As part of our 2023 Singapore staycation tour, we moved around the city-state to book hotel stays. As a critical hotel in the Marina Bay area, we had always wanted to stay at the PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay. It was recently renovated in 2020, and we have yet to be able to stay there. I once attended a wedding dinner and thought the hotel’s interior looked lovely with much greenery. Of course, we had our appetite whetted!
Our staycation tour heated up towards the year-end as we booked multiple stays in December. We decided to stay at the three hotels in the middle of Marina Bay, where all the hotels went through recent renovations. After completing a stay at Pan Pacific Singapore in their newly-renovated Executive Marina Bay Room, it was time to experience PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay. Come find out how our one-night stay at this lovely hotel was!
TL:DR
Nice spacious suite
Open-air view of Marina Bay via a balcony
Beautiful design after a massive renovation
Food is the highlight of the stay
Excellent service by COLLECTION Club staff members
Service:
We arrived at the hotel somewhat early, around 12 plus in the afternoon. While we did not expect to enter our room so quickly, we wanted to put our luggage at the check-in counter before heading to the nearby shopping malls.
When we arrived at the check-in counter, we were immediately informed that their system was down and that the check-in could not be completed. Nevertheless, they requested our identification documents, which we gave them. They then informed us that the check-in time was at 3 pm and told us to come back again at that time. The conversation then ended as such. It was so strange as we had a piece of big luggage and wanted to leave it there first, but we were not even allowed to say anything. I told them about our situation and asked if we could at least leave our luggage at the hotel first. Strangely, they had to check and ask around before returning to us to take our luggage.
After that, we left the check-in counter to head towards Marina Square. Almost immediately, a staff member chased us and asked if we had booked a suite. We responded in the affirmative and were then requested to follow her to COLLECTION Club, the hotel’s club lounge, to process our check-in. At that point, we obeyed whatever instructions we received and walked with her to the club lounge.
Thankfully, things were much smoother at COLLECTION Club. The staff immediately took our luggage, processed the check-in, and apologised for the inconvenience. They confirmed that the system was down then but assured us they would call us once the system was back up and the room was ready.
They invited us to stay at the club lounge for beverages if we preferred to wait. It was nice to take a break in the air-conditioned lounge, and we enjoyed a cup of coffee and fruit juice. Before long, we wanted to stretch our legs and head out for a walk. Funnily enough, we were not even out of the hotel premises when we received a call, as promised, from COLLECTION Club that the room was ready and we could complete our check-in. We walked back to the lounge, and almost immediately, the check-in process was completed, and we were given our room keys. A short walk later, we arrived at our beautiful home for the night, ready to snap some pictures at around 2.40 pm.
Thankfully, after that incident during check-in, the rest of our encounters with staff members were fantastic. If we were not in our room, we mostly hung around in the COLLECTION Club, and the service at the club lounge was great, to say the least. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at the lounge, and every staff member there was courteous and eager to help. We can confidently say that the COLLECTION Club staff members made our stay that much brighter.
Hotel Facilities:
PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay is on level 5, featuring an outdoor swimming pool, gym, and spa.
The outdoor swimming pool is arguably the highlight of the hotel’s facilities. The location of the swimming pool allows guests to catch a glimpse of the Central Business District while also gaining a view of the nearby skyscrapers and hotels. At night, more than 1,000 fibre-optic lights light up the pool, beautifying the pool that you would think the sky is underneath the pool. It makes the area look much more beautiful at night, especially if you swim amongst the “stars”. The nearby Skyline Bar is also great, as guests can grab a well-deserved bite after swimming a couple of laps in the pool.
The gym is on the same floor and has the standard equipment for guests to enjoy. It has various machines, including treadmills, stationary bikes, and dumbbells and kettlebells of multiple weights. Guests should be able to get a great workout at this gym. It is open 24 hours a day, which should please most gym-goers. Another great thing is that it appears to be lightly used. This is excellent news as little equipment sharing, if required, is needed.
St. Gregory Spa, the signature spa of PARKROYAL COLLECTION, is on the same floor. Having tried one of their massage sessions at the sister hotel at PARKROYAL COLLECTION Pickering, a visit to the spa is highly recommended.
The Children’s Playroom is a great option for families with young children. It is located on level 4 and is open daily between 9 am and 9 pm. With a wide range of toys and books, the children should have an enjoyable time here!
COLLECTION Club Lounge:
The COLLECTION Club Lounge is on the same floor as the swimming pool and is easy for club guests to access. Facing the Marina Bay area, the club lounge has a spacious setting with lots of seating. Afternoon tea is between 2.30 pm and 4 pm and is suitable for guests who do not want a heavy meal before dinner. Evening cocktails are held between 6 pm and 8 pm, while the buffet breakfast is between 7 am and 10 am.
It has three dining services daily: buffet breakfast, afternoon tea, and evening cocktails. On the day of our arrival, we settled in for some complimentary non-alcoholic drinks before returning to enjoy some delicious food. One thing we love about PARKROYAL COLLECTION hotels in Singapore is the variety of local food they enjoy serving guests. Even at the club lounge, we enjoyed indulging in local puffs, kuehs, and cheng tng, a sweet dessert soup. They also serve the standard Western fare like beef sliders and other types of tarts and cakes, which taste delicious. It makes for a well-balanced afternoon tea that showcases Singapore food in a very positive light.
Come evening, the whole club lounge becomes packed with many guests. The food selection is also considerably more extensive. There was a large variety of food, including sandwiches, dim sum, deep-fried food, cakes, salads, cold cuts, and fresh fruits. We could see guests enjoying multiple servings of food while hotel staff were busy replenishing the various drinks.
We found a nice corner and settled down when the staff quickly noticed us and asked if we wanted something to drink. As usual, we opted for two mocktails before heading to the buffet table. For those who prefer a menu, the club lounge kindly placed a beverage menu on each table so guests can quickly check out what is available and order them immediately.
That evening, we enjoyed a variety of dishes, including smoked salmon, cheese, sandwiches, dim sum, salad, and fresh fruits. We then had a large serving of the sweet soup we had earlier during afternoon tea before indulging in a slice of cake. After that, we decided to call it a night at the fantastic COLLECTION Club Lounge.
We dropped by the following day to check out the breakfast situation. As expected, it was relatively quiet, and this is the place to be if you enjoy privacy and a sense of calmness. The club lounge offered a nice variety of food for breakfast, including standard pastries, dim sum, curries, salads, cold cuts, and cereal. Although it makes for an excellent breakfast here, the hotel’s main restaurant is always the place to be for breakfast if you demand variety.
During our multiple trips to the COLLECTION Club Lounge, we always enjoyed ourselves, and every staff member was very friendly and eager to help. We appreciate the high attentiveness and felt valued as club guests. We can easily say that the COLLECTION Club Lounge is a key highlight of our stay at PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay.
Breakfast:
After initially heading to the COLLECTION Club Lounge to check out the breakfast situation, we made our way to Peppermint, the hotel’s main restaurant, for our breakfast. From the start, we knew it would be much busier as it is meant to serve every hotel guest. However, the extensive variety of the food more than compensated for the lack of calmness.
After getting a table, despite the restaurant running at full capacity, we headed straight for the buffet tables. We came across various foods that looked delicious. They had sushi, Turkey ham, sausages, a comprehensive egg station with different egg types (omelette, over-easy, sunny-side ups, hard-boiled, scrambled), pastries, and a salad bar. Fresh fruits, yoghurt, cheese, and different types of Indian food were also available. There were also some local delights, including stir-fried noodles, chee kweh, and you tiaos.
