This is a lovely hotel in a good location in the city, but....! It could be so much better if the staff actually listened to their guests instead of trying too hard.
Firstly a note on Singapore, as it is our first visit and like many other tourists we used it as stop-over en- route to our main holiday destination. Having experienced Bangkok as another Asian stop-over, Singapore was a huge disappointment in comparison. It is little more than a sanitised, westernised city with all the western brands, and so little to see of its own rich history. Even Raffles, the famous old hotel has been converted into what is now little more than a shopping mall.If you want western atmosphere and shopping with plenty of Europeans and Americans then this is the place. If you are looking to experience some Asian culture then don't waste your time.
The Shangri-La sits right in the groove with the city. A lovely environment, frequented heavily by businessmen and with fabulous five star facilities. On arrival after nearly 20 hours of travelling we were greeted courteously and asked to wait whilst some towels and refreshments were brought. Before this happened we were advised that we had been upgraded from a Tower Wing room to a
Garden Wing room, which was both a nice touch and a nice surprise. We were then whisked across to the Garden Wing room where a gushing American receptionist took us straight to our room but was somewhat surprised that we were not German as she was meant to be taking some German guests to their room. That meant the keycard and documentation all had the wrong details. We still had no welcome drink but at least had someone elses room!
We asked for 4 am alarm call for the final day of our stay, and yes this was promptly made the following day - a day too early. The promised tea on arrival finally arrived after an hour, just as we were about to try and get some sleep.
At breakfast, which was a fantastic environment and amazing choice, our table was half cleared as we were selecting food from the buffet, and despite the fact that there was a communication corner in the restaurant for those people so full of their own self importance they cannot possibly stop being important whilst eating a meal, an American decided to skip the procedure of being taken to a table like everyone else, sat about a metre from us at the next table and proceeded to talk loudly on his phone throughout the whole time. Despite this being frowned upon by everyone else, not one member of the staff did anything about it.
On the plus side, the hotel has a great pool, brilliant gym, lovely rooms and a great location. However, getting the bell boys to wear traditional costumes does not make this hotel oriental, and the staff are trying so hard they are not actually listening to or reacting to their guests. This was our first visit to a Shangri-La which came highly recommended. Is it just too big, too impersonal and too much a chain to make it feel like a home from home, which a great hotel can do?
