[Hotel Review] - The Fullerton Hotel (Postmaster Room), Singapore (10 - 12 Sep 16)

Location

Occupying the former General Post Office, The Fullerton Hotel is located in the centre of the CBD in Singapore next to Singapore River surrounded by office buildings. The nearest shopping mall is about 20 mins on foot, however Fullerton Hotel provides regular shuttle service to the nearby shopping malls. There is an MRT station about 3 mins walk from the hotel. The Fullerton Hotel was accorded National Monument in 2015, staying here is like staying in a part of history of Singapore.

Facade of The Fullerton Hotel from across the street

The Fullerton Hotel was accorded a National Monument in 2015 printed on its keycard

Hotel Atrium

Reception area in The Fullerton Hotel

The Room

Bedroom
I checked into the Postmaster Room during my stay at The Fullerton Hotel. The earthy tones of light brown and beige colour running throughout the room eludes a cosy feel for guests entering the room. The three-panel wardrobe resembles a traditional Japanese door, with white panels and thin wooden trimmings. Although occupying but a small part of the room, the wardrobe is large enough for guests to put away one week worth of clothing. The panel immediately next to the main entrance has shelvings and drawers, which gives ample space for guests to put away smaller pieces of clothing. Guests can also hang up their cloths in the two-panel wardrobe next to it. A small foldable stool can be found inside this part of the wardrobe for guests to put their cabin-size luggage onto. I was able to put away my duffle bag on the stool and have the wardrobe doors closed.

Corridor outside the Postmaster Room

Main Entrance to the room with the three-panel wardrobe

Space in the wardrobe to hang cloths

Single-panel side of the wardrobe with three drawers to put more stuff in

Wardrobe is located next to the main entrance to the room

With the wall that makes up the bathroom opposite the wardrobe creates a small corridor that leads guests into the room. Stretching from the wardrobe through the entire depth of the room is hip height cabinet, using the same coloured wood as the wardrobe the hotel was able to achieve consistency in the colour scheme of the room. This makes the room look comfortable and not too confusion with the minimum use of colour schemes in the room. This cabinet houses the mini bar fridge as well as a safe nicely hidden away from sight. Right smack on the centre of the cabinet is the 42" LED TV, which  is placed directly opposite the King Bed. Facing the main entrance to the room, tucked away in a corner is where the workdesk is located. The workdesk is rather sizable and doubled up as a dinning table for me during my stay there. On the workdesk, the hotel provided a mobile phone which guests can use as a mobile wifi device. Local calls on this mobile phone is complementary from the hotel. There are also various media inputs located next to the workdesk for one to plug in their lifestyle devices to be projected from the TV. There are several options in the menu of this TV, including movies which are chargeable. Otherwise, guests can choose from the many local and international channels for entertainment.

Other than the TWG tea and instant coffee, the rest of the items in this rack are chargeable 

The safe is well hidden below the electric kettle

Mini fridge

Large 42" LED TV

Some reading materials are provided in the room

A large workweeks cum dinning table tucked in one corner of the room

Media inout that connects to the TV located next to the workdesk

Stationery can be found in a drawer next to the workdesk

The hotel provides this mobile device that allows guests to make unlimited local calls for free. This can also be used as a mobile wifi device

The King bed is placed opposite the LED TV. The large bed can sleep thee comfortably and the sleep quality of the bed is superb. I had great rest on the bed throughout my stay at the Fullerton Hotel. The pillows placed on the bed are soft, however Fullerton Hotel does provide a pillow menu with varying degrees of firmness to suit their guests. I opted for the buckwheat and firm feather pillow. As I prefer firmer pillows, I find the firm feather pillow to be more comfortable. As with many international hotels, a couple of bedside tables are placed on either side of the bed. There is a master control on the right side of the bed which controls the lighting as well as curtains to the balcony. There are no lack of power outlets in the room, with two on either side of the bed. Placed slightly in front of the bed, tucked to the wall of the bathroom is a single seat armchair with foot rest. There is a small coffee table placed beside it. I find myself sitting on this armchair watching TV and reading a book whilst in the hotel. The armchair is rather comfortable to sit one. The placement of this armchair does not seem to come across as an obstruction for movement in the room.

A very comfortable King bed that gave me a good night sleep 

One of the bedside tables. The plush toy is not complementary

Arm chair right in front of the bed with the TV and workdesk

This panel is located on the right side of the bed that controls the lighting as well as the curtains to the balcony

Dirty spot on the telephone that was missed out by housekeeping staff

Balcony

The main difference between the Courtyard room and the Postmaster Room is that the latter has an attached outdoor balcony. There are a few times of rooms in the hotel that comes with balcony. Furthest into the room is where one can find the door to the balcony. The balcony spans across the entire width of the room. There are a couple of chairs and a table placed to one side of the balcony. Though the view (the room that I stayed in faced an office building) isn't that great, I enjoyed relaxing by the balcony as it is rather windy. There is no direct sunlight onto the balcony, making it my favourite spot to hang out. There are two double panelled doors to the balcony. One would have to be careful with the outer door as it tend to slam back, thanks to the hydraulic door closer. Not too sure if the glass panel of this door will shutter with prolonged slamming of the door.

