Review: Four Seasons Hotel Singapore (One-Bedroom Suite)

In October 2021, we had a 3 nights stay at Four Seasons Hotel Singapore. Located on Orchard Boulevard, the 225 room, 20 storey hotel is within walking distance of Singapore’s main shopping district Orchard Road. We had read good reviews about this hotel and thus were looking forward to this staycation.

For the record, since this is our first hotel review, we want to make it known that this stay, and all future hotels that we review are paid out of our own pocket. All opinions in our reviews are our own. We do not do sponsored/ media stays as we believe in giving an unbiased and honest review of our experiences at a hotel.

Hotel background and information

Four Seasons Hotel Singapore opened in November 1994 and went through an extensive renovation which was completed in the second half of 2018. The renovation, which started in 2016, covered the restaurants, all guest rooms and suites, and was led by Hirsch Bedner and Associates, one of the largest hospitality design firm in the world.

The hotel has 255 rooms, with the breakdown of the room types as follows:

As mentioned earlier, Four Seasons Hotel Singapore is located just off Singapore’s main shopping belt, Orchard Road. It is close to many malls such as ION Orchard, Tang Plaza, Shaw House, Wisma Atria, Ngee Ann City and Paragon. It is also near numerous food options and within walking distance to a metro station (abbreviated as MRT locally) which makes it convenient for guests to get around the city.

Metro stations that are near the hotel:

1. Orchard (5 mins) – North South line (NS22)

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

1. Orchard Road (5 mins walk)
2. Singapore Botanical Gardens (8 mins by Bus 105/ 106/ 174/ 7/ 77)
3. National Museum of Singapore (17 mins by Bus 106/ 111/ 174/ 36/ 502)

Nearby Malls:

1. Wheelock Place (3 mins walk) – Mall where a Marks & Spencer can be found.
2. Liat Towers (3 mins walk) – Singapore’s first Starbucks is located here. There is also a Shake Shack and a Hermes boutique store.
3. Forum The Shopping Mall (5 mins walk, via walkway to Hilton Singapore, soon to be rebranded as Voco Orchard Singapore) – Several high-end clothing stores and a few restaurants.
4. Shaw House/ Shaw Centre (5 Mins walk) – Japanese department store Isetan (with supermarket) can be found. Has numerous restaurants from the 3 Michelin Star Les Amis to Japanese ramen chain Ippudo. A food court can also be found here.
5. ION Orchard (5 mins walk) – Huge mall with a supermarket, food court, restaurants and luxury boutique stores.
6. Palais Renaissance (7 mins walk) – Mall with numerous dining options.
7. Tang Plaza (7 Mins walk) – Modern long running department store with a café.
8. Wisma Atria (8 mins walk) – Typical mall.
9. Ngee Ann City (10 mins walk) – Luxury mall. Japanese department store Takashimaya and a supermarket can be found in the midst of luxury stores such as Louis Vuitton, Boss, Chanel, Tiffany & Co. Numerous dining options can be found here as well.
10. Knightsbridge Mall (12 mins walk) – Location of one of three Apple Stores in Singapore. Not much else can be found here.
11. Paragon Shopping Centre (14 mins walk) – Another luxury mall with restaurants.

Booking Process

Since we were staying for 3 nights, we had decided to go with the “Stay Longer – Third night free” promotion, which is regularly offered at many Four Seasons properties worldwide.  

Under this promotion, the nightly rates are based on the best available rates. For our stay, the total room cost worked out to be equivalent to the cost of two and a half nights as compared to the advance purchase twenty percent off rate (cheapest nightly rate). Thus, if you are staying for 3 nights, there are some savings by choosing this promotion even though it is on a more expensive nightly rate.

Four Seasons Hotel has a preferred partner program which basically gives you extra benefits when you book through a Four Seasons preferred partner travel agent. Unlike other similar programs for travel advisors such Marriott STARS or Hyatt Privé which requires you to book the best available rates/ standard rates, you can pretty much book any rate found on the hotel’s website for Four Seasons preferred partner program.

For our stay, we had booked through HoteLux (luxury hotel booking app) and we received the following extra benefits:

• Daily American Breakfast for two per room, either in restaurant or in-room
• USD 100 nett hotel credit per stay
• Complimentary upgrade to the next room category subject to availability (excluding signature suites & villas)
• Early-check in, subject to availability

These benefits did not cost us anything extra, thus there is no reason for anyone considering a stay at a Four Seasons property not to book through a Four Seasons preferred partner travel agent.

Check In & Lobby

We had requested for early check in via the Four Seasons app and the hotel was able to confirm that our room will be available for early check in the day before. We arrived at the hotel just before noon on Saturday and the hotel lobby was empty. Upon arriving, we were attended to immediately.

Although the hotel had undergone a renovation which was completed in 2018, the lobby was not part of the area that went under the knife and thus looked pretty old and dated.

