Next up, let’s talk about the last 3 hotels which we crammed visited on Saturday.
Regent Hotel
First up we have regent hotel. I was really excited to visit this place as the food on the menu looked great! Let’s find out more below.
1. Price 3/5 stars
Really off our budget. However, comparing with 2019 and 2018 rates, their rates for this year actually decreased by quite a bit. I guess it’s probably due to COVID-19. For BTB who has a bigger budget, I think this is a good deal!
2. Food 5/5 stars
One Michelin star restaurant! The food would probably be great?!
3. Capacity 4/5 stars
For both Nassim and Paterson room, they require a minimum 100 pax and they charge by a table of 10. This means that if you have a turn up rate of 90, you will still be charged for 100 pax. But this is a rare time where they allow 100 pax and its ‘thanks’ to covid again!
4. Layout 5/5 stars
I fell in love with the hotel the moment I stepped into it!! Although the exterior of the hotel looked old, the interiors were well furbished and grand. It felt rather majestic when I stepped into the lobby. The layout of Nassim room is elongated and the floral arrangements are great. The windows are a plus point as the natural sunlight would allow for great pictures during AD. For Paterson room, it is more rectangular, and every table would be able to have a better view of the stage compared to Nassim room.
5. Location 3/5 stars
It takes about 10-15 minutes for you to walk from orchard station. Alternatively, you could take bus 36 (it’s a loop) in front of the Thai embassy and it drops you off directly outside regent hotel. It is not the most convenient compared to the rest of the venues, but I think it’s still easier to find than some other hotels like Fort canning lol.
6. Miscellaneous perks 4/5 stars
They are offering quite a bit of perks this time round: 1 night of bridal suite, 20L of beer, 1 bottle of wine per confirmed table of 10, tea ceremony room etc. What made them stand out was the Loccitane hand cream as their wedding favor.
7. Communication 3.5/5 stars
I think the sales manager assigned to us was professional throughout from emails, whatsapp to face to face meetups. However, just like what other previous brides mentioned on the forums, it was rather difficult to negotiate for cash rebates/discounts or perks. We did manage to negotiate for slightly more perks on top of the standard ones proposed, but she suddenly told us that we have to upgrade our menu to the higher tier one because it was “a popular date”. T & I were almost ready to sign with them even though the price was about 2k off our initial budget and less than ideal negotiation. However, the deal fell apart when she sent us an email telling us that we have to upgrade to the higher tier menu when it was not mentioned previously at all even during our soft booking. While the difference in the cost was not significant but what we felt was that the mandatory upgrade to the expensive menu was just a way to make us ‘pay’ for the additional 1-2 perks which we negotiated for… Let’s calculate: the difference between the higher tier menu and the normal menu is about $200 plus. An additional night stay at the bridal suite which we managed to negotiate for would also cost around the same. Thus, T felt that we should still head to Hilton which provided better perks, offers good cost savings and most importantly the sales manager was very friendly.
TBH, I was rather disappointed because I really liked the venue But I gotta remind myself that it is just a single event which will probably fade off with time. Indeed, it is a once in a lifetime event but perhaps better memories could be created in a venue with friendlier staff and the cost savings could be used for our honeymoon instead.
Ultimately, this little frustration created an opportunity for me to remind myself that marriage is a journey, and the venue shouldn’t play such a significant contribution to the level of happiness. It also served as an opportunity to learn how to submit to the headship of the family when we are unable to make a decision.
Overall stars: 3.9/5 stars.
Did not choose this venue because of point 5.
Sheraton Towers
1. Price 5/5 stars
Sheraton Towers was having their annual wedding fair on 14 November and was offering cash rebates of $111+++ per table of 10. That would mean that it is <$150 per pax which is within budget
2. Food 5/5 stars
Li Bai restaurant is well known for their Chinese food and we were not too worried about it.
3. Capacity 5/5 stars
The venue allowed a minimum accommodation of 100 guests which is what we are planning for.
4. Layout 3/5 stars
It was a rectangular shaped room with the stage being in the center of the room. This mean that the march in was only about 10 m or less. Besides that, the room had rather bulky pillars present and guests on either side of the pillar would not be able to see the march in. Since the stage is in the middle, the view of the stage shouldn’t be obstructed. However, it wasn’t really to my liking due to the lack of windows, short march in and a low ceiling height. It made the area rather Claus trophic. However, if BTB has a minimum table of 22, you guys can consider their grand ballroom which has a high ceiling and a L shape layout. I would definitely consider Sheraton if not for the crammed room because the atmosphere of the hotel is just great!
5. Location 5/5 stars
Right smack beside the Newton MRT station. What more can I ask for?!
