Hotel Review: Four Points Riverview Singapore

Four Points By Sheraton, Singapore Riverview is now open!

A Good Option for more affordable Starwood Stays

Stayed July 2016
Published July 2016

Four Points by Sheraton (FP or 4P) is a budget brand in the portfolio of Starwood Hotels for the readers who are unfamiliar with Starwood Hotels.

I have previously reviewed FP Namsan, Seoul and found it quite fine.

As a Starwood fan, I have been excited about our very own FP in Singapore after the announcement that Riverview Hotel was converting to the brand several months ago.

The hotel underwent major refurbishment and was scheduled to open on 1 July 2016. I have been to Riverview Hotel on several occasions for dinner, and thus the hotel is not new to me.

However, this would be the first hotel opening I am invited to and I was so excited!

I arrived early for to check in on the opening day and the process was very fast.

One peculiarity was that I was not asked for a credit card to authorize for incidentals, even after I reminded the front desk agent if a card was required.

After that, Mr Justin Yeo, Director of Sales, met me and took me on a tour around the hotel.

He was really patient and took his time to show me around. Thank you again Justin!

The hotel is massive with almost 500 rooms, with a small number of suites.

The re-branding involved mainly internal changes and so the hotel’s exterior does not look as modern.

Sitting in the lobby is a large jade ship which remained untouched during the refurbishment.

I am glad it is still there, as to me, it is symbolic of Riverview Hotel. Of course I do think it is probably very valuable and is best to leave it alone to avoid any damage to the beautiful artifact.

The front desk is located to the side with 2 desks. Checking in was fast and painless as mentioned previously, and so was checking out! I was proactively given a parking coupon for free parking as well.

On a very serious note, I was expecting some sort of hiccup or delay as teething problems but none happened. Shocking.

Apparently most of the staff are retained from Riverview (I was told), so that reduces the occurrence of unfamiliarity with the system.

Located on the lobby are the Four Points Eatery and The Best Brew bar.

The Eatery, located to the left of the jade ship, is the main restaurant of the hotel and is also where breakfast is served.

The layout seems largely unchanged from the old Riverview hotel in my memory.

Breakfast is quite commendable with many hot items, including chicken cutlet, in the next morning.

First time seeing Chicken Cutlet as a breakfast item

The Best Brew is on the side of the Front Desk and, as I was told, would serve 18 types of beer and would introduce a special brew by Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) which produces Tiger Beer.

A live band would play on Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays and Saturdays as well.

The al fresco part of the bar has a large screen for soccer fans to enjoy their game.

The Gym(s) and Pool

Located on level 5 is the pool and the gym.

The pool definitely looked a little tired and not as nice as the picture on the website. The daybeds are a great addition to say the least.

The gym is divided into 2 independent rooms.

It seems that previous guests complained the gym was too small and the hotel took the opportunity to convert a guest room into another gym during the renovation.

I highlighted that the bench should be placed next to the free weights which make more sense to me.

The Rooms

The deluxe room is the standard room at FP Riverview.

Deluxe Twin Bedded Room

The electrical outlets next to the bed is a delight for the device-obsessed and includes a universal plug.

The outlets on the desk even has a USB charging port even if one has forgotten to pack the adapter!

River View from Deluxe Room

The minibar is left empty intentionally for the guest to store their own items.

The toilet in the deluxe room is of an adequate size and has a spacious standing shower.

The Premier Room is similar to the Deluxe Room, but is located on higher floors with a different colour scheme.

The views are definitely better being higher up.

The suites are like 2 standard rooms combined and the Family Rooms have twin beds in lieu of a living room.

The Executive suites are a little larger but similar.

Suite Living Room

Suite Bedroom

The toilets are bigger with a bathtub fitted in.

Suite Toilet

Suite Bathroom

Newspapers are placed near the elevators daily for guests, with the instructions for electronic versions available on the table as well.

The corridors are brightly lit which is to my preference.

The bed, on the other hand, was a bit too hard for me.

The Location And Accessibility

One of the weak points of the hotel would be the lack of a MRT (metro) station nearby.

This is set to change in 2020 with the opening of the Havelock Station on the new line. The station would be about a 5 to 8 minute walk away by my estimate.

The boards around the construction shows pictures of employees of the nearby hotels.

And of course, FP Riverview is featured as well.

Great World City (shopping center) is another 5 minute walk from the station.

For travelers who prefer taxicabs, many of Singapore’s attractions are but a short ride way, so a lack of a nearby station may not be that important.

Other Restaurants

The hotel also houses 2 tenant restaurants which are the Irodori Japanese Restaurant and the Imperial (Chinese) Restaurant.

As tenants, you can’t charge your restaurant bill to your room.

The Hotel Opening

Bouquets congratulating the re-branding opening of the hotel were placed around the lift landings.

Guests were invited to a reception at The Best Brew, which was followed by dinner at the Jubilee Ballroom.

I was told the ballrooms of the hotel are named after the bridges in Singapore.

Everyone at the hotel was invited to take a photo at the photo booth that evening, guest or not.

Dinner in the ballroom

The food served at the ballroom was really good and we were told ‘not to worry about not having enough food’ by the emcee.

Having eaten at that dinner, breakfast was indeed up to standard as well as mentioned earlier.

FP Riverview is no luxury property, but I would definitely recommend this hotel to any budget traveler looking for a simple but comfortable stay

To end, I would definitely like to thank Ms Anne and Mr Justin for the tour of the hotel and the invite to the opening!

And congratulations!

Happy and Healthy Travels to all!