First look: New Hilton Singapore Orchard to open January 2022

As you may already know, the Mandarin Orchard Singapore is set to become the Hilton Singapore Orchard in 2022.

A S$90 million makeover has already begun, and Hilton has issued a press release with more details of what we can expect when the property opens its doors on 1 January 2022. 

Hilton Singapore Orchard: Overview

The refreshed Hilton Singapore Orchard will be the largest Hilton in all of Asia Pacific with 1,080 rooms and suites. Situated at the heart of Orchard Road, it’s also the fourth biggest hotel in Singapore (behind MBS, Hotel Boss and Swissotel The Stamford). 

The hotel will have 16 event spaces spanning more than 2,400 sqm, allowing it to host everything from meetings to conventions to weddings, whatever they look like in the post-COVID world. Couples looking to tie the knot will be pleased to know about the two pillarless ballrooms fitted with LED walls that can cater up to 1,000 guests. To my knowledge, only a handful of venues (e.g. JW Marriott) boast an LED wall. 

The GM for the Hilton Singapore Orchard will be Cedric Nubul, who was formerly the GM at the Hilton Bogota and Hilton Curacao.

Hilton Singapore Orchard: Rooms

All 1,080 rooms and suites (spread across two towers) will be renovated. Work has already begun in the Orchard Wing, and it makes sense to me that one tower will be renovated at a time so the hotel can remain open throughout. 

Hilton has only released a handful of room photos so far, describing the botanical theme as homage Singapore’s garden city title. 

I have to say, I very much like the new design direction, a refreshing change from the tired and dated rooms at the Mandarin Orchard. When I visited in August last year, my suite featured gold picture frames, beige drapes, glass and wooden tables plus black leather recliners- straight out of 1999. 

Rooms at the Mandarin Orchard are currently assigned to these categories…

…which closely maps how they’ll be assigned at the Hilton Singapore Orchard. 

The surprising thing is that the more expensive Premium category will have smaller rooms than the cheaper Deluxe. From what I can see on the website, the Premium rooms will have separate bathtubs and showers, so perhaps that explains the difference (or someone just made a typo). 

Hilton Singapore Orchard: Facilities

Guests at the Hilton Singapore Orchard will have access to two 24-hour fitness centres, an outdoor pool and a new Executive Lounge. 

It’s interesting the press release mentions two gyms, because it implies that the existing facility on the 37th floor won’t be enough. I thought it was a sizeable facility already, but perhaps the new normal will mean lower maximum capacity for fitness centres. 

I really, really hope they have plans to expand the swimming pool, given how woefully inadequate the existing one is for such a large property. It measures about 15 meters long by 6 meters wide, and with the existing social distancing measures, just five people can use the pool at any time. Five. 

What’s more, the pool is rather awkwardly located. It’s just next to the lobby on level 5, and although there are privacy screens, it’s not difficult for those in the lobby to see what’s going on. 

Very little detail was provided about the new Executive Lounge, but we know it won’t be at the existing location on the top two floors of the hotel (a space that used to host the revolving Top of the M restaurant). 

Hilton Singapore Orchard: Food and Beverage

In terms of F&B, the current Chatterbox restaurant and two Michelin-starred Shisen Hanten will be retained. Hilton Singapore Orchard plans to debut three new F&B offerings featuring all-day dining, a specialty restaurant (probably occupying the space of the former Executive Lounge) and a lobby lounge & bar.

Hilton Singapore Orchard: Opening Rates and Points

Bookings are now open for the Hilton Singapore Orchard, with the earliest stay dates from 1 January 2022. There’s no need to rush, because I’m certain there’ll be opening specials lined up in the near future. 

In the meantime, room rates start from S$339++ (S$399 nett) for Hilton Honors members, and award nights from 60,000 points. That’s actually slightly pricier than the Conrad Centennial, and it’ll be interesting to see the dynamic between these two properties. In fact, if the Hilton Singapore Orchard plays its cards right, it might actually be able to punch above its weight. 

Curiously enough, both Deluxe and Premium Rooms are pricing at the same 60,000 points per night. 

Conclusion

I’m excited to see what the new-and-improved Hilton Singapore Orchard has in store, and if it’s anywhere as good as the renders, will be a very competitive offering indeed.

Stay tuned.