3 Classified Things Learnt After Going Undercover At Singapore’s Hotels

Behind the scenes of Singapore’s luxury hotels

 

Image adapted from: @cheerierinterior, @fairmontsingapore, and @stregissg

Whether it’s the silky feel of clean bedsheets or the lavish spread of seafood, we’ve come to expect a certain standard from Singapore’s hotels. But Singapore’s hotel industry keeps pretty tight-lipped when it comes down to the nitty-gritty. Besides weekend staycays and gorging ourselves silly on buffets, we regular folks don’t have much contact with the hotel industry.

We’ve unravelled what happens behind-the-scenes of Singapore’s luxury hotels: read on to find out what happens to buffet leftovers, how to cinch the lowest room rate, and how celeb guests receive special perks.

How do hotels manage celebrity guests?

Image credit: @cheerierinterior

Whew, the number of a-listers that have flooded our local hotels – the list goes on and on, speckled with names like Michael Jackson and Karl Lagerfeld. Our own Raffles Hotel has seen their fair share of blue-blooded celebrities sipping Singapore Slings by the hotel bar.

Kate Middleton making her way to the entrance of Raffles Hotel. Image credit: Thomson Reuters

There’ll be regular services like airport and ground transfers, but even luxe treatments like afternoon teas held in the drawing room or full-blown floral designs- that’s what you can expect as a celeb. Designer Michael Kors even got an orchid named after him when he stayed at Raffles Hotel, and it was even proudly displayed in the Grand Lobby of Raffles Hotel.

Image credit: Michael Kors

Now botany books will have Dendrobium Michael Kors, with its reedy stems and lilac flowers. But if you’re a normal plebeian like all of us, you won’t be getting an orchid named after you any time soon, but at least Raffles Hotel still gives all guests a heck of a royal treatment.

Do hotels entertain strange requests from guests?

Image credit: imgur 

The Jeff Goldblum scenario wasn’t exactly something that went under the radar: guest Elliot Woolf made a simple request to have a photo of actor Jeff Goldblum to be placed in his room at the Marriott Hotel, but turned up to find a massive collage along with his photos strewn all over the room. In the case of Marriott Hotel, they didn’t just entertain strange requests – they went the extra mile.

Jeff Goldblum’s photo pasted everywhere, even at the hotel bathroom. Image credit: imgur 

They’ve received a few other strange requests too, ranging from photos of Bruce Lee to scattering the room with plushies of Marriott’s own monkey mascot, Fred the Monkey, for a 5-year old girl. There’s no feat too large for the Marriott Hotel: they even agreed to host a special Mid-Autumn dinner in the comfort of a guest’s room – complete with decorations and all.

How to secure the lowest room rate for hotels?

Image credit: @stregissg

Ah, now this is something we all want to know: lowest room rates so we can stay in plush luxury hotels without having to increase our credit limit. We asked our own unofficial 6-star hotel St. Regis to share their tips on this, so here goes.

Deals like this on Booking.com: 15% off or more if you book by 8 April. 

If you’ve ever browsed through external booking sites like Booking.com or Expedia, you’ll notice that they make frequent claims to having the lowest rate. In actual fact, this is what they call Rate Parity – meaning that yes, we can confirm that all websites will list consistent room rates. But this doesn’t mean that there aren’t lower rates up for grabs.

Websites will always have their own promos, so keep a keen lookout to make sure you’re not missing out. Otherwise, you can always book through the hotel direct since they often run bundled promos too, especially if you book way in advance. The takeaway advice? Don’t be lazy – compare all websites thoroughly for the best room rates.