First look: Oasia Resort Sentosa (former Le Meridien) to open September 2021

In October 2020, the Le Meridien Sentosa announced that it would cease operations and terminate its management contract with Marriott International. Far East Hospitality took over operations, and the hotel was renamed Oasia Resort Sentosa. 

Oasia Resort Sentosa marks Far East’s first attempt at operating a resort-style hotel, with 191 rooms and suites across a three-storey heritage building and a six-storey annex. The hotel missed its original opening date of Q2 2021, but is now taking reservations from 1 September 2021 onwards. 

American Express Platinum cardholders can enjoy a special opening rate of S$688 nett for two nights in a Junior Suite, complete with breakfast, a spa treatment for two and a one-way limo transfer. 

Oasia Resort Sentosa: Overview

The Oasia Resort Sentosa is located at 23 Beach View, next to the Imbiah monorail station and within walking distance to attractions like Madame Tussauds and Universal Studios Singapore. 

This property originally opened in the mid-1990s as the Sijori Resort Sentosa, a hotel-cum-members club. It was then redeveloped into the Treasure Resort Hotel in 2007, before Swiss hospitality firm Movenpick took over management in 2010 and redubbed it the Movenpick Heritage Hotel. Marriott International assumed management in 2016 through its Le Meridien brand all the way till October 2020. 

Oasia Resort Sentosa will be added to Far East Hospitality’s triumvirate of hotels on the island. With the group already having properties for families (Village Hotel), young couples (Outpost Hotel) and luxury travelers (Barracks Hotel), Oasia Resort Sentosa occupies that nebulously-defined “wellness” space. 

Just what does that mean? In the words of the hotel:

Guests will have the opportunity to experience a wellness lifestyle encompassing not just a spa treatment, but healthy eating, fitness routines, mind-body practices, as well as connecting with nature. Wellness journals, self-care checklists, and access to a collection of guided meditation audio are amongst the many items that are made available for guests during their stay

Activities include morning Qi Gong and evening yoga classes, Les Mills virtual workouts, nutrition classes with Asmara, “wellness hours” with a focus on self-care, and a digital detox hour (do they turn off the hotel’s Wi-Fi?). 

Oasia Resort Sentosa: Rooms

The 191 rooms at Oasia Resort Sentosa are split into the following categories:

Rooms are spread across the three-storey Imbiah wing (a conserved heritage building) and the six-storey Palawan wing (a new-build annex). Standard amenities include 43/50-inch Smart LED TVs (pretty small for this day and age), bathroom amenities from Biology Smart Skincare, and teas from Pryce Tea. 

The lead-in category consists of 30 sqm Deluxe Rooms, located on levels 2-6 of the Palawan Wing. 

The 40sqm Premier Rooms are located on levels 2-3 of the Imbiah Wing. They feature a separate living area compared to the Deluxe Rooms, dual sinks, and Lavazza capsule coffee machines. 

Junior Suites are on levels 2 and 3 of the Imbiah Wing and measure in at 48 sqm. Guests can choose five items for their wellness minibar (versus three in the lower categories), with complimentary still and sparkling water. 

Regular Suites located on levels 3-5 of the Palawan Wing with partial sea views. The 61 sqm space has room for up to two extra beds, and TVs get boosted to the 50-inch range. 

The very popular Onsen Spa Suites from the erstwhile Le Meridien have been rebranded simply as Spa Suites, and retain their outdoor patio and jacuzzi. The 63 sqm rooms are located on level 2 of the Palawan Wing.

Truth be told, the rooms don’t look very different from how they did when this property was a Le Meridien, and you’d be hard-pressed to tell if any renovations have been done. In fact, some of the styling already looks a bit dated to me, with the wood-heavy decor reminding me of the Grand Hyatt Singapore. 

I suspect that’s why the TVs still measure a minute 43-inches in some rooms (probably the standard when the hotel last got refurbished), and why there’s a lack of bedside USB charging ports. 

Oasia Resort Sentosa: Facilities

The Oasia Resort Sentosa has a 22.5-metre infinity pool (it’s on the ground floor, so don’t expect much of a view), 24-hour gym and a spa. Surprisingly, this will be Far East’s only Sentosa property with a spa- something that guests at the Barracks and Outpost were no doubt missing. 

Oasia Spa is the first in Southeast Asia and Oceania to carry KOTOSHINA products (a luxury skincare brand from Kyoto), and offers treatments like cryotherapy facial and bamboo scrubs. The meditation lounge within the spa uses Medklinn Cerafusion Technology to recreate forest bathing therapy, inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku.

While the Oasia Hotel Downtown and Novena have club lounges, there won’t be a similar facility at the Oasia Resort Sentosa. Instead, all guests will have access to the Wellness Lounge which serves teas and dehydrated fruits (joy), and cocktails by Grobrix.