During check in, we were asked for our preferred time for housekeeping and turndown service so that the hotel could make the necessary arrangements.

This is the first time we were asked about housekeeping during check-in in Singapore and we were glad that this was sorted out in the beginning. We almost always had to call for turndown service on a daily basis during our stay at other properties as housekeeping either came too early (before we left for dinner) or it was upon request only (due to covid) and we were not informed.

In addition, we were given a letter stating our Four Seasons preferred partner benefits followed by an explanation of the benefits we were entitled.

We were told that we had been given a two-category upgrade to a one-bedroom suite (we had booked a premier room) as the next category executive suite had been sold out.

This is a nice gesture by the hotel as the preferred partner benefits only included a space available one category upgrade, which meant that we would not be upgraded should the next room category be sold out.

Despite not being part of the preferred partner benefits, we were accorded a 3pm late check-out.

Room: One-Bedroom Suite

Our one-bedroom suite measures 91 sqm (980 sqft) with separate living and bedroom areas. The suite is a corner room located on level 17 of the hotel.

Upon entering the suite, there is a guest bathroom (more about that later) located immediately to the left of the entrance, and a full-length mirror on the other side. Following which is the living and dining area which takes up roughly half the size of the suite. The other half of the suite consists of the bedroom, the main bathroom and the walk-in wardrobe.

A hygiene kit was placed on the table at the side of the foyer. It consists of Vitamin Spa branded wet wipes and hand sanitizer. There was also a pair of masks which was replenished daily.

The suite had a modern and sleek design and we must say the room does look gorgeous. The carpet covering the room is beautiful and there is a Peranakan inspired mural wall in the living room. We’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

In the living area, there is a L-shaped sofa with a side table for you to place your drinks as well as a coffee table.

There isn’t much of a view from the living area. You can see the hotel’s two outdoor tennis courts, a couple of condominiums and the construction site of the upcoming Edition Hotel Singapore.

A dining table is located beside the minibar area. This can double up as a work desk since there is no separate work desk in the suite.

The welcome amenity was a bowl of assorted fruits and a welcome card. It wasn’t in the room when we first entered, rather it was delivered a couple of hours after we checked in. We do prefer the welcome amenity to be sent up this way so that at least we know that these aren’t what the previous guest left behind untouched.

We were given a smaller bowl of fruits on the second day, but not on the third day of our stay so we were unsure if fruits are provided on a daily basis.

A pair of universal power outlets (230V) and USB charging ports can be found just behind the dining table, along with a phone and a Bose speaker.

A small booklet containing safety instructions and the in-room dining menu is placed beside the Bose speaker.

A Samsung smart TV is mounted on the wall with a number of channel selections.

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

In the minibar area there is a Lavazza coffee machine, a kettle, a few bottles of water, and some snacks which are chargeable.

In the drawers, there are six Lavazza capsules and twelve Monogram teabags, all complimentary and are replenished twice daily; during morning housekeeping and evening turndown service.

The hotel is pretty generous when it comes to these, most other luxury hotels in Singapore only provides four coffee capsules and between four to eight teabags each time.

The usual cups and utensils can also be found in the drawers.

The minibar fridge is well stocked with various soft drinks, alcohol and juices.

Prices of minibar items below. They are certainly not cheap and are priced at luxury hotel prices.

The guest bathroom, which is just beside the suite entrance is one of the larger ones we have come across. This is not just a powder room as it is the norm for luxury hotel suites in general, but rather it is a full bathroom that comes with a separate room for the toilet and bidet and a shower area.

Behind a pair of white double doors with plantation shutters was the bedroom which had a king-sized bed flanked by side tables on both sides.

The Signature Four Seasons Bed is supplied by Simmons and they are really comfortable. We cannot say the same for the pillows though, they are just too soft for us.

Four Seasons does have a pillow menu and we requested for both the contoured and orthopaedic and they were both great.

There are reading lights built into the headboard and a bedside table is placed on both sides of the bed. One side had a table lamp and a phone.

While the other side had a reflective alarm clock.

A pair of universal power outlets (230V) and USB charging ports is also located at either side of the bed which gives you ample power points for charging electronic devices.

The switches in the suite are all luminated which is a really thoughtful design as it makes it so much easier to find the correct switch in the dark.

The bedroom is equipped with a Samsung smart television. The television only supports Airplay so if you are using an Android device you are out of luck.

A small dresser with a mirror and a hairdryer is placed where the bathroom windows are located. Another pair of universal power outlets (230V) can also be found here.

The suite is equipped with a walk-in wardrobe, located beside the bathroom. In it you will be able to find two luggage racks, two umbrellas, an iron, an ironing board, a safe and two pairs of slippers (comes in two sizes).

The hotel’s laundry service pricelist as follows:

Next to the walk-in wardrobe is the main bathroom. It has a double vanity setup, a bathtub and separate areas for the shower and the toilet.

