Outdated hotel

We had a 4days seminar in Singapore and was booked to Peninsula Excelsior. The lobby was impressive but the room was not. The location is far from Orchard Road where the action is specially shopping.

Going Downhill - quickly

Having stayed in this hotel before, it came as a shock to see what is happening to it now. A magnificent lobby is a facade to rooms that are generally run down and service that is questionable. Intermittent hot water that takes about 5 minutes to find its way into the shower, hit and miss room service - toiletries not replenished, cups not cleaned - musty smell in rooms and elevators that only work sometimes, led to a five day stay that was not memorable for the right reasons. We will not stay at this hotel again and suggest that the owners spend a little money on the rooms and not the pool and whilst on the subject of the pool it would be nice if the management could provide some leniancy and courtesy when the pool deck is well populated at night instead of calling "Time Out" and shutting the lighting down at a regimentaed time each night - and some bar service / snacks at the pool would be welcomed also.

Had a great experience for 3 months

Being a traveler on business, hotels have become a second home for me. This being my first trip to Singapore, the Excelsior hotel was first rate. Initially my room overlooked the fire station and on several occasions the noise was unbearable. I was switched to a larger room overlooking the top of the Funan IT mall and my office in the Ministry of Finance building.

During my stay this hotel went out of there way to make my stay an enjoyable one, I was on first name basis with most of the staff and they were getting used to seeing this American roam the lobby on many occasions.

The pool was incredible, actually the only negative I had during my stay. On a particular Saturday afternoon I ventured to the pool and was met abruptly by a considerable number of drunk American sailors. I longed for the quiet of Europeans, Aussies, and Asians I had on previous pool visits and I was glad they were only there for a single weekend.

I'll make sure to book with this hotel again on my next trip to Singapore.

Great Location needs a little tlc

We have just returned from this Hotel - staying as stopovers on way to and from UK to Nz

Hotel is in an excellent location - especially with 2 small children

staff very friendly - possibly due to us having 2 blonde children!

Breakfast was great - good variety and plenty of it - even at 10am close down time!

No noise problems, huge room for us - we only booked a triple but had loads of room for the 4 of us

swimming pool great - and they have lovely showers and fresh towels, soap, hairdryer if you have a late flight - check out 12noon too which is good - and very efficient luggage storage system.

We were on an SIA stopover package and had loads of free things to do too - kids loved china town

I would stay here again for a couple of nights - great location - and as someone else said - do you need to spend much time in your room in a city like Singapore!

Very disappointing service at the Peninsular on a Singapore Stopover Holiday

I stopped over in Singapore in October as part of a Singapore Stopover Holiday (SSH) for a night and was accommodated at the Excelsior Peninsular Hotel in central Singapore. These stopover holidays are a great way to see Singapore apparently and they include accommodation, hotel transfers and discount vouchers for many attractions. Our flight from South Africa to Singapore arrived at 6am Singapore time and after transfers to the hotel we arrived by about 8am. This is where the probelms started - upon checking in I was told that my room would not be ready until 2pm - this was the normal check-in time... I questioned why someone on a stopover holiday who was arriving so early in the morning would not have a room immediately available and was told that this was not the hotels fault.

Needless to say, I was extremely unhappy at having to sit in the hotel lobby with only my hand luggage for 4 hours until 12pm waiting for a room... It was possibly the worst experience to go through after a long flight when all you want is a shower and a change of clothes!! By 12pm, delirious from lack of sleep and extremely aggravated to say the least, I threw my toys out the cot a bit and demanded a room and was immediately given one!!! 3 hours sleep later I ventured out into the streets of Singapore and took it all in for a couple of hours - instead of the 8 hours I had thought would be available had I checked in at a reasonable time! SO make sure you check before booking at the Peninsular - check your arrivak time and make sure your room will be available when you get there - no matter what time!!!

Tacky ? Not a problem

Just back from finishing a couple of weeks in Thailand with 3 days at this hotel in Singapore.

What I can't understand are the people who will travel to Singapore and then spend time in their hotel room !

Sure, this place is a bit Miami Vice once you get past the lobby. But I saw the lobby twice - checking in and checking out. I didn't try the pool or the restaurants. And why ? Because this place is right in the centre of town, a 2 minute walk to the river, and less than that to a massive gadget-freak mall - plus its' very close to the City Hall underground interchange.

