Hotel JEN Tanglin Staycation Review – May 2022

I recently went on a 3D2N staycation at Hotel JEN Tanglin with Mr Bao to celebrate a couple of milestones. The biggest of which is our graduation from our undergraduate studies! Yes, I’ve officially completed four years in university and will be collecting my certificates soon.

Booking process and Pre Check-in

We booked the staycation sometime in mid-March, before many of Singapore’s border restrictions were lifted in May. After looking through Klook (a third-party travel site for hotels, attractions, etc.) for some deals, we settled on Hotel JEN Tanglin as it topped our list of value-for-money options.

We eventually booked through the hotel website as the prices were the same or similar. I preferred booking direct as any booking issues would be more easily resolved. Another facet to consider is that Hotel JEN is part of the Shangri-La Golden Circle Frequent Guests Programme.

Booking direct entitles members to additional perks like collating points and unlocking vouchers. Gold is the most basic tier that is free to join. Even as someone booking for the first time, I could start earning points right away. However, this is ultimately a preference issue so feel free to look around at third party sites to see if you can find better deals.

Once we had registered and booked the rooms, I saved the confirmation screen in case I didn’t get the email. There was a special requests box in the booking form, so I noted that we were going to be celebrating a couple of milestones as part of our stay. We received a response stating that “special amenities” will be provided. That was pretty exciting so this kept me and Mr Bao’s spirits up while we completed the last leg of our university journey.

About a week before the staycation, I received emails from hotel JEN offering options to “personalise” our stay. In this case, it was mostly just a list of their food and amenities offerings. They also offered a room upgrade to a city view for about $30. Mr Bao and I weren’t so picky about the view so we didn’t go with the upgrade.

Check-in process

The check-in time was listed as 2pm but we were 30 minutes early. While we were allowed to start the check-in process, we were advised that our rooms may not be ready yet. The check-in process itself was fairly smooth. To confirm our reservation, I just had to provide my identification.

Something that we didn’t consider as first-time staycation planners is that hotels usually ask for a credit card they can hold. The regular procedure is for guests to put a deposit down for any damages found after the stay, or when guests want to charge things to their room. Since neither of us had credit cards, the hotel charged our debit card directly. For other services or amenities, we had to pay as and when we used them. So while slightly less convenient, it wasn’t a huge issue.

Room and Amenities

Tour and Review

For the room itself, the décor is reminiscent of the bygone 2015 hipster era, complete with the iconic handlebar moustache and Pinterest cushions. Despite that, the warm lighting and furniture makes the small room feel cosy. On the right of the entryway is a large wardrobe with a few clothes hangers, a safe, two pairs of room slippers, and a bag for laundry services. I would recommend trying on the room slippers even if you don’t usually use them because they were divine! They were so soft and kept my feet warm and clean. Mr Bao found them a bit too small for him though.

Next to the wardrobe is a seat which we used to store our luggage and duffel bag. On the left of the entryway, behind a sliding door, is the bathroom with a toilet, a sink, and a standing shower. The dry area in the bathroom is quite small, so when towelling off, remember to close the lid to prevent your towel from taking a dip. 😜

The bathroom amenities include toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, body wash, and conditioner. They also provide a floor towel, a hand towel, and lush bath towels. The room’s hair dryer is attached to the wall next to the sink by a short cord.

One issue we had was finding a place to dry our towels or wet swimwear. We didn’t want to hang them in the closet and let them drip all over the floor or carpentry. We couldn’t hang them in the bathroom since there was only one hook in there and no other bars to hang stuff on. In the end, we placed the hangers on a ledge above the luggage area. It would have been nice to have a retractable clothesline in the bath area for wet clothes like swimwear or small items guests want to hang dry.

Next to the bathroom is a floor to ceiling tinted mirror you can use to check your fit. Opposite that is the small bar area. There is a small fridge that can hold a decent amount of drinks and fruits but it seemed closer to a chiller temperature. There is a rather non-descript coffee drawer which Mr Bao eventually figured out. For some reason, I thought it was a fancy spring loaded drawer so I just kept pushing on it waiting for it to spring open. Turns out it was just a regular pull-out drawer. 😂

Moving into the room proper, there is a bed with just enough room on the side closer to the entryway for someone to walk through. The linens are clean and the duvet is quite thick. Four bed pillows are provided though they’re all the same type of soft feather pillow. Opposite the bed is the TV which we used to cast shows on. The visual and audio quality were both decent and made chilling in the room much more enjoyable.

On the side of the bed closer to the window is another bedside table with an alarm clock and a phone. Next to it is a small moveable tray table which can be used while sitting on the bed or next to the bay window. The bay window was the most surprising feature of the room. It was a comfortable and cosy sofa-style nook that overlooked a great view.

The hotel has a total of 18 floors and our room was on the 12th floor. We had a view of the hotel pool, which was handy for checking crowd levels and current weather. It also has an unblocked view overlooking the landed area and a bit of the city. I would recommend skipping the upcharge for the city view room. Even though I’ve not stayed in them, there is a building of a similar height directly opposite those rooms so I think the views will not be as good as the pool view.

The last feature of the room is the tall work desk and the accompanying hybrid armchair-bar stool. The desk has a lamp and some drawers. There were plenty of power outlets at the desk and around the room, along with a couple of USB ports as well.

Room for improvement

There were only two small hiccups with the room. Firstly, we were assigned a different bed configuration from what we requested. We had booked a twin room but were assigned a king room. To avoid this issue, it might be best to ask for the bed configuration during the check-in process.

