This is my Hilton Singapore review of the Hilton Family Suite, where the husband and I celebrated our 13th Wedding anniversary with a 4D3N long-weekend stay, and our two kids bunked in as well.
Hilton Family Suite – bed with decorations: Happy 13th Anniversary to us!
For the review of the Executive Room, check out this other post instead.
My History with Hilton Hotels
First up – I’m a Hilton Honors Gold member, and this elite status is complimentary with ownership of the American Express Platinum Charge Card.
I’ve written extensively about this credit card, including my thoughts on whether it’s worth the hefty annual fee.
Anyway, as far as hotels go – does elite status make a difference? Absolutely! With Hilton Honors, Elite members (Gold and Diamond) receive complimentary breakfasts. They also may get complimentary room upgrades, subject to availability.
In fact, during pre-covid19 days, the Hilton chain of hotels was my default choice whenever my family travelled to Malaysia – we’ve stayed multiple times at Doubletree by Hilton in Johor Bahru, and in Hilton Kuala Lumpur.
Within Singapore, my family has also stayed at the Conrad Centennial (centennial king suite) – the Conrad Centennial is also under Hilton – and in a separate occasion, celebrated our 11th year Wedding Anniversary two years ago with a staycation there.
Thus, the Hilton group of hotels do have a special place in my heart.
Earlier this year, it was announced that Hilton Singapore would be replaced by IHG’s Voco Orchard, and a new Hilton Singapore would later reopen in January 2022. The new Hilton Singapore would take over the Mandarin Orchard building, and relaunch as a newly refurbished and modern hotel.
Given that we may not have a chance to stay in the original Hilton Signapore building again – we decided to spend our 13th Wedding Anniversary staycation in this place.
Plus, it so happens that American Express was running an offer with Hilton Hotels – Spend SGD300 or more, get S$60 back – I decided to take advantage of this offer.
Pro-tip: I have got THREE different cards from American Express (Platinum Charge Card, Platinum Reserve, and Krisflyer Ascend) and EACH card has that offer – so I charged 1/3 of the hotel bill to each card to fully receive a cashback of S$180 in total. Score!
Want to apply for an American Express credit card? Apply through one of my referral links and receive either bonus Membership Rewards points, vouchers and / or Krisflyer miles:
- The Platinum Charge Card: Use this referral link and receive up to S$900 statement credits and Samsonite Choca Spinner 68/25 (worth S$700) when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
- The American Express Platinum Card: Use this referral link and receive up to S$350 statement credits when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
- American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 38, 000 Krisflyer miles and S$50 statement credits when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
Hilton Singapore Review: Booking
To use the ongoing American Express promotion at that time (spend S$300, get S$60 back), I went and did my booking in person.
Main lobby and shopping area at Hilton Singapore
In this Hilton Singapore review, I have to say – the booking process was ENJOYABLE. The staff patiently explained the different room types, and assisted with the request for a baby cot and bath. He was also aware of the Amex promotion – that was awesome.
With Hilton Honors Elite Gold, complimentary breakfast was given. I requested for Executive Lounge Access – For Family Suites, technically there’s no Lounge access (Its for Executive Suites – different category), but it never hurts to politely ask. The staff happily acquiesced to the request. Did I get a room upgrade this time? No – but that’s cause I was dead set on the Family Suite (two small kids!), and didn’t want any other room type anyway.
Note – with COVID19, there are staggered and time-allocated used for hotel facilities, which have to be booked via a QR code, and the staff also happily assisted with this.
QR Code to scan for booking of Swimming Pool and Fitness Center (gym)
Checking In
Several days later, it was time for the family staycation! We checked in via the Hilton Mobile App, got our stay validated at the front desk, picked up the keys, and made the way to to our room.
I love these hotel hallways
The Hilton Family Suite is actually located at the END of the hallway – we knew that it would be huge – this is more than a regular corner, haha.
Entrance to the Hilton Family Suite
Hilton Family Suite Bedroom
Upon entering – we headed straight for the bedroom area.
Hilton Family Suite: Bedroom area
To welcome our stay for the wedding anniversary, the hotel had slighly decorated the bed…
Happy Anniversary decorations
… and given us a little gift.