Door to the balcony. There are two doors before one can reach the balcony

Chairs in the balcony for guests to chill

I can see part of Singapore River from the balcony. The room I was assigned faces directly to the office building

Bathroom

The bathroom is located opposite the wardrobe and next to the entrance. The marble laid bathroom is rather spacious. There are two entrances to the bathroom, one by the main entrance and another next to the King bed. There is a large bathtub opposite the sink top, tucked in a corner of the bathroom. The sink top has ample space for guests to place their toiletries. There is a three-tiered shelf carved out of the wall that provided additional storage space. Next to the bathtub is a walk-in rain shower stall, enclosed by glass providing a wet and dry area. I like hotels that designed their bathrooms with a separate walk-in shower, which not just make showering easier (without the need to climb in and out of the bathtub for shower), it also separates the wet from the dry area. This means the wet flooring in the bathroom is kept to the minimum. Next to the shower is a toilet cubicle, which comes with an additional door.

Bathroom at a glance

The bathtub is very large, however unlikely some hotels, The Fullerton Hotel does not provide bathsalts

Single sink in the bathroom. There are a lot of space to store additional toiletries

Walk-in Shower stall with rain shower

Toilet cubicle

The bath amenities provided by The Fullerton Hotel feels luxurious

Additional Amenities

Swimming Pool

The swimming pool in The Fullerton Hotel is located on the 2nd floor. The 25m infinity pool, overlooking Singapore River, is rather small. There is a Jacuzzi area built in the pool. The number of sundeck chairs available are rather limited. On a busy day, one can forget about visiting the pool. The Fullerton Hotel allows guests to use the pool at the adjacent sister hotel, Fullerton Bay Hotel. However one is expected to walk about 5 mins to Fullerton Bay Hotel. There is a bathroom next to the swimming pool, where lockers are available. There is a sauna and a steam room inside the gents bathroom.

Small pool with limited sundeck chairs

Swimming pool area

Facade of the hotel from the pool

Steam room and sauna inside the toilet next to the swimming pool

Gym

Gym in Fullerton Hotel is located at level 1M, opposite Fullerton Spa. The gym is rather small, however is well equipped with treadmills, static cycles as well as limited weights machine. Though not elaborate, one can still get a decent workout in the gym.

The Fullerton Hotel has a very small gym, but sufficient for guests to get a decent workout

Drinks and apples are available for guests using the gym

Breakfast Service

Breakfast is served at Town Restaurant located one the first floor of the hotel. There are no lack of variety served up at during breakfast. Other than the standard American and Continental Breakfast, there are also local fares being served up during breakfast. I find the providing of  local fares to be a very good way of the hotel introducing local food to their guests.

Breakfast is served in Town Restaurant

Most of the food can be found in the centre of the restaurant

The restaurant serves up local fares on top of the standard American and Continental Breakfast

Service
The service levels in the hotel is befitting of a five-star standards. As I arrived at the hotel during the check-in time of 3pm, there is a number of guests waiting to check-in. Staffs were seen coordinating with guests, assuring them that their turn to check-in will not take too long. I saw a pregnant lady in the queue, and thought that the staffs can do better by providing her a seat or place her in a priority queue.  I did not have to wait too long to get myself checked in . However the check-in process is rather slow and took about 15 mins, excluding the wait time.

Other than the slow check-in process, the staffs around the hotel seem to be eager to do their best to ensure guests have a comfortable stay. I called up reception several times to request for amenities and pillows. Whenever I called the reception for amenities or pillow, there will always be a call back to confirm that the stuffs that I requested for has been delivered. I find this check back is good way to ensuring guests get what they requested for. I ordered room service, before entering the room, the staff would introduced himself to me. I thought this is a good way of establishing rapport with the guests.

The biggest star would have to be Izan, a staff working at the pool. He was welcoming when I hit the pools. Izan offered to bring us to the chair that we wanted and even took the initiative to lay out the towels on the chair for us. I seen Izan working hard to provide the same service to all other guests coming to the pool tirelessly, in the hot afternoon sun. He religiously removed towels that were left behind by guests, rearrange chairs to the way they were on top of helping guests to the sundeck chair.

The staffs at Town Restaurant are very welcoming as well. I received greeting from a staff member before being led to my table and handed over their colleagues on the restaurant floor. The staffs in the restaurants are very efficient and obliging to requests from guests. Coffees and teas came very fast, and no empty plates are left on the table. As soon as I returned to my table, the plates are already cleared. Staffs would pop by and check if I needed more coffee.

Overall
I had a comfortable stay in The Fullerton Hotel. The sleep quality on the king bed was superb, the size of the room is just nice. I particularly like the balcony and find it a great place to hang out. In terms of service, they are good but not memorable, except for a few individuals, like Izan.