The Location

W Hotel Singapore sits on the eastern end of Sentosa island, on the prestigious address of Sentosa Cove. This part of the island used to be out of bounds to non-residences when it was initially built. With the removal of this restriction, Sentosa Cove is a perfect place to give Singaporeans, who have been cooped up in the country due to the pandemic, an out-of-country feel. Despite the isolation, the numerous restaurants, a supermarket and a 24-hour convenience store mean staycationers do not have to leave Sentosa Cove to get their essentials. In addition, W Hotel Singapore provides a regular shuttle service between the Hotel and the nearest shopping mall on mainland Singapore for those of us who want to have more dining and shopping options.

• 

• 

The Marvellous Suite

This is my third time staying at W Hotel Singapore and my second time staying in the Marvellous Suite. I like the Glowing Jungle themed design throughout the Hotel, giving the Hotel a quirky personality. W Hotel Singapore does not appear to be your standard run of the mill luxury hotel. The purple floral theme plus the use of dark coloured LED light funks up the Hotel. The design language is also present in the spacious 80m² one-bedroom Marvellous Suite that I checked into.

First Impressions – Entryway

The earthy theme from the entryway gave a sense of familiarity to the suite, transporting me back to three years ago when I first stayed in the Marvellous Suite. It is here where the floral motifs start to populate the entire suite subtly. The absence of furniture makes the entryway feel bare, but this clean furnishing allows me to peek further into the suite to fuel what the Marvellous Suite has to offer. The minibar area is placed by the entryway, well hidden amongst the cabinetry, easily missed when not exploring the suite. I thought hiding away the minibar would remove the clutter that this area would otherwise present. Instead, opening the cabinetry at the minibar reveals shelves where a Nespresso machine and a kettle, along with the ever overpriced drinks and snacks, sit to entice impulse buying to the suite occupants.

• 

• 

Emergency Relive Room – Powder Room

A door right by the main entrance reveals the powder room, which houses a toilet and a sink, great for guests to relive themselves before heading out. This powder room also doubles as an emergency room should the other guest occupy the main bathroom. The inclusion of this powder room also provides convenience for me to top up water for the Nespresso machine and the kettle. In non-pandemic times, where we can host guests, the powder room allows our guests to relieve themselves without needing to bash through the bedroom to gain access to the toilet in the bathroom.

Hang Out – Living Room

Compared to the Marvellous Suite that I stayed in three years ago, this Marvellous Suite that I was assigned has a “same same but different” feel. The general layout and the furnishings are the same compared to the other suite from my previous stay. Even the purple floral-themed decor that dominated both suites are present. The view is different. Previously I was treated to a Marina view, which feels liberating. This suite gave me the view of a wall, which felt a little claustrophobic. There is also an addition of a black foam armchair in the living room. Although I am not a fan of an empty living room, other than serving the practical purpose of providing additional sitting space, this armchair somehow makes the living room feel lively.

• 

• 

I spent most of my time lazing on the white curved shaped leather couch in the living room in the Marvellous Suite, binge-watching programs from local and international channels on the 40″LED TV mounted on the wall. The low height of the coffee table makes lying on the couch watching TV easier. W Hotel Singapore fitted Bose sound system as part of the entertainment suite, giving me a near cinema feel while watching movies in the living room. Unfortunately, the light controls in the living room of the Marvellous Suite cannot be dimmed (there is only on and off) despite having a “dim lighting” control. It would be perfect if the lighting controls allowed me to turn on the purple LED above the TV.

• 

• 

I also spent a reasonable amount of time at the work desk catching up on my studies. I like the spaciousness of the work desk, which allow me to spread out my stuff while studying. The wifi in the Marvellous Suite is excellent, which will enable me to attend online classes without any problems. I particularly like the study lamp as it can charge my phone and air pods wirelessly at its base. However, the chair at the study table feels a tad uncomfortable.

