Location
Pullman Singapore is Accor Group’s latest addition of properties in Singapore. The hotel was previously under the Grand Park Hotel banner. Accor took over the property and did an extensive renovation in 2022. Pullman Singapore partially opened its doors to guests in Dec 2022, selling only the Superior and Deluxe rooms. The hotel fully opened to guests with suites available for booking in Feb 2023. Pullman Singapore is located in the heart of Orchard Road, the prime shopping district in Singapore. There are numerous shopping options and restaurants along the Orchard Road stripe, with about 10 shopping malls within 5 min walk from Pullman Singapore. Despite being in the heart of Orchard Road, the nearest MRT station is far from Pullman Singapore. The hotel is situated in equidistance from both Somerset and Orchard MRT stations. There are numerous buses plying through the bus stop about a 2 min walk from the hotel, enabling travellers to explore other parts of Singapore.
Pullman Suite
Pullman Singapore has only six suites in three configurations, and the Pullman Suite that we checked in for this staycation is the entry-level suite in the hotel. The contemporary Pullman Suite has a total floor area of 48 m² spreading across the living room, bedroom and bathroom. What I find impressive is the length that the hotel goes into minimising single-use plastics in the suite. The only plastic we found throughout the suite is limited only to the trash bin. This is evident from the glass-bottled Voss drinking water to the toiletries and the amenities, where we did not find traces of plastic.
Entryway
The Pullman Suite has a small entryway which is sparsely furnished with a full-length mirror bordered by an industrial copper frame. However, I like the small touches that Pullman Singapore has incorporated into the suite that makes the whole suite very liveable. One such example is the small ledge installed at the mirror, capable of placing items like the keycard, making it convenient for guests. The lighting at the entryway is adequate, thanks to the lighting by the mirror and that from the suite’s living room.
For an entry-level suite, the Pullman Suite is fitted with a powder room tight by the main entrance to the suite. I thought including this powder room was a bonus as it meant guests staying in the suite did not have to fight to use the toilet. I found the powder room quite sizeable and did not make its users feel incredibly claustrophobic. The powder room is minimalistically fitted with a toilet and a sink. The proximity of the powder room to the minibar in the living makes filling up the kettle or the coffee machine very convenient.
Living Room
The living room in the Pullman Suite is fused modern and luxury into its decor. The wooden and earthy colour tone combined with the warm lighting gives one a cosy and relaxing vibe. The amount of furniture in the living room feels just right, where it neither felt empty nor too cramped. The simple chandelier that provides most of the illumination in the living room gives it a luxurious feel, yet not too over the top, making it look out of place. The minibar area is tucked inside an open shelving cabinet in one living room corner. The top part of the cabinet is where we found the usual kettle and Nespresso machine, and two bottles of Voss drinking water. I find the minibar area a tad cramped with so many items placed on it, making coffee and tea a tad difficult. The mini fridge, stocked with chargeable drinks and snacks, is tucked inside the cabinet at the bottom of the shelving.
A two-seater sofa and a single-seater armchair occupied a bulk of the real estate in the living room. The grey fabric sofa is very comfortable to rest on while guests get entertainment from various local and international channels from the 65′” Smart LED TV mounted on a dark brown wooden feature wall in the living area. I like how Pullman Singapore fitted a ledge running across the entire length of the feature wall beneath the TV, providing additional space for us to put small items.
A sizeable work desk is tucked in the furthest corner of the suite, next to the window. The work desk is in a great location, making it conducive for guests to do some work without being distracted by the TV. The placement next to the window is excellent for those of us who need some inspiration or even to look out to rest our tired eyes from working (if only the view were not facing the back alley of the hotel). I applauded the hotel for furnishing a very comfortable ergonomic chair at the work desk, making working on the desk for long hours less tiring. The only flaw I found with the work desk is the lack of power outlets. Two power outlets are on the wall beside the work desk, near the floor. Unfortunately, these sockets are used for the in-suite phone and the wall-mounted desk lamp.
Bedroom
The bedroom of the Pullman Suite is in a weird configuration; it is not your usual squarish but triangular-shaped. Despite the weird shape and not being too spacious, the bedroom does not feel cramped at all. There is still plenty of space for us to move around in the bedroom, thanks to the clever use of space. The king bed is the first thing we saw at the entrance to the bedroom. Occupying most of the space in the bedroom, the king bed was very comfortable to sleep on and provided a high quality of sleep. Pullman furnished its king bed with two soft and two hard pillows. The hotel also provides a “hidden” limited pillow menu which includes foam pillows, available upon request with the housekeeping department. The two bedside tables were large enough for us to charge our mobile phones. I like that the hotel, in addition to the power socket on each side of the bed, also fitted two USB charging outlets. Mounting the bedside lamps onto the wall freed up more space on the bedside table for guests to place additional items.
Pullman Singapore furnishes their Pullman Suite with two open wardrobes. The corner of the bedroom allocated to the wardrobe area feels a tad cramped. Hence the use of open cabinets makes excellent sense. The cabinets are large enough to hang several days of clothes. The drawers and open shelving below in the cabinet gave us additional space to stow away smaller clothing items. Here is where we found the in-room safe. However, due to the placement of the dressing table, I find accessing the inner cabinet and drawers a tad inconvenient. The dressing table is relatively small but sufficient for one to put on their make-up or even place a laptop here for work.