6. Miscellaneous perks 5/5 stars
They were offering almost free flow of wine (about 8 bottles for the Topaz room) and also a complimentary day use of the hotel room from 10-4 pm for the wedding helpers. The complimentary usage of room was not offered by the previous hotels we went so this came as a surprise to us. They also offered to set up the tea ceremony for us at a separate room. Overall I felt that they were really sincere in extending this offer to us. Oh yes before I forget, they even gave us a door gift which consisted of cakes and macarons!! YUMZ
7. Communication 4/5 stars
The initial sales rep who was allocated to us was busy with another couple so another lady came to serve us. She was polite and went through the perks of the package with us. She wasn’t pushy and was generally sincere. Email correspondence was a little slow but overall I think it’s ok.
Overall stars: 4.5/5 stars.
Didn’t choose them due to the layout of the room HOWEVER I would be back for their high tea! Owners of the Standard chartered credit cards would be able to enjoy 1-1 high tea set at Sheraton Towers from now till 31 march 21. Don’t say bojio!
Hilton
Our last stop was Hilton which was beside Hung’s Jewellery/Jann Paul. And of course I dragged T there before our appointment at Hilton just to check the prices out Heh. Will blog about the different places we went to compare wedding bands in another post.
1. Price 5/5 stars
Initially we thought that the offer of ‘for every 10 paying, 1 guest free’ offer would be extended to us, thus we were thrilled at the potential cost savings. Unfortunately, that only applies if we choose to get hitched before September 21 but that would be a little too fast and furious haha. Nonetheless, the price for Sunday Lunch banquet still fall well within our budget of <$150.
2. Food 5/5 stars
What caught my attention was the option of having live stations which consist of suckling pig, peking duck crepe and liquid nitrogen sakura meringue. Doesn’t it sound amazing?!?!?! While they do not boast of any Michelin star standard like Regent, they do have mouth watering dishes like chilli crab claws, braised lobster soup and orange honey pork ribs. I guess I’m already sold. Plus, review on wedding forums have mentioned that their food standard remains even on actual day – which is a difficult task given that they have to do mass cooking.
3. Capacity 4.5/5 stars
Vista room is able to accommodate a minimum of 100 guests while Panorama room needs a minimum of 140 guests. A drop in 0.5 stars because I’m not able to book Panorama room cos I won’t have enough minimum pax haha.
4. Layout 5/5 stars
Panorama room was my initial favourite due to the long span windows and high ceiling. This would mean my AD photos could turn out gorgeous! However, I think it’s a bit pointless to try to squeeze 140 people from the list just to book this room lol. Vista room on the other hand has a shorter ceiling height and is rectangular in shape. There are windows as well but the poor hotel people would have to remove all the storage from the window area before our wedding according to the sales rep if we want the windows drawn>.< Overall I think vista room is not too bad as it fulfils my criteria of having windows (natural light), suitable length of march in and most importantly, a minimum pax of 100.
5. Location 5/5 stars
It’s walkable from orchard mrt station and directly opposite the Thai embassy (very safe lol). Just kidding. There is also an open-air carpark opposite wheelock or behind far east shopping mall which can accommodate guests Guests can go kai kai before the wedding or after at orchard road, so I think the location is pretty great!
6. Miscellaneous perks 5/5 stars
We managed to negotiate for 2 night’s stay at the bridal suite (an upgrade from 1 night stage at bridal suite + 1 night stay at deluxe room). On top of that, they offered free flow wine throughout the banquet starting from reception! WOWz, not many hotels offer free flow alcohol so I think this is one of the perks that made them stand out. Also, the sales rep was rather forthcoming stating that while only 15% of carpark attendance is guaranteed, she would try her best to offer more should our guest need it. Another add on they offered was also pre-wedding reception should covid situation approves. All in all, Hilton is the most forthcoming and sincere in offering couples perks and they make me feel that they would really put in their 100% effort in making sure my big day is a success.
7. Communication 5/5 stars
Communication with the lady was efficient. As we were trying coordinate the church and the banquet dates, we were a bit flustered and needed an urgent reply from her. However, she replied rather promptly when I texted her when there was some delay in her reply on email. Although she was on course then and could not check on the date’s availability, she got managed to get her colleague to send us the available dates within an hour! On top of that, I felt that even though Hilton is also a 5 star hotel, they didn’t give off the vibes where they “if you cannot afford then don’t come”; “don’t nego for too many perks” “we already giving you the best perks” kinda vibes.
Overall: 4.9/5 stars.
Overall winner is Hilton! <3 Will share on another separate post about my irrational struggle when deciding among the top 3 picks despite Hilton being the obvious winner. Stay tune!
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