Hotel Review: InterContinental Singapore (Premier Suite)

The InterContinental Singapore needs no introduction - it is one of the most iconic hotels in Singapore and a favourite amongst many frequent travellers (many of them love the Heritage Suites which were previously know as the Shophouse Suites!). As part of a major refreshment, all the guest rooms and suites (apart from the Heritage ones which went first) have undergone an extensive refurbishment that was only completed earlier this year. While I have been to the InterContinental Singapore on many occasions (especially since I have gotten my InterContinental Ambassador membership), this was my first time at the newly-refurbished Premier Suite. 

Click HERE to check out my review of the Heritage Suite at the InterContinental Singapore!

Living Room
Premier Suite - InterContinental Singapore

Done to a similar fashion to the newly-refurbished guestrooms, the Premier Suite at the InterContinental Singapore features a contemporary design that exudes Peranakan charm. With 52 sqm of beautifully-appointed space, the Premier Suite is a one-bedroom suite that comes with a spacious living room - it is significantly larger than the lead-in Deluxe Rooms (38 sqm) and it is often priced just a little above the Club InterContinental Rooms. If you are an InterContinental Ambassador member, booking this suite will (and should!) push you into a Heritage Suite.

Living Room
Premier Suite - InterContinental Singapore

There are two large LCD TVs in the Premier Suite - one in the living room and one in the bedroom. To be honest, I thought that it was a little bit excessive and they should have just created a swivel TV mount (much like the Pan Pacific Orchard's Pacific Club Studios) instead since they are essentially located back-to-back but hey if the InterContinental Singapore has money and wants to do this, who am I to complain? 

Living Room
Premier Suite - InterContinental Singapore

While the InterContinental Singapore does not openly advertise this, the sofa in the living room of the Premier Suite also converts into a bed. There is definitely enough to fit 3 adults in here but do check with the hotel for alternative arrangements because chances are that you will have to pay a third person occupancy charge. If you are traveling with children, you may wish to utilise this sofa bed as well. As an InterContinental Ambassador member, I was given a beautiful tin containing the InterContinental Heritage Tea by TWG. Since I have stayed here on multiple occasions (to complete my Accelerate offers on most instances), I actually have many of this said tin in my room so if anyone is looking for tea (leaves) sponsor, let me know! As an InterContinental Ambassador member, I was also given a welcome fruit platter and two bottles of complimentary Evian water.

Welcome Amenities
Premier Suite - InterContinental Singapore

You will find a selection of TWG tea bags and a Nespresso coffee machine located in the living room of the Premier Suite. The coffee capsules are no longer Nespresso-branded but they are provided by Tripod Coffee which are Nespresso-compatible espresso coffee capsules. I do like them quite a lot but since it utilises highly recyclable pods instead of the aluminium ones that Nespresso uses, it feels a little filmsy when you lock them in the machine. With that being said, the coffee is still really good and it is also comparatively more affordable. 

Bathroom
Premier Suite - InterContinental Singapore

The bathroom of the Premier Suite is almost identical to the one in the regular Deluxe Rooms (and also the Premier Deluxe and Club InterContinental Rooms). Since the Premier Suite is considered to be a Junior Suite here at the InterContinental Singapore, the bath amenities which are provided by Agraria are regular-sized (the ones in the Heritage Suite are 100mls each!). Similar to the Heritage Suite, the Premier Suite does not come with a powder room or a half-bathroom in the living room. 

Bath Amenities by Agraria
Premier Suite - InterContinental Singapore

The bedroom of the Premier Suite is located at the far end of the room and to the side - you might not spot it immediately once you walk in but trust me your suite definitely comes with a bedroom! As mentioned earlier, you will find another LCD TV located in your bedroom and there is no sound bar under this one but honestly, the audio sounds much better from the TV. There is also a small sliding door that will allow you to separate the bedroom from the living room but there is no lock on this one. 

Bedroom
Premier Suite - InterContinental Singapore

Even though 52sqm might not sound like a lot of space, this is definitely one of the most spacious junior suites around in Bugis. Perhaps the layout does play a part as well in creating a greater sense of space - the somewhat boxy shape of the Premier Suite ensures that there are no wasted space within the suite. For someone who travel with a number of gadgets and power-hungry electronics, I am always thankful to find a power socket next to the bed. You will even find two USB charging ports by the side of the bed here in the Premier Suite - kudos to the team for future-proofing this hotel! While you may notice that there are a number of windows around the suite, the curtain does do a pretty mean job at keeping the light out so if you are jet-lagged (or simply lazy) and would like to sleep your entire afternoon away, it is definitely possible here at the InterContinental Singapore. 

View from Bedroom
Premier Suite - InterContinental Singapore

The view from my Premier Suite at the InterContinental Singapore was not shabby as well - the bedroom looked out to the heritage area of Bugis and you can even see the soon-to-be-completed Andaz Singapore (which I am personally VERY excited about) on the right. If you do not know this already, the Parkview Square (sometimes known as Gotham City amongst locals) houses a really impressive bar on ground level - the staff there are generally quite bad with drinks but the space itself is beautiful. If you are looking for a great space with a good selection of old world and new world wines, you should definitely check out the Divine Wine Bar which is located inside the building (just ask the concierge at the InterContinental Singapore and they will point you towards the right direction). 

