hen Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore first opened in 2018, I was intrigued by the hotel as there was much history in the buildings the hotel is housed in. I was also aware that there were quite some issues before Kempinski finally came in to be the operator of the lovely hotel. I remember how the hotel prices were relatively high and I decided to put off staying at this hotel until a later date.
Finally, the time has come for a stay at this hotel, and I made a reservation for a night's stay at the hotel. I initially booked a night at the Deluxe Room. Shortly after my booking, I was invited to request a paid upgrade, and I decided to try my luck upgrading to the more spacious Grand Deluxe room. I was blessed to be granted the upgrade to the Grand Deluxe room, where it was indeed really spacious.
TL:DR
Beautiful architecture
Spacious room
Fantastic breakfast service
Great service
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Service:
During my stay, I did not interact much with the staff members, as I assumed it was intentional due to the COVID-19 crisis. However, they were always only a phone call away, and I had no problem reaching out to them whenever I had a request. During check-in, the process was done quickly before the staff member offered to show me to my room. It was a nice gesture and she briefly showed me around the room when we arrived.
Whenever I ordered room service, I noticed as well that staff members were professional at all times, and laid out the china and food properly. I have absolutely no complaints about the staff at The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore.
Perhaps the most prominent memory I have about their service was after I checked out of the hotel the next day. I booked a cab and was waiting in the lobby for it to arrive. A staff member first asked me if I needed assistance to book a ride when she noticed me. Afterwards, when she saw I was heading out after my cab had arrived, she made sure to walk me out of the hotel and waved goodbye as I boarded the cab. I also noticed how she made sure to wait until I was out of sight before she went back to the lounge. I thought that this was another nice gesture by the hotel staff, and is a testament to the high standards of service at the hotel.
Hotel Facilities:
The hotel has a nice Saltwater Relaxation Pool. Unfortunately, it was under maintenance during my stay and I could not try it out. Whenever it is undergoing maintenance, the hotel relies on a smaller pool at the nearby Eden Residences as an alternative pool. As it was not quite a pool per se, which is to say you cannot exactly swim laps in it, I did not attempt to make a booking for it.
The gym was also closed during my stay due to the prevailing COVID-19 requirements then. Hence, I did not have the opportunity to snap any pictures of the gym and whatever was inside.
The hotel also has its own spa, which is conveniently located in one section of the hotel, alongside the hotel rooms. Alas, as I intended to rest and recuperate within the comforts of my hotel room, I gave it a miss.
Breakfast:
Breakfast is held at Capitol Kempinski’s main restaurant, 15 Stamford by Alvin Leung. Open for breakfast service between 6.30 am and 10.30 am, guests could choose from a timeslot of 6.30 am to 8 am, and every half an hour after that for 1.5 hours. Such time slots are pre-booked during check-in, where I requested a timeslot of 6.30 am to 8 am. This was an attempt to avoid the breakfast crowd, although the staff informed me during check-in that an 8 am time slot was likely to have low numbers as well.
I intended to go for a morning jog before returning for a quick shower and enjoy a sumptuous breakfast. Obviously, that did not happen. Rather, I slept at 2 am after catching up on some news and reading a chapter of Mr Goh Chok Tong’s latest book, Standing Tall. I set my alarm for 6.15 am and was pleasantly surprised I snoozed until 6.30 am only. By 6.50 am, I was all washed up and arrived at the restaurant.
I was greeted by an enthusiastic member of the restaurant, who quickly ushered me to my seat. His enthusiasm was quite infectious and that made breakfast service more enjoyable than having just another staff member who simply asked what you wanted. I noticed that he shared the same passion whenever he served guests and was quite impressed he could show the same amount of spirit throughout breakfast service. Unfortunately, I did not manage to see his name, although it seems like Capitol Kempinski generally has many staff members with great service standards.
At that time, only one other guest was enjoying his breakfast. This turned out to be a good time slot after all. By the time I left, which was slightly before 8 am, there were only four other groups having breakfast at the same time. For those who prefer a quiet time and want to enjoy their breakfast in peace, do take note of this timing.
The breakfast menu can be accessed by scanning a QR code and the staff was quick to emphasise that breakfast was an “ever-flowing” a-la-carte buffet. While I was given some time to consider my first course, a cup of Americano and an assortment of pastries came. Having just woken up, I chose just the croissant to save some appetite for the main courses. I decided on the Eggs Benedict, and the staff proposed adding slices of avocados on it. I was happy to go along with his recommendation, and the first course was surprisingly quite filling.
At this point, I was honestly done with my breakfast and did not consider selecting more courses. The staff at no point thought this should be the case and proceeded to ask what other dishes I would like to try after seeing me complete my main course. I was quite full by now and asked him for recommendations instead. He suggested the homemade bircher muesli and granola, while also insisting I should try their Breakfast Plate. While the Breakfast Plate usually consisted of eggs, he proposed excluding them since I already had two eggs from my Eggs Benedict. I agreed to his recommendations, which came quite quickly.
At first glance, the bircher muesli seemed unspectacular. I usually eat oats with skimmed milk for breakfast and the one served here seemed a little too dry. However, I was wrong. It was quite delicious. Not too sweet and with crunchy bits when I bit into the muesli, I found myself enjoying it a lot. I later found out the reason why. This muesli recipe included green apples, bananas, yoghurt, nuts, berries, and some honey. When I read the menu again, I realised that this specific recipe was awarded the best Bircher Muesli blend in November 2013. This explains why I loved it so much. I was glad I got to enjoy some tasty muesli, a huge contrast from my usual bland breakfast, at Capitol Kempinski.