The shower area had a rain shower installed and a handheld shower head. Both are from Grohe. Water pressure was good and water temperature was consistent.

The bathtub was not very big, but could still fit two persons.

The toilet comes equipped with a traditional bidet. It would be nice if they had installed one of those electronic Toto bidet toilet seats during the renovation back in 2018.

The toiletries are from L’occitane while the toothpaste is from Colgate.

Facilities

Four Seasons Singapore has the following facilities:

The hotel’s fitness centre is located on level three, just beside the lap pool. Reservations are not required on weekdays and it was empty when we visited just after breakfast.

Complimentary bottled water, wet wipes and earpieces were provided.

The fitness centre was drab and had no view other than the pool. Otherwise, it was well equipped, there were a number of cardio equipment, resistance machines and weights.

There is a spa located on the same level which we did not visit and just outside the fitness centre is a lounge area. Unfortunately, there are no complimentary drinks or snacks served here so it is just an area to hang out if you are not planning to purchase any.

The hotel has two pools, the first being a lap pool located on level three. It was deserted when we visited on a weekday morning. There are a number of sun loungers around the pool and there is a view of the surrounding condominiums.

A small jacuzzi can also be found on this level, but it is currently closed due to the pandemic.

The second pool is located on the twentieth level and it is the hotel’s family pool. It has a kidney shape so it is difficult to do laps here. There are also sun loungers here in addition to several cabanas.

There are a total of four tennis courts in the hotel. Two of which are air-conditioned indoor greenest trophy courts.

While the other two are Outdoor Decoturrf II courts. Tennis equipment is complimentary for use when you book the tennis courts.

We cannot recall the exact prices but we roughly remembered it to be around SGD 22 per hour for the outdoor courts, SGD 50 per hour for the indoor courts without air conditioning and double of that price for the indoor courts with air conditioning.

Dining & Breakast

Four Seasons Singapore has a couple of dining establishments, and this includes 2 restaurants, and a bar.

One-Ninety is the hotel’s all day dining restaurant. Apart from breakfast, its menu focuses on seafood and prime cuts of meat.

Jiang-Nan Chun serves Cantonese cuisine with Peking duck as its signature.

Breakfast is at One-Ninety restaurant and it is an assisted buffet affair with a couple of made to order items for selection. Alternatively, as part of our Four Seasons Preferred Partner booking benefits, we could choose to have our breakfast served in room.

We choose to have our breakfast at the restaurant for the first two days. The restaurant was about three quarters full and we were quickly seated upon arriving at the restaurant on both days.

Since breakfast is now in an assisted buffet form, we were not given a menu after being seated. Our drinks order was being taken shortly and we were left to roam around the buffet line.

The selection on offer was nothing fancy and the variety wasn’t big. There were a couple of hot items, such as dim sum, carbo items, cold cuts, bread, pastries, yogurt and juices.

Egg items were made to order, and we ordered a chill crab omelette with mantou (fried buns) and it was not too bad.

The bak kut teh and the spring rolls were nice while the other items that we took from the buffet weren’t bad though unmemorable.

From the data points we have so far, they used to serve mimosa, but we were told that they were not available when we asked for it.

We also tried ordering a couple of off menu items with varying success. We managed to get some waffles but items such as Nasi Lemak was chargeable.

Service was fast and efficient. Plates were quickly cleared every time we left to take more food and we didn’t have to wait long for made to order items to be served.

After two days of breakfast at the restaurant, we opted to have our breakfast in room on the third day and called to place our order the previous night.

You are entitled to pick from any of the breakfast sets. Alternatively, you are free to choose up to SGD 48 worth of items per pax (if the value exceeds SGD 48 it will be out of your pocket) from the a la carte menu.

We picked the Japanese set and ordered laksa and kaya toast from the all-day dining menu.

Four Seasons Singapore offers complimentary coffee, tea and hot chocolate in the morning and you can request for it to be sent up to your room. This is available to all guest and is not a suite only benefit.

We requested for breakfast to be sent to our room at 10am but they sent up our breakfast about 15 mins late.

The Japanese breakfast set was delicious while the laksa and kaya toast were also good.

The hotel is pretty generous with the complimentary morning hot drinks. We requested for hot chocolate for one since green tea was included as part of the Japanese breakfast set and we were sent a flask of hot chocolate! We ended up having 4-5 cups of hot chocolate from the flask that morning.

We had USD 100 worth of dining credits and decided to spend it on in room dining. We ordered hot and sour soup and roasted duck from Jiang-Nan Chun, and a bowl of salad. All the items were very good.  

We decided to have some drinks as well and got a glass of champagne and rose wine.

Overall Impression

Four Seasons Singapore is a great property and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. To sum things up:

We would recommend Four Seasons as a great luxury option in Singapore.