Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay, Singapore
Location
Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay, Singapore stands tall in Singapore’s thriving Marina Bay area, which extends from the Central Business District, gifting its guests some of the most stunning views of modern Singapore.
Interior sights are just as alluring, as the property adopts a garden-in-a-hotel concept, packing in 15,000m2 of lush vertical gardens and 2,400 indoor plants. More than just a garden for the senses, the hotel has also built a garden that feeds its guests. The hotel’s own urban farm grows herbs, edible flowers and vegetables that are harvested and used for cooking at all-day dining restaurant Peppermint.
Perfect for business and leisure guests, the hotel is a stone’s throw from Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre and Marina Square shopping mall, where there are several themed attractions for children, and a short car ride to Sands Expo & Convention Centre and the Orchard Road shopping district.
Its location along the scenic bay also grants the more active of guests a memorable running route, starting from the iconic F1 Pit Building and following the bay’s curve round to the Esplanade, Fullerton Bay, Marina Bay Sands, Helix Bridge and closing the loop back at the hotel.
Rooms
The hotel offers 583 keys across 10 room categories, from the entry level Urban Room, which spans 31-33m2, right to the crème de la crème 199m2 Parkroyal Collection Suite.
My two-night staycation with the children was spent in the Signature Marina Bay Suite – an impressive unit with equally spacious dining/living room and sleeping quarters equipped with a king bed. The private balcony is a bonus, allowing us an aural and visual preview of the upcoming National Day Parade that will be held on August 9 at The Float@ Marina Bay, right across the hotel.
The Signature Marina Bay Suite, a Collection Club rooms and suites selection, comes with the usual luxury trappings expected of accommodation in this category – privileged access to the Collection Club Lounge, Nespresso coffee machine, ensuite bathroom with both shower and bath, premium bath amenities, large workspace and a stable, complimentary Wi-Fi connection, and more. The in-room filtered water tap that provides a steady flow of clean drinking water is an excellent feature.
F&B
With dining restrictions still enforced during our stay, most of our meals were enjoyed in the comfort of our suite.
IRIS, the digital concierge, allows me to order all our meals via a QR code. In fact, IRIS is also the one to go to for extra room amenities, facility bookings – a new normal for hotel stays, so as to ensure capacity limits are adhered to – and destination information.
There is a good selection of in-room meals, with tasty options for all ages. It is good to see that the hotel has made meat-less options a staple on the menu, no longer a special order for those pursuing an environmentally-conscious lifestyle. Sustainably-sourced ingredients are also highlighted, giving guests a choice to cut their carbon footprint through their meals.
On the second night, we had dinner inside a beautiful greenhouse that is Peppermint. Due to on-going dining restrictions that prohibit self-serve buffets, Peppermint offers an a la carte buffet where diners will choose their desired dishes online and have their food served to them beautifully plated.
There were far more dishes than our belly could contain, from sashimi and seafood poached rice to spiced crabs and barbecue beef belly. Most important of all, every dish pleased our palate.
I give Peppermint extra points for having a halal-certified kitchen and buffet stations.
Besides Peppermint, the hotel is home to famed Cantonese restaurant Peach Blossoms, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Sushi Jiro and Skyline Bar.
I’m saving my favourite F&B experience for last – cocktails at the Atrium Lounge. This is a calming flora-encased venue on the fourth floor, with skylight streaming in from high above, giving it a hidden paradise vibe. There are even pipe-in bird songs to complete the garden-in-a-hotel concept. Patrons can choose to sit at the bar and learn from chatty mixologists Michael and Julie about the botanical-inspired cocktails that the Atrium Lounge specialises in or cosy up on arm chairs in quiet corners. The hotel’s highly Instagramable nest pods, where small parties could gather for a drink or two, are strewn around the Atrium Lounge.
Atrium Lounge will be rebranded as Portman’s Bar, paying tribute to the hotel’s first architect John Portman, come August.