Right after I finished my muesli, the Breakfast Plate came. I regretted my decision to order this dish at this point as I was quite filled up by now. However, I could not possibly leave it to waste, and proceeded to try it slowly. It was quite standard and was pretty good. The staff likened this to McDonald’s Big Breakfast, although this should be considered a more elevated version of it. I enjoyed the hash brown as it was crispy and not oily at all. I also fancied the sausage and it was good. Trust the Germans to make a great sausage! While the rest of the items were pretty standard and were all right, I must highlight that the baked beans were quite hot. It was not just lukewarm but was instead heated up properly. I really like hotels that heat the baked beans before serving guests and credit must be given to Capitol Kempinski for doing so.
The staff later asked if I wanted more coffee but I absolutely could not eat or drink anymore and declined an additional cuppa, much as I would love one more due to my lack of sleep. Although it must be said that I took a stroll to Narrative Coffee Stand at 10.30 am later on.
All in all, I enjoyed the service and food at 15 Stamford by Alvin Leung for breakfast service. Their menu is really a lot more than what I ate but I simply could not eat anymore. Even with the limited dishes I had, I must say that it was one of the better breakfasts I have had at hotels. Surprisingly, my favourite dish was the homemade Bircher Muesli. If you have the chance to head over to Capitol Kempinski for a stay, be sure to try their homemade Bircher Muesli for breakfast!
Room:
I stayed a night at the Grand Deluxe room after successfully bidding for a paid upgrade shortly after I confirmed my booking.
At 50 square metres, it is spacious for a hotel room that is not a suite. My room was located at the Capitol Wing, where my room looked out towards Capitol Piazza. It is similar to the heritage suite view I had when I stayed at Hotel Intercontinental Singapore. While this room does not boast the best views, the room itself was really spacious and you would definitely not feel any form of claustrophobia.
The room is large enough for a living area where you and your family can lounge around and have a cup of coffee while chatting away. There is also a full-size wardrobe so you can hang your clothes the moment you arrive, to avoid any unnecessary creases.
The King-size bed is absolutely comfortable, while the television is just directly in front of the bed. The workstation is also directly in front of the bed, so you can do some work while your missus watches some television from the bed. The workstation has your standard necessities, including HDMI and USB ports, as well as three power sockets for your electricity needs. Full-to-ceiling windows are the norm for this room, so you can look down at the shopping mall and people-watch while working.
The television comes with both Google Chromecast and Apple Airplay, so you can watch whatever you fancy, depending on the streaming services you have. Android mirroring is also available, so the bulk of guests should be able to enjoy watching television at Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore without any fuss. I managed to link my Apple TV+ streaming service to the television and caught an episode of “Long Way Up” while enjoying some room service. It was cool to dream of travelling again while sort of travelling in the form of a staycation.
Another cool thing about this television is how you can listen to the radio if you just don’t fancy any television shows, and you can choose from a wide range of radio channels, including those from Russia and Europe.
Another neat gadget is the room’s alarm clock. Besides functioning as a clock and alarm, it also has a few other nifty tools to help guests. It has a wireless charger where you simply place your mobile phone on it to let it charge. If you happen to have multiple phones and gadgets that need charging, the gadget also has 2 USB ports, as well as a separate socket. Essentially, you can charge 4 different items on this apparatus. I was quite impressed with this “alarm clock”. In fact, I tried Googling for this alarm clock after my stay but found out that it was mainly produced for business customers only. Surprisingly, there is a link from the official website to an Amazon page where the producer actually sells it directly to consumers. If you need this alarm clock, make sure to check out the official website and the Amazon link!
Caffeine options come in the form of Nespresso capsules and TWG teabags. A Nespresso machine is located in the room, along with 4 Nespresso capsules, one of which is a decaffeinated option. The tea options include 4 TWG teabags. The minibar is complimentary for guests, and you get to enjoy some soft drinks, sparkling water, and fruit juice.
Moving on from the room, we arrive at the bathroom. It is just stunning. The fact that it is so spacious makes the bathroom almost like the unique selling point of this room. Technically, one could hold a separate gathering in the bathroom if there is not enough space in the room itself.
Besides being so spacious, the floor-to-ceiling windows make the bathroom look even nicer. Technically, you can soak in the bathtub while people-watching, although that might not be recommended. Alternatively, the next best thing would be to watch some television from the comfort of your bathtub.
Toiletries are by Salvatore Ferragamo, while guests are also provided disposable masks and a hand sanitiser. The toilet has some cool Japanese-style gadgets, which took some trial-and-error to figure out just what each button did. I enjoyed the process.
There is a separate standing shower within the bathroom, which offered strong pressure from the wall-mounted showerhead. While it was really spacious as well, I thought it was a little too dark with insufficient lighting to make my showering experience enjoyable enough.
Overall, I enjoyed my stay at the Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore. The Grand Deluxe room was pleasant enough, with service standards provided by the staff members a delight. For sure, I will be back one day to have a stay in one of their suites! Hopefully, it will be in one of their Stamford Suites!
Click here to find out more about Capitol Kempinski Hotel and book a stay today!
Cost of Grand Deluxe Room: S$389.63 a night - stayed over a public holiday in May 2021 (Note: This consisted of a S$299.00 nett promotion for a Deluxe Room and a subsequent additional S$90.63 paid upgrade to a Grand Deluxe Room)
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