Hotel Review: voco Orchard Singapore (King Bed Suite) - Reflagged Property Along Orchard Road With New Brand Values and a Renewed Focus on Sustainability
After a series of light refurbishments and enhancements, voco Orchard Singapore is the first voco-branded property to open in South East Asia, and this premium collection brand celebrates both individuality and reliability by offering comfortable spaces for people to relax in. Previously the Hilton Singapore, voco Orchard Singapore has now been reflagged and given a brand new identity and core values that are in line with the voco brand - it is spearheaded by General Manager Mark Winterton, who had spent three years with IHG Australia.
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Welcome Cookies and Wooden Key Cards
voco Orchard Singapore
While the hard product looks rather similar at first glance, the differences are actually quite pronounced once you have experienced a stay at the property. For this stay, I was kindly extended a special upgrade into a King Bed Suite by the team. The hotel lobby looks different with new furniture and a coat of paint - the check-in process is fairly seamless and I am absolutely obsessed with the wooden room key cards. I also received a bag of two welcome cookies which apparently comprises of ingredients that are inspired by Orchard Road’s heritage - I am not sure what they are but they were delicious!
Living Room
King Bed Suite - voco Orchard Singapore
The suites at voco Orchard Singapore look radically different from the regular rooms - they were renovated a couple of years ago before the reflagging of property. Measuring 69 sqm in size, the King Bed Suite comes with a separate living room that is completely partitioned off from the bedroom for maximum privacy - this is especially great if you have guests over. The living room also features a 55-inch smart television for your viewing pleasure and the sofa is perfect for lounging around - I absolutely love the mood lighting and how residential it feels despite being a property that is part of a wider chain.
View from Living Room
King Bed Suite - voco Orchard Singapore
The living room looks out to the Royal Thai Embassy along Orchard Road and it enjoys plenty of natural light during the day - as Singapore begins to open up more to the world, it is definitely a nice spot to watch the crowd in the comfort of your own room. The location of the property is also great - you are minutes away from the best malls along the world’s famous shopping strip, and you also have a myriad of restaurants and cafes to choose from that are less than 10-minutes away on foot (more on this later!).
Living Room
King Bed Suite - voco Orchard Singapore
The suite here at the voco Orchard Singapore also features a small dining area that is perfect for up to four adults - this round-table is perfect for communal dining since it allows you to share food easily and the hotel actually has a pretty decent in-room dining menu if that is something you prefer. Alternatively, you can always get take-out from the area to enjoy it in the comfort of your own room - there are plenty of cafes and casual-dining restaurants in Palais Renaissance, and hearty local (and Thai!) food from Orchard Towers across the street if you are looking for inspiration.
Special Welcome Amenities
King Bed Suite - voco Orchard Singapore
D9 Cakery at voco Orchard Singapore has a pretty long-standing reputation for being one of the best places for artisanal cakes and sweets - the team had arranged for some of these delicious treats to be placed in my room during my stay. Not only did they look intricate, they also featured immensely well-balanced flavours that were a joy to eat. The Lego-lookalike slice is inspired by one of the collaborations that the hotel did with the founder of Artisan Bricks, Jeffrey Kong.
Minibar
King Bed Suite - voco Orchard Singapore
The suite at voco Orchard Singapore comes with a small minibar area that is equipped with a basic Nespresso machine and tea-making facilities. At the time of writing, the Club Lounge at voco Orchard Singapore operates in the evening for drinks and canapes but I do believe that it will resume regular operating hours once things settle down. Personally, I operate on four to five cups of coffee a day and even though there are plenty of cafes to choose from in the area, there is nothing like the convenience of having your own coffee machine in the room.
Nespresso Coffee Capsules
King Bed Suite - voco Orchard Singapore
Complimentary coffee capsules are provided in the room alongside some individually-wrapped Lotus Biscoff singles (which are the perfect complement to a hot beverage). TWG-branded teabags can also be found in the drawer underneath the coffee machine and they are replenished during evening turndown as well as in the morning when housekeeping comes in to make-up your room if you are staying multiple nights.
Powder Room
King Bed Suite - voco Orchard Singapore
Located near the entrance of the suite, between the living room and the bedroom is the guest bathroom which is effectively a half-bathroom. As mentioned earlier, the powder room ensures that your guests will not have to step foot into your bedroom (unless you want them to) during their visit. In a bid to reduce plastic wastage, voco Orchard Singapore has transited to bulk-size bathroom amenities instead of bathroom miniatures - the Apotheke-branded amenities are plant-based and they feature natural botanicals for fast-absorbing moisture and light, refreshing fragrance.
Bedroom
King Bed Suite - voco Orchard Singapore
The bedroom of the King Bed Suite at voco Orchard Singapore is my favourite part of the whole area - the new bedding is incredible but I will touch more on that later. You will find another 55-inch smart TV in the bedroom but during my stay, I was unable to stream any content from my personal devices to it freely - hopefully, this is something that will change in the near future as it seems like a bit of a missed opportunity.