No, Grobix isn’t some underground speakeasy bar, it’s an aeroponic indoor growing system for organic vegetables. There’s just something about this hotel that reminds me of the bar scene from Spectre…

Oasia Resort Sentosa: Food and Beverage

Oasia Resort’s signature restaurant is called Bedrock Origin, the sister restaurant of the award-winning Bedrock Bar & Grill at the Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Orchard. 

I love Bedrock Bar & Grill, and would go so far as to call it one of the best steakhouses in Singapore (they serve the most amazing bread with a bulb of oven-roasted garlic). However, if you’re hoping for hearty cuts of meat, you might be disappointed.

Staying true to Bedrock Bar & Grill’s philosophy of keeping things simple, Bedrock Origin is all about celebrating the best produce from land and sea and cooking it over fire. However, whereas Bedrock Bar & Grill was founded and built upon the vision of serving up the finest steak cuts, Bedrock Origin has a wellness-focused menu using fresh local ingredients and offers lighter dishes throughout the day.

Lighter dishes sounds vaguely blasphemous for a restaurant with the pedigree of Bedrock, but we’ll see.

Oasia Resort Sentosa: Opening Rates

Oasia Resort Sentosa will soft open on 1 September 2021 with just the Imbiah Wing in operation, i.e. only Premier Rooms and Junior Suites will be available initially. 

Flexible room-only rates for Premier Rooms and Junior Suites start from S$333 nett and S$433 nett per night respectively, although if you book two nights you can enjoy the Oasian Escape package from S$588 nett that includes:

• Daily breakfast for 2 adults
• Choice of 1 Oasia Spa treatment per stay (worth S$300):
  • 60-minute Oasia Signature Massage for 2 
  • 60-minute Spa Ritual Scalp Massage and Foot Massage for 2
  • 30-minute Jojoba & Bamboo Scrub for 2     
  • Kotoshina Facial with Cryro Facial Add-on for 1   
  • Kotoshina Facial and 60-minute Massage for 1
• Personalised wellness amenities including Oasia Herbal tea, choice of 5 items for Wellness Minibar, natural handmade scented balm by Oasia Spa, and Oasia Wellness Journal
• One-way arrival limousine transfer
• Complimentary unlimited Wellness Activities
• Up to 25% off participating F&B outlets, Sentosa attractions & Oasia Spa

Registering for the free-to-join membership program gets you a further Lululemon yoga mat and a S$100 return voucher for your next visit to the Oasia Spa or Oasia Resort Sentosa. This package must be booked and stayed by 30 November 2021. 

From 1 November 2021, the Palawan Wing starts accepting bookings for Deluxe Rooms (S$248 nett), Suites (S$504 nett) and Spa Suites (S$599 nett). 

Oasia isn’t part of any hotel loyalty program, so there won’t be opportunities to earn or redeem points for a stay. 

Special opening offer for AMEX Platinum cardholders

AMEX Platinum Credit Card, Platinum Reserve and Platinum Charge cardholders can enjoy a 2-night staycation in a Junior Suite at S$688 nett on weekdays and S$788 nett on weekends. This comes with the following inclusions:

• Daily breakfast for 2 adults
• Choice of 1 Oasia Spa treatment per stay (worth S$300):
  • 60-minute Oasia Signature Massage for 2 
  • 60-minute Spa Ritual Scalp Massage and Foot Massage for 2
  • 30-minute Jojoba & Bamboo Scrub for 2     
  • Kotoshina Facial with Cryro Facial Add-on for 1   
  • Kotoshina Facial and 60-minute Massage for 1
• 1 exclusive set of Oasia Signature Teas 
• Personalised wellness amenities including Oasia Herbal Tea, choice of 5 items for Wellness Minibar, natural handmade scented balm by Oasia Spa, and Oasia Wellness Journal 
• Complimentary unlimited Wellness activities 
• One-way arrival limousine transfer  
• S$100 off your next stay at Oasia Resort Sentosa, The Barracks Hotel, The Outpost Hotel or Village Hotel Sentosa 
• Up to 25% off participating F&B outlets, Sentosa attractions and Oasia Spa 

It’s basically the same inclusions as the Oasian Escape, with a room that’s one-tier higher and S$100 nett more expensive. 

This is valid for reservations booked from 1 August to 30 November 2021, with stays from 1 September to 30 November 2021. 

Reservations can be made via this link, using the promo code AMEXEXCLUSIVE. Bookings are fully refundable up to 24 hours before arrival. 

American Express and Far East Hospitality have historically had a close relationship- AMEX Platinum Charge members received a complimentary stay at Outpost Hotel soon after it opened, and Centurion members have received complimentary stays at The Barracks and Clan Hotel. 

Maybe cardholders can look forward to something in their mail?

Conclusion

I never visited this property in any of its former iterations, but will make it a point to check out the Oasia Resort Sentosa. I’ve tentatively booked the AMEX offer (it’s refundable anyway), so look out for a report to come shortly.

Anyone else planning to be there on opening day?