Excitedly, we opened up the box, and found a set of four chocolate pralines. It seems like such a small thing – but honestly, it’s the little things like these that make us feel welcomed.
Pro-tip: if you are celebrating ANYTHING – a pregnancy, birthday, job promotion, reunion, whatever it is – TELL THE HOTEL. You never know what they may have planned for you.
Complimentary chocolates
Both our kids – a four year old and a one-year old – have joined us in this staycation. The four year old typically shares the bed with the parents, but the little one has his own baby cot. These are available upon request.
Baby cot for our one year old – had to request for this
We love the room’s layout – the hallway extends to the living area, and in the right corner (see pictures below) is the wardrobe area.
Hilton Family Suite: Bedroom area
The wardrobe is pretty standard – a large pole to hang some clothes, and lots of shelves on the other side. A safe, bathrobe, and room slippers could be found in the wardrobe.
Open Wardrobe
On the other end of the room is a workdesk area. Be warned though – the table is made of glass, so we kept our kids away from it.
Workdesk Area
Hilton Family Suite Living Area
The living room area is separated from the bedroom. Great for small families – some folks can hang out here and watch tv/ play over here, even if others remain asleep in the bedroom area.
Living Room
With Dining Table
We loved how spacious and functional it is. The kids ran about in this area a fair bit, and the dining table was useful for takeaway meals – given the whole COVID19 situation, we did a number of takeaway / in-room dining sessions. A proper table does make all the difference for that.
Very Comfortable Sofa and Armchair
The view from the room wasn’t much, but we did have a good view of the Thai Embassy.
View from the Room: Thai Embassy
In an enclosed corner by the wall, lay the tea and coffee making facilities. For reputable hotels, it seems that TWG teabags and a standard Nespresso machine are the norm these days. These are refillable upon request.
Tea and Coffee Making Facilities
Bathrooms and In-Room Steam facility
There are two bathrooms in the Hilton Family Suite.
The smaller / side bathroom is pretty standard in terms of set up – a single sink, with an accompanying toilet.
Entrance of smaller bathroom
Toilet in side bathroom
But in this Hilton Singapore review, I must add that even this side bathroom has its charms. Such as the “touch screen” light switch – that’s on the bathroom MIRROR.
“Touch Screen” lightbulb
Barely noticeably initially, the lightbulb icon glows in the dark, and we could tap on it to turn the lights on and off. Pretty cool, eh?
It sort of glows in the dark
Barely visible with the lights turned on
The real highlight of the Hilton Family Suite, is in the larger main bathroom.
Main Bathroom
There were some signs of age in the building – but it’s the sort from a beautiful well-used place. The grey marbled walls surrounded a bathtub and shower area that’s separated by a glass door.
We had also requested for a separate baby bath – and housekeeping had left it in the bathroom for us.
Bathtub (left), baby bath tub (middle), and entrance to shower (right)
There were also his and her sinks, and the same “touch screen” mirror to turn the lights on or off.
Double sinks
Bath amenities were from Crabtree and Elelyn, of the verbena and lavender range.
Crabtree and Evelyn bath amenities
There was also the old school toilet and bidet set.
Toilet and bidet
The best part of the entire bathroom (and this Hilton Singapore review as well)? The shower area doubles up as a PRIVATE STEAM BATH.
Shower area, all fogged up with hot steam
By default, the shower area is just a regular shower. But a nifty Steam Bath controller on the wall makes it easy to operate – simply press the ‘ON’ button and select your temperature and time of choice.
Steam bath – temperature and time control
The steam does take a while to activate, but hang on a little, and the hot air would eventually fill the area. Unfortunately I couldn’t get pictures of steam getting out from the source – the camera just fogs up real bad.
Nevertheless, this was one of the favourite part of our stays – with COVID19 restrictions, some hotels have shut down or limited their spa facilities. Having your own Steam Bath within your room in a time like this, just makes it all the more special.
Love the hot steamy space
I’ve never had so many steam baths before within a 72-hour period. Lol.
