Andaz Singapore reopening for staycations from 9 Sept; launches “up to 50% off” Flash Sale

A week ago I wrote about a fantastic deal at the Andaz Singapore for American Express cardholders. For a nightly price of just S$245 nett, they can book an 818 sq ft Andaz Studio Suite courtesy of the just-launched AMEX Open For Travel promotion, and Andaz’s deep discount staycation rates. 

Now, Andaz Singapore was previously only taking staycation bookings with check-in dates from 1 October 2020 onwards. However, they’ve just announced on their Facebook page that the reopening date has been moved up to 9 September 2020.

To mark the occasion, they’re partnering with Grand Hyatt to run a Flash Sale from 8 to 22 September 2020, with “up to 50% off” stay and dining experiences (I’d take that claim with a hefty pinch of salt, for reasons you’ll see below).

Now, they haven’t actually unveiled the deals yet- instead, they’re asking people to join a “VIP list” to get 24-hour advance access to the offers. 

But ain’t nobody got time for that. The Shutterwhale managed to find the Flash Sale landing page, and although it’s “protected” by an annoying pop-under that requests a “VIP code”, it’s a simple matter of using an ad blocker to remove the overlay and get full access to the site. 

Grand Hyatt/Andaz Singapore Flash Sale Page

tl;dr: The F&B deals may be worth a punt, but the staycation deals are decidedly not worth it, especially if you have an AMEX card registered for the Hyatt statement credit promotion. 

As a general point, do note that Andaz/Grand Hyatt vouchers purchased through the Flash Sale page will not trigger the statement credits on AMEX cards. These are only valid for payments via the Grand Hyatt/Andaz Singapore’s official website, or at the hotel itself. 

Andaz Deals

Staycation Vouchers

Andaz Singapore is offering the following staycation vouchers, which are valid for stays from 10 September 2020 until 31 March 2021.

Truth be told, I wouldn’t call any of these vouchers great deals, especially if you’re planning to stay on weekdays (defined as check-in from Sunday to Thursday).

Why? Consider the staycation rates that Andaz is currently offering:

Here’s the main differences between the staycation rates and the Flash Sale vouchers: 

Assuming we take the S$100 F&B credit at face value, here’s how much extra/ less you’re paying for the early check-in/late check-out should you buy the Flash Sale voucher instead of the staycation rate:

Even where the voucher works out to be slightly cheaper, remember that you’re basically pre-committing to S$100 in F&B spend, with not much of a discount in return. 

The only scenario where this might work out is if you want to stay in an Andaz Large Suite on a weekend and you don’t have an American Express card. That’s a very narrow use case, and  I’d rather book the staycation rate, enjoy the S$75 AMEX statement credit, and try my luck with early check-in/late check-out on the day itself.

All this assumes that Andaz won’t nerf the staycation rates once they launch the Flash Sale, of course, so if you’re thinking of booking, I wouldn’t wait too long (it’s fully refundable anyway). 

The following terms apply to all staycation vouchers:

Dining Vouchers

Andaz is offering two types of dining vouchers- cash vouchers, and vouchers for specific F&B items. The former are valid from 10 September 2020 to 31 March 2021, while the latter are valid from 10 September to 31 December 2020. 

No harm picking up some F&B vouchers if you’re planning to dine at the Andaz Singapore anyway, but AMEX cardholders should remember that F&B spending also counts towards the statement credit. 

Grand Hyatt Deals

Staycation Vouchers

Grand Hyatt Singapore is offering the following staycation vouchers, which are valid for stays up till 31 December 2020. 

If you thought the Andaz deals were marginal, the Grand Hyatt ones aren’t much better. Grand Hyatt has a separate staycation rate (use special offer code STAYC) which yields the following prices:

• Grand Deluxe Two Bedroom at S$518 nett
• Deluxe Room at S$294 nett

Here’s how the two options compare:

The main difference between the STAYC rate and the Flash Sale vouchers is the set menu items, and when you do the math, it’s probably better to go for the cheaper STAYC rates. You could buy a separate F&B voucher for the Oasis BBQ dinner (see below) if you really wanted it. 

Once again, remember that you can trigger the AMEX S$75 statement credit with the STAYC rate, but not the Flash Sale vouchers. 

The following terms apply to all staycation vouchers:

Dining & Spa Vouchers

Grand Hyatt is offering two types of dining vouchers- cash vouchers, and vouchers for specific F&B items. The former are valid till 31 March 2021, while the latter are valid till 27/30 December 2020, depending on the voucher. 

Just as the case for Andaz, there’s no harm snapping up one of these vouchers if you already have dining plans at the Grand Hyatt. But do remember that you might save more by paying directly at the hotel if you have an AMEX card, or a UOB Visa Infinite/DBS Insignia (both of which enjoy up to 50% off the bill)

Conclusion

I’m excited that the Andaz Singapore will be reopening ahead of schedule, and can’t wait to check the place out. I know that quite a few folks in the Milelion Community have snapped up those Studio Suites (I think they’re all sold out for the weekends in Oct/Nov), so we should be seeing a lot of reviews shortly. 

The Flash Sale, on the other hand, is somewhat underwhelming. Don’t bother buying the staycation vouchers; your savings will be marginal at best, and most of them lock you into F&B spending you may or may not want to make. The F&B vouchers may be worth a look, but don’t forget the discounts available to credit card holders as well.