Bedroom
King Bed Suite - voco Orchard Singapore
I do not take this lightly but believe me when I say that the voco Orchard Singapore has one of the best beds that I have ever slept on in Singapore. They are different from what the previous property uses and what is even more impressive is that the voco hotels bedding is created from over 150 recycled plastic bottles. The fabric is also produced in line with the Better Cotton Initiative to support sustainable cotton harvesting. The bed is plush but also firm enough for you to wake up feeling refreshed, without a backache (something people my age would genuinely appreciate).
Bedside Table
King Bed Suite - voco Orchard Singapore
Lighting controls can be found next to the bed and a universal power outlet complete with a USB charging port is conveniently located here for you to charge your personal mobile devices before you drift off to bed. The lack of universal power outlets (especially in high-end properties) is something that I personally find annoying whenever I travel internationally so it is great that these are readily available throughout the suite here in voco Orchard Singapore .
Bathroom
King Bed Suite - voco Orchard Singapore
There is a master bathroom attached the bedroom of the suite here at voco Orchard Singapore - this full bathroom features a walk-in shower (which also double as a steam bath), a separate bathtub, double vanity sinks, as well as a separate toilet with its own door. What I did find weird however was the inability to switch off the bathroom lights - I have tried every reasonable switch inside and outside of the bathroom (including the master light switch) and nothing seemed to work - this must be a technical glitch because it should not be this difficult to turn the light off.
As mentioned earlier, bulk-sized amenities are provided in the bathrooms of the voco Orchard Singapore but since they are only located near the sinks and inside the shower area of the bathroom, you will have to get creative if you want to draw yourself a bubble bath. This is an advantage that miniature bottles have since you can transport them easily but with that being said, this is only a small issue for a great cause.
Interiors
Club Lounge - voco Orchard Singapore
It is worth noting that the voco Orchard Singapore is the only voco hotel property in the brand’s portfolio to feature a Club Lounge. While the design of the lounge did not change much yet (perhaps a work in progress?), the food offerings do differ quite a fair bit. Something that I do appreciate at the voco Orchard Singapore is how they have managed to retain most of the operational staff after the reflagging of property - Kenny Lee, who is the Assistant Club Lounge Manager is definitely a gem of the property and it is certainly comforting to know that he has made the decision to stay on the property even after the reflag.
Evening Cocktails and Canapés
Club Lounge - voco Orchard Singapore
At the time of writing, evening cocktails and canapes are served from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM at the Club Lounge which is located on Level 22 - registered guests will have to reserve their preferred time slot at the Front Desk:
5:30 PM to 6:30 PM; or
6:30 PM to 7:30 PM
This is in line with safe-management measures (SMMs) and I would expect this to go away once the government announces further relaxation of rules. The selection of alcoholic drinks remain the same but the quality of canapes appear to have improved from my previous visit.
Bedroom
King Bed Suite - voco Orchard Singapore
If you are looking for a really value-for-money staycation, the Meat-ogether stay package at the voco Orchard Singapore is fantastic as it also comes with a dinner experience for two at the Opus Bar & Grill (complete with free-flowing wines and prosecco for two hours). While the menu at Opus Bar & Grill has not changed drastically, there have been new additions to the a la carte menu for diners to choose from.
Breakfast
Opus Bar & Grill - voco Orchard Singapore
Breakfast at voco Orchard Singapore runs from 7:00 AM to 10:30 AM each day and hotel guests will have to secure a 30-minute time slot the night before. With that being said, the restaurant will not actively monitor the duration of your visit and they generally do not police this unless the property is running at very high-occupancy.
I am happy to confirm that illy coffee is still available at breakfast and there have been a number of new additions to the breakfast menu. Do take note that each registered guest is entitled to one breakfast set and this is not actually an a la carte buffet breakfast at the time of writing.
Obviously, this might change when restrictions ease further and self-service buffet is allowed eventually. With all that being said, the portions are actually quite sizeable, so most diners should be satisfied with the quantity and quality of food served during breakfast.
While the voco Orchard Singapore may seem like a brand change only at first glance, it is comforting to know that a lot more initiatives are in the pipeline. As mentioned earlier, the brand focuses quite a bit on sustainability and a quick chat with the General Manager suggested that green initiatives like the provision of bicycles will be implemented in the near future to encourage hotel guests to travel with a smaller carbon footprint. Even though I would obviously prefer a more drastic change in hard product, it is great to know that most of the operating staff has been retained as they are the soul and personality of this property.
voco Orchard Singapore
581 Orchard Road Singapore, 238883
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The JW Marriott Auckland is still refurbishing its guest rooms and suites (with an expected completion date in November 2024). I stayed in a Deluxe Room (non-refurbished) and have found the experience to be lacking of a typical JW Marriott property.