The second issue was that we were expecting some “amenities” as a welcome gift. Granted, there was a small care package on the work desk that included a portable bottle of hand sanitiser, one sachet of anti-bacterial wipes, and one disposable mask. However, we had come in with that expectation after the pre-arrival email response to our request. But even disregarding that, we had booked direct and as a basic Gold member of the Shangri-La Golden Circle Programme, fresh fruits are part of the welcome package. That was the only thing that was a little disappointing. However, I think there’s a possibility that they had planned to send up the fruit but turned back because I had turned on the “Do not disturb” button in the room for about 15 minutes while we unpacked.

Entertainment

The TV in the room is not a smart TV but we had brought our Google Chromecast so we could use our own streaming accounts. Once we got it up and running, it worked like a charm. It did take a short while for the show we were streaming to buffer, so give it maybe 10 – 15 minutes and it should get to a good quality.

If you’re planning on doing the same during your stay, you may find that the Chromecast has trouble connecting to the hotel Wi-Fi. We struggled with the Chromecast for a while before we decided to try a different method. Here’s how we got our set up to work.

Things you need:

• Google Chromecast
• Another internet-connected device like a laptop, tablet, or mobile phone

Steps:

1. Connect Google Chromecast to the TV using one of the HDMI ports on the side.
2. Plug the other end of Google Chromecast to the nearest power socket and turn it on.
3. Use the TV remote to turn on the TV and switch to the appropriate HDMI.
4. Turn on your other device, connect to the hotel Wi-Fi, and turn on the device’s hotspot.
5. Connect Google Chromecast to your device’s hotspot.
6. Stream away!

Breakfast Buffet Review

Our stay was inclusive of buffet breakfast for every night we were there. The restaurant is situated right behind the entrance and main lobby. The buffet was open from 6.30am to cater to the many business travellers staying in the hotel.

Food

There was a good mix of international and local dishes. The food was of a good standard but it wasn’t anything to shout about. Here are some of the dishes which I can remember.

Western or International

• Egg station (sunny side up, omelette with assorted vegetables, etc.)
• Regular pancakes (with butter or syrup)
• Roasted tomato with melted cheese
• Bread and pastries (with a toaster oven)
• Sauteed mushrooms
• Scrambled eggs
• Baked beans
• Hashbrown
• Chicken hotdog

Indian

• Prata with dal
• Idly with chutney/ Putu mayam with orange sugar (palm sugar)

Chinese/Local

• Xiao long bao (dumplings)/ siew mai and har gao (shrimp dumplings)
• Char siew bao (steamed meat buns)/ Lian rong bao (lotus paste bun)
• Char kway teow/Bee hoon
• Plain/Chicken porridge with condiments
• Nasi Lemak with chicken rendang

Cold items

• Guava juice, orange juice
• Milk (Whole, low fat, skimmed) and assorted breakfast cereals
• Plain and flavoured yogurt
• Bircher muesli
• Fresh cut fruits
• Salad bar

Beverages

• Coffee machine
• Tea dispenser (ready-brewed regular tea)
• Assorted teabags (a small pitcher of milk was provided at every table) and a hot water dispenser

Service and ambience

It was a chill service, the seats were comfortable, and I could eat my breakfast peacefully. The restaurant staff were prompt, friendly, and helpful. In particular, the chef at the egg station was jovial and greeted all the guests who walked by. He was conscientious, switching to Mandarin when he thought we didn’t understand him. Overall, he managed the station well and projected a positive image.

Facilities Review

The hotel pool was largely 1.2m deep but has a gradual descent lengthwise to a depth of 1.6m at one of the ends of the pool. Towels can be loaned from the helpdesk at the gym, which is right next to the pool. When you’re done with your swim, return the towels to a designated laundry bin on the pool deck. The pool also provides some life jackets and inflatable pool toys for both adults and kids to use. It’s a fun addition and not something I’ve ever seen at a hotel before.

Special mention to the lifts in the hotel. The six lifts at the lobby mean we waited at most 10 seconds for a lift every time. Additionally, before the lift even reaches your floor, there is a light and sound to signal where you should wait. I wish this were a feature everywhere as this eliminates the usual awkward rush to find which lift has arrived.

The hotel also had a robot that was parked in the main lobby. We saw it in action and interestingly, it managed to take the lift on its own. I’m not sure what the robot is used for but it’s likely for room service or other small items requested by guests.

Location

Hotel JEN Tanglin is situated right at one end of Orchard road. While it’s further away from some attractions or malls compared to other hotels located in the heart of town, it’s important to remember that Singapore is still very small. The closest MRT station is about a 15 minute walk away, but there are also several bus stops only a three minute walk from the hotel. With these options, you’re only a stone’s throw away from the heart of town, Marina Bay, and the surrounding areas. But if you prefer the hustle and bustle of Orchard Road, you can consider Hotel JEN Somerset, which is the sister branch situated above the 313 Somerset shopping mall.

Hotel JEN Tanglin is directly linked to Tanglin mall, which has a huge supermarket that boasts a bakery, a salad bar, and even a cooked meats section. There are quite a number of eateries in the mall and a Starbucks for coffee fiends. If you’ve forgotten any travel essentials, you can also check out the Guardian pharmacy. There is also a 7-Eleven that operates 24/7 in case you get a midnight craving during your stay.

Nearby attractions include a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Singapore Botanic Gardens. If you’re interested in food for a special occasion, we would personally recommend trying out Open Farm Community.

Overall Verdict

Both Mr Bao and I think that the hotel is good value-for-money. The functional and clean facilities, decent buffet breakfast, and proximity to town make this a choice hotel for staycationers and tourists alike. It’s close enough to tourist attractions while still retaining a sense of zen in a city that never sleeps.

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