Hotel Review: Innotel Hotel Singapore

On a recent visit to Singapore, my colleagues booked me at the Innotel Hotel along Penang Lane somewhere in downtown Dhoby Ghaut area. More of a business inn rather than the posh RnR jaunts, the hotel provides some relief to the city shortage of mid-class accommodations.

The 4-star hotel which opened in 2011 has about 70-rooms classified into four accommodation options (superior, deluxe, executive & suite) which are spread across a low-rise building. The room sizes range from 19m² to 35m².

I arrived at the hotel on a quiet afternoon and shared the reception area with two other clients checking in for the day. The lobby is small and typical for the hotel of its size but nevertheless functional. The front desk staff was courteous and readily offered suggestions on how to make one’s stay comfortable.

A few months after operation, the hotel was already enjoying high occupancy; during my stay, I was upgraded to a Suite Room which turned out to be a really nice. It had king size bed, complimentary Wi-fi access, LCD TV with cable channels, an Internet Protocol telephones that can divert calls to mobile phones, a stereo set with iPod/iPhone-compatible docks, a bath tub and leather recliners – and a good view of Fort Canning Park.

The room was pretty neat and astoundingly spacious. It differs from most run-of-the-mil hotel rooms with its pastel multi-colored walls that gives the whole area, a youthful and energetic appeal.

The hotel is just perfect for the city explorers because it runs right smack to where the action is — a mere 5-minute walk to the Dhoby Ghaut train station and Fort Canning Park where they hold concerts and other outdoor activities. It is also very close to a popular mall, Plaza Singapura, where one can do the compulsory shopping (well, you didn’t stay in Singapore if you didn’t do shopping…)

Walking around, you’ll discover hidden gems nearby such as the Singapore Philatelic Museum and the National Museum of Singapore.

On the downside, the hotel lacks decent dining options with just a small coffee shop at the lobby and a vintage themed bar on the second floor. Well, there’s always Starbucks at Plaza Singapura for the morning person in you.

Also, the hotel corridors exude an industrial factory feel with steel, nuts and bolts visible and obvious, but it is guaranteed to be forgotten once you enter the colorful rooms.

The bathroom is ordinary but functional and the toiletries were more than sufficient for a the daily traveler’s requirements.

I must say that Innotel Hotel is a good choice for hotel if you’re on a budget. The phrase “value for money” really found its niche in this hotel. I hope to come back again and savor the warmth and hospitality which I rarely find in other Singapore hotels I have stayed on.

Hotel Review: Novotel Hotel Mangga Dua Square Jakarta

NOVOTEL HOTEL JAKARTA MANGGA DUAJalan Gunung Sahari Raya No 1
14420 JAKARTA
INDONESIA
Tel (+62)2162312800
Fax (+62)2162312900

Touted as a 4 Star business hotel which is near the manufacturing complex area of Jakarta, Novotel Mangga Dua Square Hotel is a clear choice for first timers. With its dependable brand and affiliation (Accor Group), one would have high expectations for this hotel.

Located in Mangga Dua, the hotel was within a 30 minute drive of the Jakarta’s central business district and the Golden Triangle. But:”the 30 minute” website description isn’t what it really seemed to be with a terrible phenomenon known as “Jakarta Traffic”. Getting to the city proper, major shopping districts and sight seeing location was tedious. On a good day, the fastest you can get to them is about 45 minutes.

Novotel Jakarta Mangga Dua has the usual 4 star fare of coffee shops, swimming pool and business center. It has 363 rooms with the usual amenities such as Audible smoke alarms
Airconditioning
Safety deposit box
Free Wi-fi
Minibar
220/240 V AC
Cable TV

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Our check-in last December 2011 was marred by a series of misfortunes, much like Lemony Snicket’s. First, our group was assigned to different room types even if we were all booked for same room grades – Standard. It turned out that the hotel was fully booked so only the higher room grades (Executive) were available. You would think that they would upgrade the affected guests at no cost but nope, “we can’t do anything about it”. We eventually stayed in the hotel with two colleagues having to upgrade to Executive Rooms.

The biggest problem in this hotel is their security facilities. According to my two colleagues in two different Executive Rooms can open each other’s room using their individual room keys!

As for me, i deposited my camera in the in-room safety deposit box and followed the procedure in locking and opening but could no longer open when I finally needed the camera; it took many calls to housekeeping and front desk before they were able to help me.

But the bigger story was when I took my breakfast at “The Square”. It was buffet type so I left my bag on one of the seats and went around the buffet –without taking eyes off my bag. As I continuously glanced at my bad, a man approached my bag, pulled my room keys out of the pocket and read the details on the key card sleeve. He returned the key inside the bag pocket when I shouted and casually walked away. I reported the incident to the hotel security and front desk and demanded for room change. They promised to arrange everything by the time I return to the hotel in the evening but, you guessed it. Upon return, they still haven’t changed my room. I got my room change at about 7pm.

It was never known who the man was and investigation was conducted. Don’t ask me if I slept soundly after that.

It was something I wouldn’t want to go through again.