I thought the only flaw in the bedroom was the 55′ Smart LED TV placement. The TV is mounted on a rack, sitting by the wall beside the bed, making it difficult for us to obtain entertainment from the international channels from the bed. To make matters worse, the TV is mounted on a fixed bracket, which did not allow us to swivel. Having the TV at the side of the bed, instead of facing the bed, means one of the guests would have their view blocked while watching TV on the bed.
Bathroom
The marble-clad bathroom in the Pullman Suite feels very spacious, allowing the hotel to fit two sinks and giving us abundant space on the countertop to place our toiletries. The hotel provides quality, earth-friendly bathroom amenities, from luxurious C.O.Bigelow bath products to wooden toothbrushes. A deep soak bathtub is placed at the side of the bathroom, which I find excellent for soaking away all the fatigue. The walk-in shower is spacious and has a rainshower and regular shower heads. The water pressure from the shower heads was excellent. The toilet is tucked in front of the shower cubicle, and I find the flashing a tad weak.
Service
The service in Pullman Singapore is impeccable. Every single staff made us feel so welcome at the hotel. The excellent service started at the check-in, where we were warmly welcomed and our status recognised. The reception staff were detailed in explaining the timings and the facilities at the hotel. The staff at the reception would always smile whenever we walked past them.
Then we have Presh at the Atelier Lounge. She was always the first staff we spotted when we exited the lift. Always with the biggest welcoming smile on her face, Presh will always acknowledge all guests walking out from the lift and will always greet us whenever we walk past her station. Seeing Presh would always warm up our day.
The hotel’s most prominent stars would be the staff at the Archive Club. We were glad to have met Dini, Diuah, Qai, and Khadiyah, who were always so welcoming and made us feel comfortable whenever we visited the lounge. We were introduced to the facilities and offerings by Dini and Khadiyah the first time we stepped into the lounge. Both Dini and Khadiyah gave us information about the timings of the evening cocktails and ensured that we were comfortable in the lounge. In addition, the lounge staff always helped us to the best seats in the lounge, whether we were there for an evening cocktail or to chill outside the evening cocktail timing. Visiting the lounge with Dini, Diuah, Qai, and Khadiyah made us feel like we were visiting friends in their house.
The diligent staff at the Eden Restaurant were always welcoming. They will always check on us if we need more food or drinks during breakfast. In addition, they are always efficient in clearing the empty plates on our table, ensuring we feel comfortable having breakfast. The staff even offered to bring me my latte when he spotted me fiddling with the machine for coffee.
Hotel Facilities
Swimming Pool
Pullman Singapore has a small swimming pool on level 4 of the hotel. The pool, despite being small, still allows guests to do decent laps. However, the pool size feels like it is catered more for families to spend time at the pool with their children than for guests to work out. There are limited sittings around the pool, mainly made up of cabanas, which meant guests might not get a spot to swim if all the seats are taken up. Guests wanting to sunbathe will find it challenging because there is no direct sunshine in the pool area. The lack of sunlight in the pool is also why I find the swimming pool water temperature a tad cold. Moreover, guests using the treadmills in the gym faced the pool directly, and it would be awkward for anyone to swim in the pool.
Gym
Pullman Singapore has a small gym on level 4 of the hotel, which oddly overlooks the pool. The gym has minimal workout machines, only two workout machines, three treadmills, one bike and one elliptical machine. There is a limited amount of free weights found in the gym. Despite the small set-up, I thought the gym still enabled guests to do light workouts.
Breakfast @ Eden Restaurant
Eden, located on level 4 of the hotel next to the swimming pool, is the only restaurant in Pullman Singapore. This is the only venue where breakfast is served. I like the glass rooftop design of the restaurant, which lets in plentiful natural light, giving it a greenhouse vibe. Despite the size of the restaurant, the selection of food served during breakfast was quite substantial. There are varieties of both local and international cuisines. There are some slight adjustments to the breakfast menu for the three days we stayed at the hotel. I am impressed that the hotel does not skim on topping up the food despite near or past breakfast timing, unlike many hotels which force guests to eat the leftovers near the end of the breakfast run. Staff were constantly seen topping up the food whenever supplies were low. The food was fresh and tasty, even my picky eater nephew had four rounds of scrambled eggs and hashbrowns.
The Archive Club
Staying at the Pullman Suite grants us access to the Archive Club, the executive lounge at Pullman Singapore. Tucked in a quiet and inconspicuous corner of the hotel at level 4, entry to the Archive Club requires guests to tap their keycard twice. Once inside, the lounge feels exclusive and very quiet due to the minimal human traffic inside the club. The Archive Club is very tastefully decorated, which gives it a cosy vibe. The Archive Club serves light snacks and drinks outside the evening cocktail hours, finger food during cocktail hours, and alcoholic drinks. The Archive Club is one of the few lounges that welcome children during evening cocktail hours, which is excellent for families.
Overall
We had a comfortable stay at Pullman Singapore. Despite being a new hotel, the staff felt well-oiled in the operations of the hotel. They knew what they were talking about when we asked them about the hotel’s rooms and operations. The staff whom we spoke to felt that they loved their job. Everyone was always seen with a smile that made us feel so welcome at the hotel. The Pullman Suite, though an entry-level suite, was very well-designed and comfortable. The sleep quality on the king bed was excellent. The only flaw I found is the TV placement in the bedroom. Overall, we had a great time staying with Pullman Singapore.