Swimming Pool and Gym
If you love the Singapore Sun, this is THE place to be. Unsheltered and exposed to the elements, the pool is hot for most of the day.
These days, we have to book to use either the pool or gym – it can be challenging if there are small children and planning isn’t always possible (e.g. if kid has inconsistent nap times).
But we DID manage to get a dip on one of the mornings, which the kids enjoyed. The pool is divided into two areas – a deep one and a much shallower kiddy pool. Simple but sufficient for a hotel swim.
The gym was empty for most of our stay – so booking for this was quite easy. Fully stocked with weights and an array of equiptment, it wasn’t too shabby a place to work out.
Executive Lounge
We were given Executive Lounge Access for our stay.
Entrance to the Executive Lounge
Seating areas, Executive Lounge
At the time of our visit, kids were allowed in the Executive Lounge, but they of course have to be accompanied by a parent.
Long sofa – my family’s default choice of seating
In the old days, before covid-19, people could drop by whenever they wanted for all day coffee or tea, and there was also buffet-style meals: teatime in the late afternoon and pre-dinners that were practically as good as real dinners…
From a previous Hilton Singapore Review: Teatime in the era of pre-COVID19 restrictions
Another one from the really good old days: part of the extensive dinner selection was an entire section dedicated to Salads alone
But in days with COVID19 restrictions, the table where a buffet spread used to be was practically empty.
Instead, for both teatime and pre-dinner snacking, the staff would bring a fixed set of food items to the table. Though it’s not the same as the glorious past, the nice thing is that we could have as many servings as we wanted.
Teatime Day 1
Note: some items were definitely better than others. For Day 1’s Teatime, the winners went to the fish maw soup and vegetable kebab. You can actually request more of INDIVIDUAL items too, if you don’t feel like the whole platter.
Vegetable kebab, charcoal bun, fish maw soup, little salad, carrot cake
When we came back the next day, the food items for Day 2’s Teatime were different – and we had a new set to try.
Teatime Day 2: mini pizza, chicken wing, chinese dumpling, cream puff, root vegetable salad
Loved the chicken wings so of course we had to ask for second helpings.
Requested for more Chicken Wings
The pre-dinner snacks were slightly heavier in carbs. Though the Executive Lounge considers this more of a snack and less of a meal, if you want to kiamsiap (hokkien: cheapskate) your way through the stay, one can always ask for more sandwiches rice to fill you up and Voila! – dinner is served.
Pre-dinner snacks: Cheese sandwich, tuna puff, loh mai gai (glutinous rice chicken), Greek salad, carrot cake
In all honesty, however, visitors to the Lounge – especially in the evenings, tend to come mainly for the free-flow drinks (read: alcohol).
Hilton Singapore review: Executive Lounge Beverage Menu
The husband typically has a bit of Red Wine, our kids go for juices and iced lemongrass, and I’ll randomly pick a cocktail of choice.
Family at the Executive Lounge
Breakfast at Opus Bar and Grill
Breakfast is served at Level 1, in Opus Bar and Grill.
Opus Bar and Grill
Like any other facility, the restaurant does require pre-boking, as diners are allowed in at staggered timings.
Previously, pre-covid19, Hilton Singapore had a typical full buffet breakfast, but that has been replaced with a set meal version. Check out the Menu right here:
Hilton Breakfast Menu
All breakfast sets come with fresh cut fruit, a selection of freshly baked pastries, and of course beverages – coffees / teas. Yoghurt and cereals / muesli can be given as optional add-ons.
Fresh Cut Fruits, Assortment of Baked Pastries and Toast, Yogurt, Beverages (coffee, juices)
We did not have to wait very long; suddenly, all the breakfast we ordered was served all at once.
Breakfast spread
The recommended option, which was the Signature Hilton Breakfast Set, comes with two eggs done any style (it’s scrambled here), and served with pork bacon, baked beans, chicken sausages, and golden hashbrowns.
Signature Hilton Breakfast Set
There is also a healthier alternative: the Egg White Omelette. This one is served with baby spinach, roasted tomatoes, and sauteed mushrooms. I preferred this one actually – extra brownie points for the well-prepared vegetables on this one.
