Hotel Review: Hilton Singapore Orchard (Executive Room) - The Largest Flagship Hilton Property in Asia-Pacific and Possibly the Best Hilton Property in Singapore

The Hilton Singapore Orchard occupies the same building as where the Mandarin Orchard Singapore used to be and the newly-renovated property is the largest flagship Hilton property in Asia-Pacific. At the time of writing, there are three Hilton properties in Singapore - the Hilton Singapore Orchard, the Conrad Centennial Singapore, and the Hilton Garden Inn Singapore Serangoon.

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Entrance
Executive Room - Hilton Singapore Orchard

Suite upgrades are really rare in my experience as a Hilton Honors Diamond member for over six years and for this stay, I was accorded a pre-arrival upgrade to an Executive Room at the Hilton Singapore Orchard on a high floor. Since Hilton Honors Diamond members get guaranteed lounge access, the main difference between an Executive Room (located on levels 24 to 32) and a regular Deluxe Room is the floor on which the room is on - rooms on higher floors are typically more desirable as they generally have better views. The fully-renovated Executive Rooms measure approximately 29sqm in size and while the square footage does sound pretty small on paper, they are cleverly designed with optimised usage of floor space - it had everything I wanted in a hotel (especially for a staycation) and I dare say it is the best Hilton property in Singapore (but more on this later) right now.

Bathroom
Executive Room - Hilton Singapore Orchard

Located next to entrance of the room is the bathroom and honestly, I was not expecting to find a bathtub in this room since it is only 29 sqm in size and from my experience, it is common for management to decide on converting bathtubs into a dedicated shower area as part of an extensive renovation since it saves on costs, I really like how the bathroom of the Executive Room looks - it may not be huge, but it does have everything you desire in one.

Bathtub
Executive Room - Hilton Singapore Orchard

Apart from the deep-soaking bathtub, there is also a separate shower area on the other side of the bathroom which is honestly pretty impressive for a room this size. While the tub is relatively deep, it is not exactly wide so taller travellers may find it a little small for their liking (in which case, you should opt for a bigger room as some of the higher category rooms come with a freestanding bathtub).

Bath Amenities from ACCA KAPPA
Executive Room - Hilton Singapore Orchard

In line with the brand’s vision to reduce the use of single-use plastics, bulk bathroom amenities from ACCA KAPPA are provided - they smell a lot like J&J baby products to me. The Hilton Singapore Orchard is also one of the first Hilton hotels in the world to issue reusable wooden key cards that are are more environmentally friendly (but you may also opt for a Digital Key which works perfectly in my experience.

Bedroom
Executive Room - Hilton Singapore Orchard

The bedrooms here at the Hilton Singapore Orchard are beautiful and they look nothing like how rooms at Mandarin Orchard Singapore used to look. Since the Executive Rooms are located on higher floors, you will have a better view of the city (or greenery), depending on where your room faces.

Power Outlets
Executive Room - Hilton Singapore Orchard

The king-sized bed is firm and comfortable, without being overly plush and there is even a small working and lounging area for times in which you need to catch up on obligations and responsibilities.

View from Bedroom
Executive Room - Hilton Singapore Orchard

The room that I was assigned to for this stay overlooked Orchard Road and The Heeren (which was a lot more iconic in my days). With more international visitors coming into Singapore and with things going back to normal, it is nice to see Orchard Road being busy once again (especially on weekdays) and it goes without saying that the Hilton Singapore Orchard is located in a great location for you to not only shop around one of the world’s most famous shopping belt but also to hop on the train (at either Somerset or Orchard station) to explore the rest of Singapore effortlessly.

King-size Bed
Executive Room - Hilton Singapore Orchard

The overall design of the bedroom is clean and minimalistic - there are some Asian touches but it remains to be largely contemporary which is fantastic since design like that will not go out of style quickly. All of the lights can be controlled via the panel located next to the bed but do note that the air-conditioning does turn off automatically when the room is vacant - returning to a relatively warm room after spending an afternoon out in the sweltering Singapore heat isn’t really my idea of a vacation but I guess this is all part of being more sustainable.

Panel for Lights and USB Charging Ports
Executive Room - Hilton Singapore Orchard

While the power outlet nearest to the bed is not universal, there are two USB charging ports here so you can use your personal mobile devices in bed before leaving them to charge overnight. if you are an international visitor, there are universal power outlets located around the room so you do not really have to worry about bringing a travel adapter unless you have more than two or three devices to charge concurrently.

Makeshift Closet
Executive Room - Hilton Singapore Orchard

As mentioned earlier, the Executive Rooms here at the Hilton Singapore Orchard are only 29sqm in size and you will definitely notice the absence of an actual closet. With that being said, dedicated spaces have been carved out thoughtfully to provide travellers with space to hang up their clothes - most of them are hidden behind the TV console so you do not actually see them all the time. Closets are great since they hide your clothes away from plain sight which reduces the mess and clutter from your bedroom. The space to hang your clothes can be found behind the TV console, on both sides and while it is not a full-sized closet, I did find it to be highly sufficient for a short stay.

Nespresso Coffee Machine
Executive Room - Hilton Singapore Orchard

As far as I know, all of the guest rooms here at the Hilton Singapore Orchard come with an in-room Nespresso machine with complimentary coffee capsules. TWG-branded teabags are also provided in one of the drawers under the coffee machine and the fully-stocked minibar actually has pretty decent prices if you are far too lazy to head out. With that said, the hotel is in such a great location and there are a handful of supermarkets and dozens of restaurants located nearby.

