Located at the fringe of the central business district and next to Singapore River, Fullerton Hotel is a tad far from the main shopping district. Even the closest shopping mall, Marina Square area is a good 10 mins walk from the hotel. However the location of the hotel is a great spot to immense one with the history of Singapore, after all this hotel used to be the general post office of Singapore. It is also close to the iconic Merlion statue that many tourists come to visit. The area is rather quiet during weekends, but can busy during weekdays. There are several museums around the vicinity of the hotel.
Hardware
I stayed in the Courtyard room. The naming of this room can be misleading. One might form the impression that the room comes with a outdoor patio for one to relax and just watch the life goes by, however the definition of "Courtyard" according to the hotel means the room is facing the interior of the hotel. The ceiling to floor window allows guests to see what is happening inside the hotel. There are no views exterior of the hotel.
The layout of the room is pretty standard as with most of the other hotels. To the right of the main entrance of the room is the bathroom. Pasting the bathroom, one would find the main bedroom. The decor of the room feels classy and cosy. The King-sized bed in the room provided me with a very good night's sleep. Coupled with the comfortable linen and duvet makes sleeping in this hotel heavenly. The powerful air con cooled down the room pretty quick given the hot weather in Singapore at this time of the year. There is also a single-seater armchair in the room for guests to rest should the do not wish to rest on the bed.Viewing the TV from the arm-chair is rather weird due to the angle it is placed relative to the TV.
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| Bed in the room |
Opposite the bed, directly facing the main entrance is a small work desk and the TV. The study desk is a tad small which only allows a laptop to be placed. However there is a side table next to the study desk, which provides additional space. I find the orientation of the table odd as it is facing the main door and not the window. The TV is also almost immediately next to the study table, which makes viewing of the TV only possible from the bed or the armchair. This area is where one would find the minibar and complementary coffee and tea. The hotel provides very quality coffee and tea. The hotel provides guests with the premium TWG tea.
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| Study and TV area |
As mentioned previously bathroom is next to the main entrance of the room. The bath room is rather large for the category of the room. The large mirror at the sink, opposite the bathtub gives guests the feeling of spaciousness in the bathroom. What I love about the bathroom is the huge bathtub, which allows one to soak in a relaxing bath without feeling squeeze. There are some storage shelving next to the sink. The walk in shower features rain shower, providing guests great showering quality. There is also a small room with toilet bowl inside.
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| Vanity area with sink in bathroom |
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| Shelving allowing guests to store their personal toiletries |
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| Sink area in the bathroom |
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| Toilet |
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| Huge bathtub |
Heartware
As a 5-star hotel, one would certainly expect exemplarily service from Fullerton. The great service only stops at the check-in counter. As I booked this room for my birthday, the attentive clerk at the reception saw that it was my birthday on the day of checking in and wished me happy birthday. First impression of the hotel is the staff paid attention to details. However the great service stops there.
My friend arranged with the hotel for a surprise birthday cake for me to be delivered in room by 5pm but the cake did not come until almost midnight when my birthday is almost over. My friend was puzzled and called the reception a few times enquiring about the cake, which certainly spoilt the surprise that was installed for me. The reception kept mentioning that they will deliver it shortly. But it never came. We thought they will place the cake in the room during the turndown service. We left the hotel for dinner elsewhere. Upon returning, there is still no cake. My friend was truly embarrassed. My friend called the reception asking about the cake, this time round the reception claim ignorance of the arrangement of the cake. When questioned as to the reason the staff previously we spoke to acknowledged about the cake, the staff was dumbfounded and finally deliver the cake at around 11pm. This incident proved to us there is no sincerity in the service rendered by the hotel, certainly no befitting of 5-star.
The horrendous service does not end there. The next day we headed for breakfast at the Town Restaurant. First impression, there are inconsistency in the layout of the table. I saw some tables stocked with 4 small jars of jam while some have none, some have less then 4. This proves to show that the hotel does not pay attention to details. What really pissed me off is the racial discriminatory service and I have experienced. I was at the egg station and the staff at the egg station gave me a very unfriendly look and asked very rudely "What you want??!!". I was a little offended by the tone, but thinking she might be tired after a long morning's work cooking eggs. We ordered what we wanted. As we were about to leave the egg station, the same staff, upon seeing a Caucasian approaching her,, greeted the guests with a million dollar smile and warmth, asking him "Good Morning Sir, How can I serve you the egg of your preference?" At this point I was very pissed off with such discriminatory service. To make matters worst, the staff at the egg station was discriminating against her fellow countrymen. I brought this up to the hotel subsequently and nothing was heard from them since.
Overall
In terms of the hardware, the hotel got it. It provides good night rest for guests and the bathroom is impressive. However the service feels fake and insincere, when brought up to the management, nothing was done about it and no response heard from them. To make matters worst, it seem the hotel condoles discriminatory service and racism. Given the amount spent on the one-night stay, one will find somewhere better at a more convenient location, unless one do not mind being discriminated upon.
very helpful article
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