Two nights at the Andaz Singapore was not enough…what a great new hotel in Singapore.
The hotel is located on 5 Fraser Street, about 20 minutes from the airport. It’s a new building that looks old, adjacent to a brand new Art-deco style building that looks even older.
The ground levels features seating and a small café, but was always empty. The hotel lobby is on the 25th floor.
John, my business partner, and I arrived at 7am after a 17.5hr flight from Los Angeles. We were tired and wanted to freshen up before heading to the trade show. Would the hotel have our room ready?
Yes and no. A standard room was availble for immediate use. We were happy to take it. The hotel informed me they had planned to upgrade me to a suite, but it was not yet ready. No matter, we could freshen up in the standard room then move later.
Andaz Singapore Guest Room
Our room was heavy on wood and I loved both the look and design. Two twins centered the room, but the couch and table in the corner were quite attractive.
The bathroom featured a walk-in shower and separate bathtub and water closet. I liked the light-colored stonework. Toiletries were by Christophe Laudemiel.
At Andaz properties, non-alcoholic items in the minibar are complimentary. The assortment included a few snacks as well as soft drinks, juices, and “premium” water (San Pellegrino and Aqua Panna). Complimentary bottled water was also present on the nightstand.
We had a view of Parkview Square (locally known as the Gotham Building) from our room:
Andaz Singapore Sunroom Lounge + Evening Reception
Andaz hotels do not have a traditional club lounge, but instead offer complimentary coffee, tea, and water during the day and beer and wine in the evening in a “club for all”.
At the Andaz Singapore, these beverages were available in the Sunroom:
Furthermore, a complimentary happy hour for all guests ran daily from 5pm to 7pm and I did check it out one evening. In addition to wine and beer, light snacks like chips, olives, and nuts were offered.
Andaz Singapore Fitness Center
The 38th floor fitness center is divided into quadrants, with an excellent assortment of strength training and cardiovascular equipment. The machines were produced by a company called Matrix. I had never heard of that company, but liked the machines.
Andaz Singapore Pool + Sauna
On the lobby level, a beautiful infinity pool overlooks the Singapore skyline.
A hot tub is also available.
One level up are lockers rooms that contain a sauna.
Oddly, the hotel has no spa.
Andaz Singapore Breakfast
Breakfast is a bit complicated, but manageable. The hotel has three breakfast buffet dining areas: one with Continental food (cold breakfast items), one with hot American/English breakfast items (bacon, eggs, sausage, etc), and one with Asian food (most SE Asian and Indian). When ordering the buffet, you have access to all three areas. I believe the hotel is going for a hawker-style theme, though I would prefer everything in one area.
Lucky wrote about his breakfast trials in his review of this property. It appears the hotel took his feedback to heart and has simplified the coffee and a la carte process. Both mornings I was offered the coffee of my choice as well as refills. Self-serve is also available, but not necessary.
Furthermore, I was given no hassle ordering off the a la carte menu my second morning. Everything on the menu was available and it did not matter if I wanted Asian food in the Continental dining area or Continental food in the American dining area (I asked).
The only thing I ordered, however, was a bowl of berries that was not even on the menu. They were good, but I ran into the same issue I did at the Park Hyatt Paris just a couple weeks prior: mold.
That aside, the breakfast was quite enjoyable and my traditional favorites like fresh-squeezed juice, omelets, and waffles were all excellent.
Andaz Singapore Dining
In addition to Alley on 25 with the three restaurants, the hotel has a steakhouse called 665ºF on the 39th floor.
Alley on 25 offers buffet-style dining for lunch and dinner as well.
Finally, the 25th floor also features a full bar.
Andaz Singapore Rooftop Bar
I spent one afternoon on a conference call and was stuck in the room for several hours, so I ordered a hamburger. It was not the best hamburger I’ve ever had, not the worst, just fine.
Andaz Singapore Rooftop Bar
The 39th-floor rooftop bar, called Mr. Stork, features comfortable seating nestled amongst a lot of green foliage. 360º views of the skyline are amazing.
Andaz Singapore Service
Every staff member was charming at this property and I appreciated the friendly service, which seemed quite genuine.
CONCLUSION
I enjoyed my stay at this hotel and cannot point to any issues that would prohibit me from recommending it. On the contrary, the hotel has many upsides like comfortable rooms and great breakfast that made my stay excellent. Stay tuned for a comparison of the Grand Hyatt and Andaz in a follow-up post. I’ll also post a separate review of my upgraded suite, which was very nice.
I don’t think they will offer mouldy berries at the GH. It really is very sloppy management to see it anywhere, let alone an Andaz.
Those single beds are FAR too close; ok for married couples wanting separate beds but not for non-intimate couples sharing a room.
Beds are close, but it’s not like we are contagious. That’s fairly standard in Europe and Asia for twin beds.
Thanks for the review. It sounds “nice” but not “great.” If you were a “free agent” with no ties to any chain beyond low/mid-level status, would you stay at this hotel?
For a lot of us, this question would be helpful to have answered in your reviews generally. I spend 50-60 nights a year in hotels, but travel patterns and personal preferences mean I’m never going to get high level status.
If I were a free agent, I would use Hotwire or Priceline every night. But I do like both the location and style of this hotel better than the Grand.
Nice review thanks. Amazing you are able to crank out these excellent reviews while you are running a new business and being a family man. You are one amazing person.
Thanks for the review. It’s on my list to check out, but your review makes me want to go now! =P Also, big thank you for churning so many hyatt reviews and just reviews/trip reports recently. I really enjoy reading yours and Kyle’s reviews. I especially enjoyed your Europe road trip. It was a good different. Hope you’ll do more posts like that. PS: Your posts flow very well and it’s an easy read on the commute.
Very kind of you to say AC. Thanks!
I stayed at the Andaz last April and can vouch for the service. However there are two things that Andaz needs to fix
1. Wifi in rooms is atrocious, The strength drops rapidly if you move closer to the toilet and shower areas and the wifi keeps cutting off intermittently.
2. The glass door in the shower area fails to stop water from splashing out onto the wooden floor – I called hotel maintenance, and all they advised me was to use the rain shower instead… not the best solution.
The Andaz is an amazing property and they have wonderful customer service, however due to an incident at their hotel they have made the decision to lock their stairwells for emergency exits. I was trapped on my floor when a fire alarm was activated and the doors were locked and the elevators shut off automatically with a fire alarm. While they stated this was a glitch they are trying to fix, they let me know they will keep their doors locked 24/7 for “your” safety and you will not have emergency access to escape your floor if necessary. This is not standard Hyatt procedure they let me know, but they stand by it and are unwilling to unlock your access to their stairs for emergency exits. You are imprisoned on their floors so stay at your own risk.