Hotel Review: Swissotel the Stamford – Unparalleled Views & Highly Convenient City Hall Location

The iconic Swissotel the Stamford near Raffles City and City Hall MRT Station is in the midst of another renovation in its 32 year history in Singapore. One of the tallest hotels in the city, the property has traditionally been known for its sumptuous views – affording guests panoramic vistas of both Marina Bay Sands and the skyscrapers in Raffles Place. While the refurbishment is still well on its way as of this writing, one of the first room categories to showcase the new design is the popular Premier Harbour View Room which frequently gets booked out during Formula1 and National Day.

The Swissotel brand recently joined AccorHotels which means that guests here earn points from the same loyalty programme as they do at sister hotels such as the Sofitel Singapore City Centre or the Mercure Singapore Bugis. My check-in procedure was a breeze even as I arrived just past one when other guests start trickling in. My key card notably carried an offer for 25% off across F&B outlets within both Swissotel the Stamford and Fairmont Singapore with the exception of Jaan.

Within the hierarchy of AccorHotel brands, Swissotel sits somewhere at the higher end of the scale and this is reflected in the understated but thoroughly modern interiors of my Premier Harbour View Room. The interiors carry elements of Swiss practicality and modern European sensibilities as evidenced by the warm tones as well as the number of cleverly placed storage spaces strategically placed throughout the room. I like how the workchair faces the couch – allowing for a more social-friendly layout when you’re just lounging in the day.

As the building housing the hotel is rather round, the room defied the usual rectangular shape. At 40 square meters, the size was decent with enough space for an ottoman, couch as well as work chair.

One of the highlights of the room is undoubtedly the balcony. All the 1,261 rooms of the hotel have balconies that face either Marina Bay or the city. My Premier Harbour View Room faced Marina Bay but its positioning somewhere in between allowed for a great view of the city as well.

In keeping with the hotel’s Swiss heritage, coffee capsule coming from Nespresso are found in the minibar while the tea comes from TWG.

The bathroom is on the smaller side but the functional design allowed for plenty of hanging space, a tub with rain shower facilities and a carefully placed vanity box with the complete set of amenities. This avoids the issue of clutter that’s present in other hotels whenever the small tubes of toiletries are just placed by the sink.

As a luxury hotel, housekeeping capabilities at Swissotel the Stamford includes turndown service. Expect to find a Swiss-made goodie to be placed at your bedside in the evening. During my stay, I got some small packs of Toblerone chocolates.

Facilities

Swissotel the Stamford is part of a hotel complex which also includes the Fairmont Singapore. As such, certain facilities are shared including the pool, spa and fitness center. You will find two round-shaped pools at the 8th floor. The fitness center – one of the largest I’ve seen in a hotel – is housed in the Fairmont Singapore and is part of the Willow Stream Spa. For the reference of local residents, the fitness center here is actually open for membership and access includes the gym, pool and spa.

Breakfast at Cafe Swiss

My stay at Swissotel the Stamford came with breakfast at Cafe Swiss on the 2nd level. I love the high ceiling and glass-enclosed walls that allow for plenty of natural light to penetrate the restaurant in the day.

Despite the unabashedly alpine name of the venue, the breakfast buffet spread at Cafe Swiss actually has a good balance between Western and Asian dishes. While the enhanced spread of pastries, cold cuts and cheese counters are a nod to Swiss sensibilities; the presence of dimsum, Indian curries and even a hotpot counter shows how the hotel aims to cater to all.

You’ll find staff members quite eager to help – even going out of their way to ask incoming guests if they wish to have a newspaper to accompany their morning meal – but certain DIY elements are also quite evident here. Machines for making pancakes, a self-service noodle station and the DIY hotpot counter allow guests the freedom of customizing their morning meal to an extent. For health buffs, you can also request staff members to prepare fresh juice on the spot.

Verdict

Given its enviable location, the Swissotel the Stamford has a lot going for it that it would probably stand as a frequented and profitable hotel no matter what. The recent refurbishment is akin to the icing on the cake – allowing guests to appreciate the sumptuous views while basking in the well-appointed ambiance of the room. Running a hotel with over 1,200+ rooms is no easy feat and it is pleasantly surprising to me that there was still an element of personalization to my stay.

Swissotel the Stamford
2 Stamford Road
Singapore 178882

+65 6338 8585

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