The Snooze Affair – The Bedroom

The design language throughout the Marvellous Suite is very coherent. The floral theme gives a soft and comfortable feel to the bedroom. The sleep quality on the king bed is superb, giving me excellent sleep quality night after night. W Hotel Singapore has an extensive pillow menu. The few hotels in Singapore offer buckwheat pillows in this pillow menu (sleeping on soft pillows gives me neck issues and headaches). I like how W Hotel Singapore placed the TV console, housing yet another 40″ LED TV with the same entertainment options as the TV in the living room, off-centre, giving me unobstructed views of the Marina whilst lying on the conformable bed. The Egg-shaped hanging chair is someone you don’t see in many hotels. I find the storage space on the side tables is limited; after placing my charging station, there is hardly any space to put anything else.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Instead of your usual closet, W Hotel Singapore installed a walk-in closet in the bedroom. Although not occupying a lot of the real estate in the suite, the space in the walk-in closet feels sufficient, elevating the prestigiousness of the suite. The three-tier drawer (essentially, only two drawers can be used) houses an in-room safe and provides additional storage for nick-nacks. W Hotel is one of the very few hotels in Singapore that is generous with allocating hangars in the closet. W Hoel is the first Hotel in Singapore that I find the hangars situation to be sufficient (I wish more hotels in Singapore be like W Hotel that doesn’t skimp on hangars).

• 

• 

Soaking Up with a View – Bathroom

One of the selling points in the Marvellous Suite at W hotel Singapore is its white marble bathroom. The bathroom feels very spacious due to the empty spaces and partly due to the two floor to ceiling window panels in front of the jacuzzi bathtub. I thought this would be a perfect place to enjoy bubbly moments if not for the untinted window panels, which lacks privacy. However, I was still able to enjoy the bathtub (with the blinds down) while getting entertained by the 26″ LED mirror TV (aptly named by W Hotel Singapore) that hangs from the ceiling. There is remote control by the bathtub, but weirdly this remote control only turns on the TV. This TV is linked to the TV in the bedroom and mirrors whatever channel on that TV. No wonder W Hotel Singapore calls this a mirror TV.

• 

• 

Many suites in hotels have dual vanity sinks, and this is no exception in W Hotel Singapore. What is different is there are tons of countertop space in the sandstone coloured vanity area. There are your standard hotel provisions in the toiletries department. But I thought W Hotel Singapore went one step further to cater for their guests truly. Besides the common showering, dental and vanity amenities, W Hotel Singapore is perhaps the only Hotel that provides face wash and lint roller for their guests. The Hotel has recently changed its toiletries to Momo. I thought the bottling of these amenities looked cheap at first glance, but as I was using the toiletries, I realised these bottles could be recycled as travel-sized toiletries when borders reopen—what an ingenious way to care for the earth. I also found that the amenities provided by W Hotel Singapore are of excellent quality. Take the loofa, for example, which is not too rough, unlike those offered by some other hotels in Singapore.

• 

• 

• 

One unique feature of the walk-in shower in the Marvellous Suite is that it comes fitted with body shower spray on top of the rain and regular showerheads, which is not common in hotels in Singapore. As a result, the showerheads are under tremendous pressure. In addition, the ledges built into the shower area gives me tons of space to place toiletries. I also like the spaciousness of the walk-in shower, which provides me with sufficient space to turn on the rain shower, especially in the cold mornings.

• 

• 

• 

The Chill Factor – The L-Shaped Balcony

The balcony was one of my favourite parts of the Marvellous Suite from my prior experience three years ago. The L-shaped balcony wraps around the suite gave us an excellent view of the pool and the Marina. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the balcony in the suite that I was assigned this time round. Though this suite still has a spacious L-shaped balcony, I only utilise half of the balcony this time around. The side of the balcony from the living room faced a wall, where the day bed is located. This part of the balcony seems to have issues with privacy where I can see into my neighbour’s room (this is also another reason I minimise the usage of this part of the balcony). Fortunately, the other half of the balcony from the bedroom side faces the Marina and have a pretty good view. The sea breeze from this part of the balcony made hanging out here so comfortable that I attended my online lessons from the balcony.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Service

The service at W Hotel Singapore is nothing short of excellence. Dennis warmly welcomed me during check-in, who answered my many questions on the availability of facilities around the Hotel and the booking of these facilities for usage and at the same time processed my check-in. Dennis demonstrated excellent product knowledge of the W Hotel and the Marvellous Suite that I booked for the three-night staycation with W Hotel. My check-out was processed by Syaza, who did her job with much efficiency. During check-out, Syaza enquired about my stay at W Hotel. I did make some comments on the privacy issue with the bathroom windows and my displeasure with the view of the suite that I was assigned. I noticed Syaza jotting down notes on my comments. I was pleasantly surprised to have received an email from the guest services manager at W Hotel Singapore acknowledging my remarks. I am astonished that Syaza followed through with the comments and forwarded them to the management for review.

