Formally known as the Le Meridien Hotel, the Concorde Hotel Singapore is located a short stroll away from Dhoby Ghaut and Somerset MRT stations. With one of the world's most famous shopping strips at your doorstep, the Concorde Hotel Singapore has a mix of 407 rooms and suites that will cater to every business and leisure travellers' needs.

Since I arrived at the hotel prior to the official check-in time of 3pm, I decided to have my lunch at Spices Cafe located on the lobby level. The Weekend Afternoon Tea (which is really a lunch actually) runs from 12pm to 430pm so there is plenty of time for you to eat and catch up with your friends. Priced at a reasonable S$35++ and S$17++ for Adult and Child respectively, the Weekend Afternoon Tea offers you great value for what you are paying. Granted it isn't the most lavish buffet lunch you can have on a weekend, the price point really gives you bang for your buck.

I stayed in the Premier Club room when I visited the Concorde Hotel Singapore which comes with the following (executive room equivalent) privileges:

Complimentary Wi-Fi connectivity for multiple devices
Choice of breakfast at one of three venues: Premier Lounge, Spices Cafe or in the comfort of your room through Room Service
Laundry for 2 items per room per day (not applicable for dry cleaning)
Evening cocktails, alcoholic beverages and snacks daily from 6.00pm to 8.00pm in Premier Lounge, with the privilege of one invited guest per room
Extended check-out time (subject to availability)
Private Check-in and Check-out with minimal waiting time
Use of Premier Lounge and its facilities daily from 7.00am to 11.00pm
Shoe shine service
Newspapers

Since I had the Premier Lounge access, I enjoyed a private check-in at the club lounge with a drink in hand while the friendly staff checked me into the hotel (instead of having to stand in line in the main lobby area). The Premier Club room that I stayed in was 31 sqm in size and if you are looking for something with a little more space, check out the Premier Executive (36 sqm) and Premier Suite (42 sqm) rooms.

While the room was not particularly big, it had all of the facilities you need to get work done. Firstly, the large work desk has a few power outlets located conveniently on the side. As a Premier guest, you will also receive complimentary WiFi so you do not have to worry about stretching that RJ45 cable. Secondly, the room has a separate sitting area which enjoys a lot of natural light - great for reading without any pesky fluorescent lighting!

The bathrooms in the Premier room category have quite recently gone through a minor refurbishment. Even though the Premier Club does not come with a bathtub, it is however tastefully appointed with a separate rain shower area. The bathroom also looks into the bedroom (but you can easily lower the blinds if you are sharing the room) to create a greater sense of space. The refurbished bathrooms remind me a little of the bathrooms at the Marriott Singapore which I do love in terms of design.

While I generally do not like in-house bath amenities like the ones pictured above, I thought that the design for these were excellent. I really like how they look and how generous the bath amenities are in terms of size - many hotels give pesky 30ml bottles which makes you more conscious of usage. Every thing from shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush and toothpaste was provided so you don't have to worry about a last minute stay at this hotel. The only thing I did not understand were the odd numbers on the bath amenities - I tried to work out a rational explanation for this arithmetic progression but to no avail.

As a Premier guest at the Concorde Hotel Singapore, you will also enjoy complimentary evening (alcoholic) drinks and canapés at the Premier lounge from 6pm to 8pm. Unlike other hotels where the lounge is often filled with guests who have had too much to drink, the Premier Lounge was actually pretty quiet when I went on a Saturday evening. Also, since there is a separate lounging and dining area (with actual dining tables), you do not have to worry about being unable to get work done even during evening cocktail hour!

There was a small selection of hot food items and desserts for those of you who enjoy snacking while drinking (don't we all?). However, I did find the Premier Lounge food to be pretty average and would recommend a heavier dinner elsewhere (or at Spices Cafe downstairs but more on that later!).

While the food was pretty average for me, I did however enjoy my full-strength Gin and Tonic here. The lounge staff were also very attentive in getting you started with drinks and clearing the empty plates from the table.

Since I was still feeling pretty hungry and my stomach was not satisfied with the food, I decided to head down to Spices Cafe to check out the dinner buffet. Currently, the Concorde Hotel Singapore is running the Harvest of the Sea Buffet Dinner which comes with a spread of fresh succulent seafood with at least 6 crab dishes that are made to order. Additionally, every diner can choose from a complimentary serving of baked half lobster (200g) or braised baby abalone.

I settled for the latter option with the braised baby abalone with mushroom and vegetables. The Harvest of the Sea Buffet Dinner runs from 630pm to 10pm so once again, you have ample to eat and sit around - no need to rush at all! It was priced at S$56++ since it was a weekend but it is slightly cheaper on Mondays to Thursdays at just S$52++.

No seafood buffet (in Singapore) is complete without fresh sashimi and plump oysters that the locals love! There were also local favourites like a live cooking station for Laksa and various hot food items like geoduck and baby squid to satisfy your cravings.

As a Premier guest, I could choose between having the full buffet breakfast at Spices Cafe, the Premier Lounge or even in-room. I opted for the full buffet breakfast since it was a weekend and I did not want to be cooped up in the room. While there are other dining establishments in the Concorde Hotel Singapore such as the Spices Bar, Lobby Lounge, The Pool & Bar as well as the Nogawa Japanese Restaurant (tenant), most of the more exciting dining promotions do happen in Spices Cafe!

Having been to the Spices Cafe for breakfast, lunch and dinner, I am truly impressed by the versatility of the restaurant space. The space where the live-cooking Kuay Chap section is during the Weekend Afternoon Tea is converted into a fresh seafood section with sashimi and raw oysters at night. The breakfast is pretty standard and it is definitely something that you would expect from a decent hotel - live-cooking omelette station, golden hash browns, sausages,a mix of local favourites, fruits and some cereals.

The omelette station is one of the better ones that I have been to and for some reason there wasn't a long line here. If you have been to the Mandarin Oriental, Singapore or the Singapore Marriott Hotel, you will be seeing a vast contrast here in terms of the omelette line. I also liked that the finished food items were quickly replaced by the staff (unlike a certain other hotel in Singapore).

All in all the Concorde Hotel Singapore came as a huge surprise for me. Having passed by the quiet area outside of the hotel countless of times, I did not actually realise that the Concorde Hotel Singapore has such a beautiful atrium. Even though it is fairly obvious that the hotel is exhibiting signs of age, the location of this property is unrivalled and the inclusions that come with a Premier Club room are worth paying for. You really can't beat this hotel for its location and price!

Concorde Hotel Singapore
100 Orchard Rd, Singapore 238840
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