The room was clean enough and tastefully designed. the bathroom was clean and orderly. The other plus factor was the Mangga Dua Square Mall adjacent to the hotel. This mall is an Export Overrun Haven – with stalls selling original branded items such as Zara, The Gap, Marks and Spencer, F21 in very low prices. One can easily access this mall through Novotel Hotel.

Checking out early in the morning was also tiresome. Even if I asked the bill to be prepared in advance, there were very few staff members to attend to the check out. Waiting time can reach 30-40 minutes.

We hope the management has already addressed this problem and hopefully corrective measures are now in place.

RATING (HIGHEST IS FIVE)

NOVOTEL HOTEL MANNGA DUA SQUARE JAKARTA

VALUE FOR MONEY – 3 STARS

ROOM CLEANLINESS – 4 STARS

AMENITIES – 2 STARS

STAFF AND EMPLOYEES COURTESY – 2 STARS

LOCATION – 3 STARS

Grand Centrepoint Sukhumvit Terminal 21

Grande Centre Point Hotel & Residence Sukhumvit Terminal 21 is a 4-Star Hotel which opened in Bangkok Thailand in November 2011. It is one of the newest in the chain of hotels managed by Quality Houses Public Company Limited which currently has hotels and serviced apartments in various locations in Thailand including Petchburi 15, Sukhumvit, Silom, Langsuan, Saladaeng, Wireless Road, Sukhumvit Thong Lo and Ratchadamri.

Having stayed in various hotels in Bangkok including Baiyoke Sky and The Twin Towers, we can dare say that the hotel is fresh change from the usual mid level accommodations in Bangkok.

Location is good for those who love shopping – conveniently nestled along busy Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok with a connecting tube to the BTS and MRT stations.

It is also connected to the new pride of Thailand shopping – Terminal 21 Mall. An airport-themed mall with several levels featuring city themes like London, Tokyo, Athens and San Francisco but more on this on our next stories.

We checked out the hotel last July and we were impressed by the amenities. The rooms are quite spacious starting from 32 sqm to 70 sqm. It had a minimalist zen feel lurking around the room with patent white and gray as distinct colors. The window is one wide paneled glass with an automated roman shade-type curtain. The room has a nice view of the pool which is quite refreshing on a clear sunny morning. Unfortunately, the weather was quite gloomy during our stay.

The bathroom is also clean and spacious with all standard amenities. We rue however that they only provide one set of toiletries even if there are two guests occupying the room.

Occupants will also enjoy extra amenities like the free wi-fi and the free use of Mac Computers at the lobby for their “social media needs”. We feel however, that this is meant to compensate for the fact that the hotel does not have a business center yet.

Breakfast Buffet is served at the second floor café, food quality has much left to be desired at as the continental choices are bland and ordinary. I cannot comment on the Thai dishes as I have a very low tolerance for the spicy variety.

The elevators were a little bit complicated with floor selections were different for every unit. In my four-day stay, I think I got lost three to four times.

As for the hotel staff, we get the normal, straight forward Thai hospitality – helpful but reserved.

Barring toiletries shortage and crazy elevators, our stay was a nice one and we do recommend it for your next Bangkok sojourn.

RATING (HIGHEST IS FIVE)

GRAND CENTREPOINT SUKHUMVIT TERMINAL 21

VALUE FOR MONEY – 4 STARS

ROOM CLEANLINESS – 4 STARS

AMENITIES – 3 STARS

STAFF AND EMPLOYEES COURTESY – 3 STARS

LOCATION – 4 STARS

Hotel Review: L Hotel Elan (Hong Kong)

L’HOTEL ELAN, 38 Chong Yip Street, KWUN TONG (KOWLOON). 258 rooms.

Opened June 2012

L Hotel Elan is the fourth and newest under the “L Hotel” chain of hotels in Hong Kong.  Unlike its , L Hotel Nina and L Hotel South Island, this particular one is much nearer to the city action at about ten to twenty minutes from Tsim Tsam Tsui.

It has a boutique hotel air with a small lobby and a top floor (35th floor) reception area.

We were fortunate to have booked in the hotel a few months after its opening and we were glad to have made the choice.

Being a very new hotel, the room is completely clean and modern.  Everything can be controlled with an in-room service Ipad! With some swiping actions on the gadget, you can control lighting, the flat screen TV and you can even command it to do express check-out.

Like one still needs to ask, each room is equipped with complimentary WIFI service.

The Bathroom has a glass partition which you can change into frosted or clear by a flick of a switch.

The mini bar comes with 8 bottled drinks with a choice of beers, juices and soda.  All, on the house.

And all of these comes at a small price to pay about USD120 dollars per night on web booking.

If you’re concerned about transportation — fret no more.  You can avail of their shuttle service to and from Tsim Tsam Tsui and Airport Express Station every hour.

The hotel reception members are still new, hence not as swift as we’d expect them too but they are courteous and helpful.

All in all, L Hotel Elan is one nice experience we would like to relive again and again.

RATING (HIGHEST IS FIVE)

L HOTEL ELAN

VALUE FOR MONEY – 5 STARS

ROOM CLEANLINESS – 5 STARS

AMENITIES – 5 STARS

STAFF AND EMPLOYEES COURTESY – 4 STARS

LOCATION – 3 STARS