Club InterContinental
InterContinental Singapore

Guests of the Premier Suite will also get to enjoy exclusive access to the Club InterContinental - in fact, if you do not know this already, you should proceed to the Club InterContinental directly for check-in. You do get a whole range of benefits here in the lounge but the most prominent ones are definitely the complimentary breakfast (which you can choose to either have in the club lounge or at Ash & Elm), afternoon tea and evening cocktails. Evening cocktails at the Club InterContinental has been pushed back a little recently - instead of 530PM - 730PM, drinks are now served from 6PM - 8PM. I personally find this a much welcomed change (especially if you are here on a work trip!) since you now have more time to enjoy a beverage. Club guests who are travelling with children are invited to The Lobby Lounge instead of evening cocktails as there is a pretty strict smart casual dress code and a no-children policy during the evening cocktail hours. 

Evening Cocktails at Club InterContinental
InterContinental Singapore

Even though there is still a buffet spread in the Club InterContinental, the hot food selection has definitely dwindled down a little over the years - you used to be able to pick from the buffet table but it is now served to you a la carte. While I am pretty sure you can have seconds or thirds but having it as part of the buffet spread made it so much easier. A lot of hotels have been cutting down on the food items during even cocktails as a way to drive business into their restaurants - the Ash & Elm downstairs serves up pretty amazing food and you do earn double IHG Rewards Club points when you charge your bill to the room (in-house guests were also eligible for a discount while I was there). 

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Since I was still feeling pretty hungry after evening cocktails at the Club InterContinental, I headed down to Ash & Elm for some food instead - the restaurant is always pretty empty which is a huge shame before the food is really quite good. Maybe an all-day dining restaurant that does not offer a buffet option at night is just unfathomable for us Singaporeans but if you are ever looking for a romantic place to enjoy a private dinner (with great food!), this will definitely be on the list. The Iberico Pork Chop as well as the Bacon and Pumpkin Flatbread are both highly recommended! 

Hotel Lobby
Premier Suite - InterContinental Singapore

I took a slow walk around the property after dinner just to aid in digestion (and also because finishing all the bread on the table seemed like a great idea while I was there) before heading back to the room. If you are a fan of tiles and Peranakan design, you will definitely fall in love with everything here! The property may be around for quite some time already but the recent refurbishment and restoration works have truly polished it up to modern standards while still keeping the crux of the Peranakan-heritage intact. 

Bedroom
Premier Suite - InterContinental Singapore

I woke up the next morning feeling like a million dollars - the bed here at the InterContinental Singapore has got to be one of my favourite hotel beds in Singapore! I ran myself a bath, caught half an episode of my favourite TV show on Netflix (the WiFi speed is actually decent enough to stream shows!) before making the most difficult decision I had to make that morning - breakfast at Ash & Elm or the Club InterContinental? 

Nasi Lemak at Club InterContinental
InterContinental Singapore

While doing a silent cost benefit analysis in my head, I suddenly remembered that amazing Nasi Lemak that I have had at the Club InterContinental and since I was just at Ash & Elm the previous night for dinner, the choice was clear - breakfast at the Club InterContinental. As with most executive lounges, you should not be expecting to queue for breakfast (or for anything else!) here. What you give up in breakfast variety will be made up with better quality and superior service. Having been to the Club InterContinental on many occasions, I was immediately recognised by some of the lounge staff (one of whom even remembered my coffee order!) and was quickly given a table. 

Breakfast at Club InterContinental
InterContinental Singapore

If Nasi Lemak in the morning isn't your thing, eggs are also available upon order - you can have them the way you want but I definitely do recommend the poached eggs and if your diet allows for it, opt for the Eggs Benedict instead. The hash browns here are also freshly fried at the time of order so they come to you in a beautiful golden brown crisp shell (hurray!). 

Dim Sum Breakfast at Club InterContinental
InterContinental Singapore

The congee here at the Club InterContinental is also really decent - I suspect having one of the best Chinese restaurants in Singapore located inside the hotel plays a part. Not only is the congee of the right consistency, there is also a pretty generous serving of ingredients inside and hey it even comes with a small side of dim sum because you deserve it for waking up in time for breakfast! Breakfast runs until 1030AM even on weekends so make sure you get up early - go back to bed after food if you are an InterContinental Ambassador because you will enjoy a guaranteed 4PM late checkout here at the InterContinental Singapore.

Suite Entrance
Premier Suite - InterContinental Singapore

The Premier Suites at the InterContinental Singapore are not particularly expensive (slightly under S$400++ a night on a low-occupancy weekend) especially if you consider what you are getting. If you do stay on a quieter weekend, theses suites are generally only about S$50++ more than the Club InterContinental rooms - you do get quite a bit more space and if you divide that by the number of hours you are spending here in the hotel, it really is quite a no-brainer to jump on that upgrade. As an InterContinental Ambassador member, a guaranteed one-tier upgrade will push you into this Premier Suite if you book a Club InterContinental room and you will be upgraded into a Heritage Suite at least if you book the Premier Suite itself so make sure you know what you want and then book one-tier under to get more value out of your membership! 

InterContinental Singapore
80 Middle Road, Singapore 188966
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