It was my meeting with the dynamic Alex Barnett, Acting Head of Commercial, Seibu Prince Hotels Worldwide during an event in Singapore, that I got a chance to explore the group. Headquartered in Japan and with more than 80 locations across the globe it’s fast becoming a worldwide brand and a force to reckon in the hospitality segment.

Alex was kind enough to invite me to cover his hotels globally whenever I am in that part of the world. So when my invite came to cover Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF), I decided to use this opportunity to cover Park Regis by Prince Singapore. Coordinating with Alex, who in turn connected me to the hotels GM, Anthony Phillips.

Arriving early morning into Singapore, the airport pick up was all ready for my arrival.  A pleasant 30 minute’s drive, conversing with the driver and getting some local insights I reached the hotel.  The check-in was quick with a very attentive reception.

Park Regis by Prince Singapore is a stylish 4-star Singapore hotel with lots of greenery. Located in the bustling Clarke Quay district, close to two MRT (metro) stations, I found the location of the hotel very convenient.  A short walk over the pedestrian bridge is Clark Quay with plenty of bars and restaurants including Indian restaurants.

The hotel has 203 guest rooms. The GM, Anthony Phillips and Shaun Chan, Director of Marketing took me on a tour of the property. “We have recently refurbished all our rooms. Spread across seven floors we have various categories of rooms with a few providing direct access to our resort-style pool with waterfall. You may have also noticed that our rooms have plenty of natural light,” said Anthony Phillips. With 25 years of experience in hotels and resorts globally, Anthony’s breadth of operational expertise right from food & beverage, hotel operations, nurturing talent and motivational management is clearly visible as you interact with him. He recently moved into a Global Operations role overseeing hotels in Australia, Singapore, Indonesia and India.

The GM was kind enough to provide me with a Studio Suite King that had lots of natural daylight and a view of the cascading water and the pool. The in-room amenities includes a personalised yoga mat (yoga sessions are offered on Tuesday and Thursday), a Nespresso coffee machine, and an assortment of tea selections for in-room refreshment. As an eco-conscious hotel, the Studio Suite King is equipped with hot and cold filtered drinking water dispensers (this truly saves wastage of water and use of plastic bottles), which I feel hotels in India should start implementing.

What caught my attention was the open shelving in my room. Having been to 800+ hotels I have noticed the trend of open shelving in hotel rooms is growing providing modern aesthetics thus creating a more airy, boutique feel while also focusing on space optimization.  For some lack of storage (no drawers) space can be an issue.  “Smart storage solutions – an open wardrobe, shelves, hanging spaces will be the future. Also if you notice there are two closed shelves at the top. These have all the wiring systems, giving it an aesthetic look,” said Anthony. The hotel truly uses cutting-edge technology including the wooden keys.

The breakfast has a great selection of fresh food and great bakery items. They have a fully-equipped gym, exclusive meeting rooms – an exclusive pillar less meeting room accommodating up to 50 guests. The pool looks tempting especially in warm weather – an ideal place to chill or have a swim.