usual and the price list is as follows:

Adjacent to the wardrobe is the bathroom which has a double vanity, a good amount of countertop space, separate toilet and shower areas as well as a bathtub.

An electronic scale is placed just beside the entrance of the bathroom.

The shower area comes equipped with a rain shower and a handheld shower head. The water pressure was strong and the water temperature was consistently warm.

The toilet does not come with a bidet which is a strange omission as the hotel seems to have a good number of Japanese guests given that a Kimono was provided in the room which is not usual for a hotel in Singapore.

The bathtub was not particularly big and it does not come with a TV, unlike some other luxury hotels.

Placed on the edge of the bathtub is a rubber duck which is complimentary for guests just like the Conrad bear.

The toiletries were previously from Shanghai Tang but have since been changed to Byredo Mojave Ghost (a Swedish fragrance brand) and come in big pump bottles. A small bottle of WhisperMint mouthwash is included as well.

A shaving kit, shower cap, vanity kit, sanitary kit, sewing kit, comb, and toothbrush with Colgate toothpaste was also provided.

Facilities

Conrad Centennial Singapore is equipped with the following facilities:

The hotel has an outdoor swimming pool and no booking is required.

We visited the pool twice during our stay; once after breakfast on Sunday and again just after the pool opened in the morning on Monday. The pool was about half full when we visited on Sunday while only one person was using the pool on Monday morning.

The hotel’s pool has a regular shape and is suitable for doing laps. Around the pool were plenty of loungers and cabanas.

The gym is located on the same level as the pool. As several people were using the gym each time we visited it, we could not take pictures of it. We did manage to spot a number of treadmills, yoga balls, a cable crossover machine, and a rowing machine in the gym.

Breakfast & Executive Lounge

There are four dining venues in Conrad Centennial Singapore.

Oscar’s is the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant and features an international buffet. This is also where club room guests have their breakfast.

Golden Peony is a Cantonese restaurant that we did not visit.

Lobby Lounge serves drinks and light bites while The Terrace offers artisan sandwiches and pastries.

The Conrad Centennial Suite which we booked comes with Executive Lounge access which includes the following culinary offerings:

• Afternoon Tea from 1430 hrs to 1630 hrs (two 1 hour sessions)
• Evening Drinks from 1800 hrs to 2000 hrs (two 1 hour sessions)
• Open between 2000 hrs to 2200 hrs with unlimited tea, coffee, and soft drinks

Reservations are required for both afternoon tea and evening drinks and these are held at the executive lounge on level 31, with views of the city, Fountain of Wealth, or a partial Marina Bay view depending on where you are seated.

We picked the second session for both afternoon tea and evening drinks on both days and there was usually no wait to enter the lounge. The executive lounge was about half full during afternoon tea and more than three-quarters full during evening drinks.

The executive lounge has two menus for afternoon tea, one for even dates and one for odd dates. The beverage menu remains unchanged. Afternoon tea is now a self-service affair and upon being seated, only our drinks order was taken and after which we proceed to take our pick at the buffet line.

Nothing stood out among the items we have tried except for the scones, which weren’t too bad.

The staff at the executive lounge were polite and service was fast; plates were quickly cleared as soon as we finished our food.

The items on the second day did not fare any much better and most items were below average. Luckily the scones were also available on the second day.

Similar to afternoon tea, The executive lounge has two menus for evening drinks, one for even dates and one for odd dates. Except for drinks that had to be ordered, the food was laid out in the lounge for self-service.

The food on offer during evening drinks on both days was disappointing. It consisted of mainly fried items and some pastries and there were not many choices to choose from.  

Unlike afternoon tea and evening drinks, no reservations are required for breakfast and you simply walk in for breakfast which is at Oscar’s on level 1. That, however, meant that there was a wait of around 15 to 20 mins before we were seated when we went down for breakfast at 9 plus in the morning. There was no queue at breakfast when we arrived shortly after the restaurant opened the next morning.

There are both indoor and outdoor seating at Oscar’s. We choose to seat outdoors on both days.

Buffet breakfast is now available at Oscar’s and except for the live cooking stations, we were free to help ourselves to the items.

There was a good range of items on offer, from several local delights to continental breakfast items, freshly baked pastries, cold cuts, fruits, ice cream, and two live cooking stations.  Having said that the choice of hot items was not great and other than the live cooking station and one to two hot items, the rest of the items remain unchanged on both days.

Overall, breakfast was superb and service was fast and responsive with plates being cleared swiftly.

Overall Impression

We had an uneventful though enjoyable stay at Conrad Centennial Singapore.

To sum things up:

Conrad Centennial Singapore’s central location along with its updated rooms makes it a great base to explore the city. We would recommend the hotel in general though we would advise against paying more for a room with executive lounge access (except suites which come with lounge access) due to the underwhelming lounge offerings.

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