Drinking Water and Nespresso Capsules
Executive Room - Hilton Singapore Orchard

As part of reducing single plastic waste, the Hilton Singapore Orchard also provides drinking water in paper cartons as opposed to plastic water bottles. Water from the tap in Singapore is potable so you do not really need a bottle unless you are planning to bring it out of your room. As I had a couple of workout plans in the area during my stay, these water cartons were quite handy since I did not pack my usual water bottle along with me for the stay.

Interiors
Executive Lounge - Hilton Singapore Orchard

My personal favourite part of the stay has to be the massive Executive Lounge at the Hilton Singapore Orchard - as a Hilton Honors Diamond member, you will always receive guaranteed access to this space which serves Afternoon Tea as well as evening cocktails and canapés daily. Previously, the club lounge was located on the highest level of the hotel (when it used to be Mandarin Orchard Singapore) but it is now located on level 6. If you are staying on one of the Executive floors, a set of express lifts will bypass the regular floors and take you directly to the lower floors.

Afternoon Tea
Executive Lounge - Hilton Singapore Orchard

The Executive Lounge at the Hilton Singapore Orchard is open from 9:00 AM to 10:30 PM daily and apart from the aforementioned meal periods, eligible guests may also choose to pop in for a quiet space to get some work done (and enjoy free-flowing coffee, tea, soft drinks, and juices). I really like having the option of having a conducive space to work from (especially if the rooms are small) so this is definitely a big plus in my books. At the time of writing, self-service buffets have already resumed in Singapore so hotel guests can help themselves to the buffet spread. While the items on offer during Afternoon Tea (served from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM) are pretty limited, the scones were actually really good and there was a small selection of sweet and savoury items.

Fully-equipped Gym
Hilton Singapore Orchard

The Hilton Singapore Orchard has a really well-equipped gym with state-of-the-art treadmills and exercise bikes - I am quite a fitness junkie myself and this gym has everything I need for a good cardio workout. You can connect your Apple Watch the cardio equipments easily, and the exercise bikes come with cycling programs so you can get a proper workout in even if you are here on a staycation, or in Singapore for a vacation.

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With that being said, the Hilton Singapore Orchard has over 1,000 guest rooms and suites (when the other wing opens) and I am not sure if the gym and the pool are large enough to handle the demand of the guests when running at high occupancy levels.

Dining Area
Executive Lounge - Hilton Singapore Orchard

After a quick workout at the gym, it was time to head back to the Executive Lounge for evening cocktails and canapes which runs from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM every day - it helps that the gym and the lounge are both located on the same floor. During my visit, the lounge was relatively busy but there were plenty of seats available. I am not too sure whether the space is sufficient when more international travellers enter Singapore and when the hotel is running at full occupancy. There is a small but decent selection of food on offer during the evening session and you are welcome to stay for the whole duration - the Conrad Centennial Singapore had one-hour evening sessions (that you have to pre-book) which I really hope they have gotten rid of now.

Evening Cocktails and Canapes
Executive Lounge - Hilton Singapore Orchard

There is a small selection of basic spirits, two bottles of red, white and a bottle of sparkling wine (no, it is not Champagne) on offer. While the wine labels are not premium, the sparkling wine is surprisingly decent and I really cannot fault it for what it is - especially when you look at the Executive Lounge in the grand scheme of things. I have been to the property on multiple occasions and the service has been pretty good although it also depends on where you are sitting. It goes without saying that the space gets pretty busy in the evening (and it gets quite loud too when there are families around) so make sure you head on down early if you want a good spot.

Breakfast
Executive Lounge - Hilton Singapore Orchard

As a Diamond Hilton Honors member, I was informed at check-in that breakfast will be served at the Executive Lounge but I had no issues having the full breakfast buffet experience at Estate. Honestly, I am not sure whether this is something that they will enforce at a later stage (simple from a capacity standpoint) but it is not uncommon to offer Hilton Honors Gold and Diamond members a truncated continental breakfast experience in other parts of the world. During my stay, I chose to have my breakfast at the Executive Lounge as I had a few calls to take in the morning and I was only done at approximately 9:30 AM (which is peak hour for breakfast).

Bedroom
Executive Room - Hilton Singapore Orchard

I really like the Hilton Singapore Orchard - a lot more than I thought I would. The rooms may be small on paper but it has everything I want in a staycation hotel (e.g. Nespresso machine, bathtub, and a small workspace to catch up on work). While the automatic shutting off of air-conditioning does irritate me a little since I do not deal very well with heat, it is a step toward the right direction in terms of sustainability. The Hilton Singapore Orchard is starting to come together very well with a great Executive Lounge and a well-equipped gym for travellers. If you are planning to visit Singapore soon, I would pick the Hilton Singapore Orchard over the Conrad Centennial Singapore even though they are similarly priced - the latter has bigger rooms but the lounge only operates during certain hours, and the food selection at breakfast is quite limited. Maybe all of that would change once things gain traction and operations go ‘back to normal’ but until then, it is clear where all Hilton Honors Gold and Diamond members should stay in Singapore.

Hilton Singapore Orchard
333 Orchard Rd, Singapore 238867
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