Egg White Omelette
Those who prefer more chinese options can go for Fish Congee and Dim sum. Shrimp Dumplings (har gow) and Steamed Chicken Siew Mai are served hot alongside a warm bowl of porridge.
Fish Congee and Dim sum set
Generally, dining-in for breakfast was as pleasant as it could get. The kids loved the food, and though low in variety, the quality wasn’t bad. The place was VERY busy and crowded, however the staff do try their best to accomodate everyone. The rules for breakfast weren’t so clear depending on who you met – the first server we spoke to said that guests could have as many set meals as they wanted, but the second person informed us that each person is limited only to ONE set. Though the volume of breakfast itself really shouldn’t be an issue – after all, the servings are pretty large, and there are unlimited rounds of fruits, pastries, toasts, and cereal and muesli that one can ask for.
Overall Hilton Singapore Review
First off – I love the location of this place. Right downtown along Orchard Road, and the Forum mall is practically next door.
I was also incredibly lucky with this stay – the timing was perfect; during my time at Hilton Singapore, the country was still allowing up to x5 diners to eat out in groups, and then, a few days later – tightened covid19 restrictions kicked in and only allowed a maximum of 2 pax to dine outside. Had we been a few days later, we wouldn’t have been able to dine in as a FAMILY in either the Executive Lounge or have breakfast together at Opus Bar and Grill.
One of the things that old-timers of Hilton will pick up is definitely the absence of buffets, both in the Executive Lounge and other restaurants.
Memories of Breakfast at the Executive Lounge – This was in 2018-19, just 2-3 years ago
The Hilton Singapore used to have wonderful, large-scale breakfast spreads on display and for anyone to pick, but alas – this is something that has to change with covid-19 being the way it is. To be fair, this isn’t just something that affects Hilton alone, but many other hotels as well. What I see is a hotel that is trying their very best to handle the re-distribution of manpower – it does take more work to serve each table and order everyone’s food.
Executive Lounge: there will be guests like my family, who request for items repeatedly – there are times it is warranted, and there are times that can’t be helped if we have children. Either way the hotel has to cope with the additional burdens in serving guests. So kudos to Hilton Singapore for doing such a great job!
Perhaps my Hilton Singapore review is slighly biased, after all, there was a private steam bath in the room and we loved that so very much as said in the beginning of the post, I do have a history of staying at the Hilton brand of hotels repeatedly, and part of the reason why we chose this place for our 13th Wedding Anniversary staycation – is because it is soon going to shut down for good. So coming here, was more for an old time’s sake, to have a large-enough room that our family could relax together, and to do it at a reasonable price (a huge discount thanks to American Express). For that alone, the staycation fulfilled what we needed, and that alone is a priis a privilege in a time of the covid-19 pandemic.
Hilton Honors points earned
As a Hilton Honors Elite Gold Member, I also earned the following points from the 4D3N stay in the Hilton Family Suite.
– Base points: 7, 795
– 2021 Points Unlimited event – 2000
– Gold Elite 80% Bonus: 6236
Total points: 16, 031
Note: I also used a Hilton Hotels promotion by American Express (Spend S$300 or more, get $60). I charged the hotel stay bill – split up over 3 different Amex Cards and hit this spend criteria on each card, hence my total additional discount was S$60 x 3 = S$180.
For all benefits of the American Express Platinum Charge card, please check out this post right here.
Inspired by this post and want to apply for an American Express credit card? Apply through one of my referral links and receive either bonus Membership Rewards points or statement credit:
- The Platinum Charge Card: Use this referral link and receive up to S$900 statement credits and Samsonite Choca Spinner 68/25 (worth S$700) when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
- The American Express Platinum Card: Use this referral link and receive up to S$350 statement credits when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
- American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 38, 000 Krisflyer miles and S$50 statement credits when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed on this page are that of Happy High Life and may not necessarily reflect the position of American Express. Happy High Life is not responsible for any decisions made by readers. The terms and conditions for each credit card's application and usage may be subject to change by American Express. Therefore, readers are recommended to check any matters with American Express or its partners; the list of all benefits of the Platinum Charge Card can be found here.
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