For Collection Club floor guests with young children, access to the adult-only Collection Club lounge is replaced with complimentary afternoon treats and evening cocktails at the Atrium Lounge. I think that is a wonderful exchange!
Facilities
The hotel plays its surroundings to its advantage. The Collection Club Lounge, pool and gym on level five present picturesque views of the Marina Bay skyline.
An open lawn occupies a space between the Collection Club Lounge and the pool deck, fringed with oversized ottomans for guests to laze on with a book or a mug of beer. I was told that more furniture will be brought in soon, to give that space a beach club vibe.
There are two mineral water pools on offer – a kiddy splash pool shaded by towering plants and a deeper one for adults to do laps. There are plenty of loungers around, including kid-sized ones. At night, 1,380 fibre-optic lights on the bottom of the pool transform the facility into a starry galaxy.
What is a rejuvenating hotel stay without a spa treatment? For this, guests can escape to St Gregory Spa.
A selection of meeting and function spaces are available, spanning over 18,580m2, with the largest being the pillar-free Garden Ballroom at 767m2.
Service
Contactless service offered through the IRIS digital concierge is a boon in pandemic times. The occasional human service interaction appears to be carefully orchestrated to ensure guests are given as much safe distance and privacy as they desire.
For example, our room service meal deliveries were completed swiftly, with minimal conversation. At Peppermint, used plates were cleared in good time, and service staff popped by occasionally to check if we needed attention.
We checked out on Sunday, along with many other families, and the process was over in under 10 minutes.
Verdict
Children make the most brutal critics, but my boys gave the staycation two thumbs up. We enjoyed the suite, slept in longer than we usually would, took long strolls around the indoor gardens, and relished every meal. The hotel works great for family sojourns, and I can imagine it will do well for workations too.
In my books, the hotel scores top marks for its biophilic design, which I found to be a real treat for the eyes and soul.
Number of rooms 583
Rates Published rates from S$1,000 (US$739.80) for Urban Room; current BAR from US$198.46
Contact details
Tel: +65 6845 1000
Email: enquiry.prsmb@parkroyalhotels.com
Website: www.panpacific.com/en/hotels-and-resorts/pr-collection-marina-bay.html
The IATA has launched a global Mobility Aids Action Group to improve the transport and handling of mobility aids, including wheelchairs, for travellers with disabilities.
The Action Group will be the first-of-its-kind aimed at tackling issues around the safe and secure transport of mobility aids. It will also provide advice and recommendations to airlines and other stakeholders concerning the establishment of policy, process and standards related to the handling and transport of mobility aids.
“Every year, thousands of wheelchairs are transported safely by air. However, damage or loss is still occurring. And when it does, it is devastating to the passenger as these devices are more than equipment – they are extensions of their body and essential to their independence. We acknowledge that we are not where we want to be on this as an industry,” said Willie Walsh, director general of IATA.
“This is why we want to do something about it on a global level, not through setting up a talking shop, but by bringing the key groups together to take practical action.”
Uniquely, the Mobility Aids Action Group will involve the full range of stakeholders impacted by this issue, including accessibility organisations (representing travellers with disabilities), airlines, ground service providers, airports and mobility aids manufacturers. It will be the first time a mobility aids manufacturer will be invited to participate in an IATA task force.
Despite the Covid-19 crisis, IATA and its member airlines have worked with the accessibility community to move the priority of accessible air travel forward through a number of efforts. These include developing new practical guidance to shape airline policy given new health and safety measures, and guidance for face mask policies for travellers with accessibility needs.
“According to World Health Organization, there are more than a billion people living with disabilities. And with aging populations in countries around the world, travellers with disabilities will be a growing customer segment for airlines,” said Walsh.
“With this action group as part of the industry’s other accessibility initiatives, we want to continue on this journey to make the freedom to fly more inclusive – while continuing to work with the accessibility community every step of the way.”