The Conrad Centennial will be reopening for staycations on 16 December 2020, giving Hilton loyalists a second choice of hotel in Singapore (the Hilton Garden Inn Serangoon remains on SHN duty).
This is a particularly exciting development for Hilton Diamond members (or those willing to shell out a bit more for a club room), seeing as how the Conrad’s lounge is supposedly one of the better ones in Singapore.
Conrad Centennial reopening specials
There’s a couple of ways to go about scoring a staycation deal at the Conrad Centennial.
The first is Hilton’s Big Dreams Sale, which ends today. Bookings made by 7 December 2020 and stayed by 30 June 2021 will enjoy up to 30% off the usual rates at properties across Australasia and South East Asia.
Hilton Big Dreams Big Savings Sale
At the Conrad Centennial, it’s possible to find December staycations from S$245++ (S$288 nett), which is eminently reasonable considering the usual prices for this hotel and the fact we’re smack in the middle of peak season.
If you’re willing to wait till January, rates drop even lower to S$203++ (S$239 nett), which you can find even for Friday and Saturday night stays.
Do note that the rates quoted above are non-refundable and do not include breakfast. Breakfast is available for an additional S$21++ (S$25 nett) per night for two adults. You won’t need this if you’re a Hilton Gold or higher, but it’s certainly worth topping up at the point of purchase for everyone else.
If you really want to stay at the Conrad, I’d highly recommend you book a room under the Big Dreams Sale. Outside of this, the cheapest rate available for December/January starts from S$272++ (S$320 nett)/ S$246++ (S$290 nett).
For those reading this a day late and missed the sale, the next best alternative is probably to book the Lavish Retreat package in January. This comes with breakfast, an S$80 F&B credit and 4 p.m check-out, and starts from S$300++ (S$353 nett).
The second way to go about this is to redeem your AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend’s free night voucher. Historically, this was only available for stays at the Hilton Garden Inn Serangoon, but American Express recently added Conrad and Hilton Singapore to the list too, at least for stays until 31 March 2021.
What’s annoying is that it’s currently not possible to make a voucher booking online. The regular page displays an error message saying the site is undergoing “urgent maintenance”, and asks customers to email voucher redemption requests to AsiaPacRes@hilton.com with the following details:
- Full name
- Voucher code
- Voucher expiry date
- Name of the hotel where you want to redeem your voucher
- Desired check-in/out dates
You should hear back within 3-5 working days of emailing them. When I last checked availability (back when you could do it online), I saw a ton of dates available in January 2021.
The AMEX KrisFlyer Ascend’s voucher books you into a Deluxe Room (the base category) in either a King or Twin configuration. Breakfast is not included with the voucher, but Hilton status benefits are extended as per normal.
Hilton Honors award nights at the Conrad Centennial start from 54,000 points per night in December and 49,000 points per night in January, but given how low the room rates are under the Big Dreams sale, I wouldn’t consider spending points.
What’s the Conrad Centennial stay experience like?
The Conrad Centennial has 512 guest rooms and suites, split into the following categories:
| Room Type | Number of Rooms | Size |
| Deluxe | 487 | 40 sqm |
| Grand Deluxe | 40 sqm | |
| Premium | 40 sqm | |
| Executive | 40 sqm | |
| Centennial King Suite | 24 | 63 sqm |
| Conrad Suite | 1 | 143 sqm |
With just 25 suites available (of which only 24 are probably in the upgrade pool), Diamond members shouldn’t expect too much in the way of upgrades.
At least they can look forward to the lounge. The hotel has two executive lounges- one by the swimming pool on the 4th floor, the other on the 31st floor. Only the latter will be operating when the hotel reopens on 16 December.
The lounge will not be open for breakfast, so guests will be directed to Oscars instead. Lounge hours will be 3-10 p.m daily, with afternoon tea and evening cocktails served at the following hours:
- Afternoon tea: 3-5 p.m
- Evening cocktails: 6-8 p.m
Guests will be required to make prior reservations for tea and cocktails, with a 1-hour slot available each day. From what I understand, this is one of the few executive lounges in Singapore to serve champagne during happy hour (Laurent-Perrier), though you’ll need to request for it specifically (otherwise Chandon is served).
Other facilities like the swimming pool and gym will be operating as per normal, although you can expect the standard capacity restrictions.
In terms of dining, guests can choose from Cantonese restaurant Golden Peony, the buffet at Oscar’s, light bites at The Terrace or afternoon tea and cocktails at the Lobby Lounge. If you hold an American Express Platinum card, Love Dining benefits can be enjoyed at all restaurants except The Terrace.
Louis did a review of the Conrad Centennial when it first reopened after renovations in 2018, and if you’re looking for something even more recent, try the following on for size:
Hotel parking is available at Millennia Walk and is free for all guests.
Conclusion
Hilton Honors members have keenly awaited the reopening of the Conrad Centennial, and it’s great to see it’ll be around in time for Christmas.
Do remember that Hilton is offering double points and double elite night credits for all stays up till 31 December 2020 (registration required), and your elite nights will roll over to 2021. In other words, staying one night at the Conrad in December 2020 will give you two elite nights for the year 2020 and 2021.
I haven’t decided whether to do another review of this property, but I’d been keen to hear from those who stayed pre-circuit breaker. Is it still worth a punt?
A silly question, but am unable to get the calendar view of the prices via the Conrad website. Could you share how one could reach that page?
select the flexible dates option in the booking interface when choosing dates
I have enquiry as a HH gold and this is the reply from Conrad, please be informed that the Lounge by the pool will not be operating as a Lounge till further notice. Executive Lounge on level 31 will be operating with limited services from 3pm to 10pm for executive room and suite category.
Yes , Aaron has already stated in the article above .
I stayed in Dec 2019 and find that the mattress tend to be firmer than hotels. If you like firmer mattress, it might work for you.
*firmer than other hotels