Mandarin Oriental, Singapore

I returned to this hotel after having stayed here in 2018, so I was able to notice quite clearly the changes made over the years. The interiors have been refreshed and, overall, the hotel is well maintained, attractive and clean. From the moment you arrive, however, you immediately get the feeling that this is primarily a large city business hotel. The reception staff were very kind and professional, but because of the size of the property and the constant flow of guests, the experience feels somewhat impersonal. You are well looked after, but you do not necessarily get that sense of being personally pampered that I would associate with a Mandarin Oriental. One service that did make a very good impression on us was the butler service via WhatsApp. Despite the size and high occupancy of the hotel, the butlers were consistently responsive, usually replying quite quickly and making a genuine effort to understand and resolve our requests. This was a very convenient and appreciated service, and it added a more personal touch to the overall experience. The rooms have also been renovated and are attractive, well maintained and exceptionally clean. However, they are extremely small. For a hotel of this category and, in particular, for a Mandarin Oriental, I found the room size rather disappointing and somewhat cramped. Our room overlooked the bay and the pool area, which provided a very pleasant view. During our stay, there was construction work for the new stadium directly in front of the hotel, so we could see cranes and the construction site from the room. Fortunately, this was much less problematic than expected: once inside the room, we could barely hear any noise at all. The soundproofing is excellent. One aspect I particularly appreciated was the evening turndown service. Despite the hotel being very large and busy, the housekeeping team still came in the evening to refresh the room, replace towels and make sure everything was in order. This is something that is not always provided, even in high-end international hotels, so I thought it was a very positive detail. In general, the housekeeping team was excellent: extremely attentive, efficient and responsive. Whenever we requested the room to be serviced, it was done very quickly. There was, however, one administrative issue with our reservation that was rather unfortunate. During our stay, one of our rooms was cancelled in the hotel’s system and, at the same time, an additional room was charged to us. Unfortunately, the discrepancy was not resolved even at check-out, so we ultimately had to pay for a room that, as we subsequently understood, had been cancelled due to an error on the hotel’s side rather than by our travel agency. I appreciate that mistakes can happen, particularly in a large hotel, but I would have expected the issue to be identified and resolved before check-out. The swimming pool is more or less the same as I remember it from eight years ago, although some of the furniture has been updated. It is a pleasant pool area, although nothing particularly exceptional. The service around the pool was, however, quite good. The main disappointments came with the dining options. Breakfast is served as a buffet, and I remember it being exceptional when I stayed here in 2018, with a very wide variety of choices. Unfortunately, I felt that the selection has been reduced following the refurbishment. It also appears that some of the buffet space has been sacrificed in favour of additional seating. The result is a very crowded and hectic breakfast experience. There is a constant sense of rush, involving guests, waiters and managers alike, and it is difficult to enjoy a relaxed and peaceful breakfast. We therefore started going to breakfast very early, around 7:45–8:00 a.m. By around 9:00 a.m., we saw queues of perhaps 20, 30 or even 40 metres of people waiting to enter, and I can only imagine that the waiting time must have been considerable. For a hotel of this category, I find having to queue for breakfast for potentially 20–30 minutes difficult to justify. We also tried the Morton’s the Steakhouse, and unfortunately this was a very disappointing experience. The restaurant has a rather dated American-style concept, reminiscent of the 1980s and 1990s, and I felt that both the overall atmosphere and the service reflected that lack of modernisation. The staff were courteous, but the service felt somewhat rigid and lacked freshness. The dishes themselves also felt dated, both in presentation and in concept. In my opinion, this restaurant would benefit greatly from a complete review of its concept, atmosphere and menu. The world of hospitality has moved forward considerably, and this particular restaurant feels as though it has not kept pace. Our experience at the Dolce Vita, the Italian restaurant next to the pool, was considerably better. The interior is pleasant, although not particularly remarkable, but the service was excellent. The staff were efficient, professional, friendly and energetic, and we really appreciated their approach. The food was also of very good quality, making this a very positive dining experience overall. Taking everything into consideration, I would say that this is a good hotel, however, I expected more from a Mandarin Oriental. The biggest issue for me is the relationship between the price and what is actually delivered. This is undoubtedly a well-located hotel in the heart of the city, and it has many positive qualities, but at the rates charged I believe the overall experience should be more refined and consistent.

Wonderful dining experience! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A special compliment to Ganesan Naganathan and Chef Dinesh for making our meal so enjoyable. The service was super efficient, warm and attentive, and the Indian food was absolutely superb! 👏 I normally don’t eat much Indian food, but I really loved it here — flavourful, delicious and, most importantly, not oily at all. Even the complimentary items were lovely. Thank you both for the wonderful service and food. We truly enjoyed ourselves and will definitely come back again! ❤️

The food was really delicious and I had a great experience here. I especially want to mention one of the staff named Loren, because she was so friendly, kind, and attentive throughout our meal. She made sure everything was okay and made us feel very welcome. Her service was excellent and really made our dining experience even better. Thank you so much for the wonderful service!

We travelled as 2 families of ech 2 adults and 2 children and had made reservations for family suites with a Kingbed and one double stack bed. Upon arrival at around 5:30pm we have been informed that our rooms are not ready. Which for me is a complete nogo to start with. After some arguing we got our rooms but our friens waited until 8pm. The lobby with reception is crowded and people are lying and sitting around - some are sleeping. The room was old and in details not up to standards with dented furniture etc. When we then went to breakfast we have been confronted with a waiting line that went from restaurant to elevators, again not acceptable. Breakfast are is super crowded, you feel as in a chinese cantine but not as in a Mandarin hotel. This hotel is a resort taken over by chinese and has nothing to do with the standard of a Mandarin as we have been used to.

We recently stayed at the Mandarin Oriental Singapore and had very mixed experiences. The hotel itself is stunning. The location is fantastic, the views are spectacular, and many of the staff we encountered were warm, friendly and genuinely helpful. The facilities are excellent, and when things went well, they were exactly what you would expect from a luxury hotel. Unfortunately, the service became increasingly disappointing each day. We had booked a family suite but, due to a problem with the room, we were moved to another suite. While this was an upgrade in terms of the view, it didn't meet our families practical needs, as it had no washing machine, and it had no towels. When we asked for towels, there was clearly no rush in getting these to us and we had to chase. even although we'd informed them that my son had already showered and was left to sit wet. As we were at the end of a long holiday having no washing machine was an inconvenience and the hotel recognised this. To their credit, they offered complimentary laundry for the remainder of our stay, which we appreciated. The. problems with service continued. We requested a rollaway bed and additional bedding during the morning, as the bed settee was too small for 2 children to share. When we returned about 10pm nothing had been done. After contacting the hotel again, I was told the manager would call me back, but no call ever came and instead I woke to a letter stating it had been too late to call back. We called housekeeping directly and were told it would be treated urgent and yet we still waited while our children became increasingly tired and unable to go to bed. What was most disappointing wasn't that things went wrong - these things happen in every hotel - but that promises weren't followed through, requests had to be chased repeatedly, communication was poor and there was little sense of urgency despite the impact on a family with children late at night. This is a beautiful hotel with many excellent staff members, but at this price point and with the Mandarin Oriental reputation, I expected a much more consistent level of service and better management of guest issues. The management did recognise this and we were offered late check out, which was of great benefit to our family and was greatly appreciated.