It's tall enough and well lit enough to spot in the distance as you wander around most of Singapore.

With one full day on Orchard Road, one on Sentosa and one in Chinatown, we spent our sleeping time in the hotel and that's it. We had a nice view and quite enjoyed the kitsch 80's glamour of the decor.

Everything worked and the staff were very helpful, but as we tend to use hotels in cities as crashpads rather than homes-from-home we don't tend to mind an odd bit of peeling paint or tatty carpet.

When I go back, I'll consider the hotel again, it's in a great spot and is very reasonably priced

Tired bedrooms, lovely reception, agree with what has been said before

I am in agreement with much of what has been said before, great lobby/public area, super location opposite the lovely old cathedral in its grassy area,and great views over the harbour from our high floor (14th/17th?). But as always, lots of building work going on nearby - will any of it affect the views in due course?

But the bedrooms are a disappointment, our bathroom needed repair/refurbishment and there was little space for two cases in the room.

The only evening meal we had in was a dinner for 35 people in a separate room, so can't comment on regular dining. House wines here about £20 a bottle, but you find those prices throughout the Far East. Our Chinese Banquet meal was OK, passable, but not a patch on the one we had at the Chinese Restaurant at the SunTec Convention Centre the previous night, or those we had in Thailand later on in the trip.

I thought breakfast was acceptable with a wide range of items for all tastes - you can't expect European/US cooking in the Far East at this price!

Wholehearted agreement

The lobby, complete with grand piano and the glass sided pool look like a taste of luxury to come; jet-lagged travellers, do not be deceived, the rooms are a huge let down. Ours was spacious, we had a triple (me, husband and small son) but the bathroom showed signs of a hard life and there was an odd damp patch on the carpet just in front of the bathroom door; I was afraid to investigate that further.

The room-safe was not working and was not fixed despite our constant requests. The room had seen better days, but at least it was clean. There was also building work going outside somewhere whilst we were there and no-one likes a jack-hammer at 7.00am... I jest not.

Breakfast was a buffet style arrangement, but so unappetising and lukewarm that we decamped to McDonalds out of desperation. In its favour the hotel has a great location, but location and a great lobby do not a great hotel make.

Tired - a bit of a understatement

As per the review below - I stayed at this hotel in 2003 and can agree with this. Lobby - wonderful - fresh and modern. Pool area small but acceptable (there are 2 pools). The rooms however- thought I had stepped through a time warp to the 80's - tarnished brass/gold everywhere. Rooms small, beds lumpy and the whole room had a musty damp smell and decor to match. Lighting appear to come from 40 watt bulbs and the bathroom was slightly larger than a closet - on a closet doesnt have peeling paint and signs of mold. This is a pity because I once stayed here in the 90's and the hotel was fine then - it appears all the money has gone into the lobbys and restaurant and cannot be found for the actual rooms.

A bit tired!

Since 1989 I have been travelling to Singapore (on holday) nearly every year. In that time I have stayed in this Hotel, and its previous guise as seperate Hotels, about five times.

It is a very centrally located hotel. Close to transport (MRT, Buses) next door to Chinatown, Boat and Clark Quay and their associated shops and eating places. I have always found it to be an excellent place to stay and have enjoyed the times I had there. In recent times it has been renovated and the two seperate Hotels are now linked and share a common lobby area, where once they were seperate. That renovation has been used in their recent publicity, but from what I experienced, during my last visit in June 2004, it appears that the only renovation has been that Lobby area.

The rooms, at least in the "old" Excelsior Hotel, have not been given the same attention. The paint in our bathroom was peeling and dirty. The toilet was broken and there was definite signs of wear around the bath and sink..

The bedroom itself had that tired look. The carpet was stained, the sheets threadbare and the fittings in the room were old fashioned, demonstrated by the ineffectual lighting of the room as a whole. Definitely a 1980's look in the 21st Century.

This is very unusual for hotels in Singapore. If there is one thing that has been demonstrated by the City and its inhabitants, over the years I have been visiting, it is that they keep up to date with service provision.

I will probably still stay at the Peninsula Excelsior again, I like its location.

I just hope they get rid of the tiredness.