When I was busy with the check-out process, my friend, sitting in the lobby waiting for me to complete the check-out process, was approached by one staff who checked to ensure that my friend was being served. Again, this gesture is characteristic of a customer-centric establishment, with this culture deeply ingrained into the staff.

The Whatever/Whenever line is one of the services I used to coordinate housekeeping and book facilities. The line is always well manned, and I did not have to wait for too long before a staff member picked up the call, and my requests were always promptly attended to. The Whatever/whenever line staff showed excellent product knowledge, and I always got answers to my numerous questions.

As this staycation coincides with my friend’s birthday, I requested a birthday cake from the Hotel. However, the associate I communicated with offered to decorate the suite to surprise my friend instead of just providing a cake. My friend was surprised to have discovered the birthday decoration by W Hotel. This gesture reinforced the customer-centric culture in W Hotel.

• 

• 

• 

Facilities at W Hotel Singapore

WET Pool

The swimming pool at W Hotel Singapore is one of the largest and most excellent free form swimming pools amongst the hotels that I have stayed in Singapore. There are plenty of sun deck chairs, and even during this pandemic, the WET pool can accommodate up to 50 guests at the swimming pool at any one time. The absence of tree canopies allowed us to bake ourselves under the sun. The WET Pool has a slide at one end, adding to the fun factor at the pool. W Hotel also caters to young swimmers with its sizeable wadding pool. There is a corner within the main pool with jacuzzi facilities where we had much fun relaxing to the powerful jets at the jacuzzi area. There used to be floats around in the WET pool. However, due to the pandemic, much of these items have been removed. The WET pool operates 24 hours, which the heater for the pool was turned on at night. Guests are to register for a 2-hour slot in the day from 9 am to 7 pm. But bookings are not required after 7 pm.

• 

• 

• 

• 

FIT Gym

The FIT gym on W Hotel Singapore is one of the largest hotel operating gyms in Singapore. The size of the FIT gym is comparable to the fee-paying gym that I frequent. There are machines and equipment in the gym where I had a great workout. I particularly like the lighting at night, which makes working out fun. I used the RPM machine that comes with workout programs at intervals of 1 min, making working out a 40 mins programme past like a breeze. I also used the weights machines, where the FIT gym is very well equipped with devices that work out every major muscle group. There is even a vibration workout machine, which is not common even for commercial gyms.

• 

• 

AWAY Spa

The AWAY Spa is the in-house Spa at W Hotel Singapore, which offers spa packages to guests who are in need of a good massage to relax their tired bodies. Guests at W Hotel Singapore can use the facilities at the AWAY Spa for free without the need to purchase spa packages. The AWAY Spa has very good facilities like a whirlpool and tranquillity pool with powerful jacuzzi jets that help relax. I also used the infrared sauna and steam room at the AWA Spa. Guests wanting to use these facilities have to book a slot in advancHotelthe Hotel allows ten pax to use these facilities as social distancing measures due to the pandemic.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Overall

I had a great stay in the Marvellous Suite at W Hotel Singapore. The suite is very comfortable and spacious, and the sleep quality on the king bed is excellent. Although I was not too fond of the view from the suite’s living room, the view of the Marina from the bedroom and the bathroom is exceptional. During my stay, the service I received from the staff at the carpark entrance managing Trace Together check-in to the team at the reception and even the housekeeping staff were all incredible. My friend and I even wanted to go back to W Hotel after we checked out as though we were under a hex by W Hotel. However, the charm of the suite and the staff made us want to go bacHotelthe Hotel to experience another type of suite. I would certainly be back at W Hotel and highly recommend W Hotel Singapore to my friends.