Review: Hilton Singapore Orchard

After vacating its premise at 581 Orchard Road, Hilton Singapore Orchard has recently reopened on 24 February 2022 in a prime spot, smack middle of Cineleisure, 313 Somerset, Heeren and more popular shopping malls along the shopping district. It’s the perfect place for short stays, being so close to the enjoyment and excitement of the Orchard area. We take a look at the swanky new interiors, rooms and restaurants after the several-millions-dollars facelift.

Check-in

At the moment, only one tower with 634 rooms is open, and there will be a total of 1,080 rooms split across two towers after renovations are completed. Whether you’re coming by car, or by public transport and snaking through Mandarin Gallery to get to the hotel lobby at Level 1, make sure you follow the signs to take the correct lift to level 5, where the hotel reception is.

Once you get past that initial confusion, you’ll arrive at Hilton Singapore Orchard’s reception at level 5. This is where guests can check in, head to the pool, and partake in meals at Estate, Ginger.Lily, and other curated restaurants we will cover later.

In line with a more eco-friendly hospitality stance, the hotel has implemented energy-efficient technology such as in-room motion, air-conditioning and light sensors feature in every room and suite. As a Hilton Honors member, you can also get access to your room via a digital key on the app (amongst other perks such as free WiFi), or you can also choose to use the fancier-than-usual wooden cardstock.

Room

Because I did not have the app installed in my phone, I obtained the wooden key card and made my way towards the King Premium City View room on the 22nd floor of the Mandarin (previously Orchard) Wing.

First impressions: The room and toilet seemed smaller than what I expected. However, after closer inspection of the amenities and furniture, I was comforted by the ease the room provides. From the hairdryer being placed conveniently near both plug and mirror, to the his-and-her wardrobe space hidden behind the 65-inch TV – it’s clear that the user experience has been carefully curated.

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Interestingly, we also had the opportunity to visit rooms on the higher spectrum of the room catalogue – and putting it out here – the room decor and furniture did not vary greatly. Within that short journey, you can really appreciate the marriage between contemporary design and botanical references reflected equally throughout the hotel’s artwork and inside the rooms.

Modern fittings, check. Greenery, check. This is a proper Singapore property indeed.

Food

There are five curated restaurant concepts within the hotel.

1) Estate

Estate offers buffet-style menus all day, with theatrical live cooking in the open kitchens.

I was ready to give the kitchen some leeway knowing that the hotel has just newly reopened and there could be teething issues. But, after having a buffet dinner and breakfast there, both are experiences I am willing to repeat on my own dime. If there is one (or how about making it five) things you should definitely try for dinner, it’ll have to be the Estate Black Truffle Roasted Duck, Duck Consomme, Squid Ink Tagliatelle with Octopus Confit, anything hot that the station serves and the skewers station.

Lunch: From S$62/70++ per adult | Dinner: From S$82/99++ per adult

Children aged 12 years and below dine at 50 per cent off adult price | Children aged five years and below dine for free.

Call +65 6831 6270 for reservations.

Located adjacent to Estate, the hotel’s residential all-day dining restaurant on level five, Ginger.Lily presents beautiful cakes and exquisite cocktails with bartender Michael, who creates and ferments many of the syrups used in the cocktails.

There’s a substantial menu available for all-day-dining or snacking, but the true star for me is the cocktails. After all, botanicals and cocktails are wonderful matches. You won’t regret the Bee’s (S$20++), Torch & Thyme (S$20++) and Longan (S$20++).

There’s also high tea available daily between 2pm to 5pm, from S$58++ per person or S$78++ with a glass of champagne.

3) Chatterbox

Don’t rain on the parade of this 50-year-old restaurant serving up what some say has the best Hainanese Chicken Rice (S$25++) in Singapore.

4) Shisen Hanten by Chen Kentaro

The two-Michelin-starred Sichuanese restaurant that originated from Japan is one of the heavyweights adopted from the previous hotel standing in this location.

5) Osteria Mozza

This Italian joint by celebrated chef Nancy Silverton is slated to open soon.

Facilities

Of course, if you’re truly going to make use of the hotel facilities, Hilton’s pool (while small, is adequate for a quick soak) has retained its former size but upgraded the greenery around it.

What is worth a visit however is the well-equipped 24-hour gym with plenty of space for your workout of choice. I went at 10pm and there were still people making use of the large variety of equipment.

The executive lounge, available for those in the Executive Rooms and above, has plenty of private corners for you to work from. Executive lounge privileges include complimentary breakfast, drinks, snacks throughout the day and business support services. The hotel has also converted the previous car park into a sprawling 2,400sqm space for meetings, conferences and events of all sizes, which include 16 highly versatile spaces bathed in natural light.

For those thinking of weddings in a newly renovated hotel: Two pillarless ballrooms – the elegant Grand Ballroom accommodating up to 900 guests and the multi-tiered amphitheatre-style Imperial Ballroom with panoramic city views – are fitted with state-of-the-art LED walls, and lighting and sound technologies to create memorable event experiences.

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We were invited to a hosted stay in Hilton, but the opinions expressed here are entirely ours.