201 Singapore hotels now approved for staycation guests

A total of 201 Singapore hotels are now approved to take staycation guests, up from 177 at the time of my last update on 3 August. 

The rate of new additions has noticeably slowed since the start of August, and I think we’re beginning to see “saturation” reached- most of the remaining hotels are unavailable on account of being used as SHN facilities. 

Which hotels are approved for staycations?

The following 201 hotels are now approved to take staycation guests:

Notable new faces include the Le Meridien Sentosa, which tends to be forgotten when discussing Marriott options in Singapore, but has a decent value S$305++ “Stay and Dine” package. This rate includes breakfast, as well as a daily set dinner at selected hotel restaurants. If you’re able to stay 3 nights or more, you can bring the nightly rate down to S$255++ with the breakfast-included “Island Escape” package. 

If you prefer a more boutique feel, The Southbridge Hotel offers single rooms in the heart of Chinatown, with a live music lounge (sadly, live entertainment is currently not permitted). Room rates start as low as S$68++ for a Deluxe Queen Room. 

Here’s a map showing the geographical spread of staycation-approved hotels. 

What staycation deals are available?

I’ve compiled a comprehensive article detailing the various staycation deals available, a list which gets updated daily as more packages come in. 

In general, you’ll get much better value by paying for staycations with cash than redeeming hotel points, although exceptions apply (e.g a program with fixed value redemptions like Accor Live Limitless). 

Here’s some of my picks from each price segment:

• Best Luxury Hotel Staycation Deals
• Best Upscale Hotel Staycation Deals
• Best Mid-Tier Hotel Staycation Deals
• Best Economy Hotel Staycation Deals

What will the staycation experience be like?

The STB has published an extensive list of regulations that hotels must comply with before they can accept staycation guests.

I’ve covered the details here, but you can expect things like:

• Staggered check-in/out timings (the Mandarin Orchard is assigning guests an arrival time slot between 2 to 5 p.m)
• Capacity constraints on pool and gym usage (Marina Bay Sands is asking guests to pre-book time slots for its famous infinity pool)
• Contactless delivery of room service and other amenities (YOTEL’s built a staycation package around its robots)
• Modified club lounge happy hours (the Shangri-La has closed its club lounge and is serving complimentary snacks at the Champagne Bar instead)
• No breakfast buffets (W Sentosa [and many more I’m sure] is doing an a la carte menu served buffet style)

Get ready for Phase 2 staycations: What to expect from Singapore hotels

Hotel rooms will be limited to a maximum of five concurrent guests, with extensive cleaning between stays and more single-use items. 

I’ve already done a handful of staycations during Phase 2, and here’s my take on the overall experience:

• W Sentosa
• YOTELAIR Changi Airport
• Hotel 81 Tristar
• Hotel Soloha
• Raffles Hotel
• Mandarin Orchard

Conclusion

Close to half of all hotels in Singapore have now been approved for staycations, and although the rate of additions has slowed for now, there may be further jumps towards the end of the month as SHN contracts come to an end. Most of the incremental additions since the last update are budget properties, which probably won’t hold much appeal for the average staycation guest. 

For a comprehensive list of staycation tips, deals and reviews, be sure to check out The Milelion’s Staycation Portal. 

As always, if you spot any good staycation deals be sure to ping them over to me and I’ll take a look.