From US$110, inclusive of wifi and subject to 7% government tax and 10% service charge. Breakfast can be added on for $10 per person.
– Fantastic restaurant and bar on ground floor
– Rooms aren’t large, but don’t feel cramped
In any big city, it’s nice to be in a hotel with some character. Singapore’s Hotel G is one of those hotels. It’s a little bit Paris and a little bit New York, right in central Singapore, a few blocks from the Bencoolen subway station.
Arriving, we initially weren’t sure if we had the right place. Hotel G doesn’t have a traditional ground floor lobby. Instead, guests enter through an area connected to a popular bar and restaurant. Up a few steps and then a short elevator ride, the lobby is on the second floor. Cool hats and vintage cameras are on display here and downstairs, giving a hint to Hotel G’s chic decor.
Those interested in food will be especially interested in a stay at Hotel G. Breakfast, at Ginett Restaurant & Wine Bar, is very much worth upgrading from the room-only rate. It includes eggs cooked to order and an extensive buffet of Asian and western dishes, including (my favourite) proper croissants and pain au chocolat. Service is exceptional. As an example, we noted that the soy milk (how nice to even have milk options!) needed replacing. A server instantly brought a perfect hand-drawn latte from the bar over, with no need for us to return to the espresso machine (which also made quality coffees).
Ginett is also the place to go for a glass of wine in the afternoon or evening, and for lunch and dinner too. The restaurant has a wine selection that you’d expect in North America or Europe rather than Asia and, even more unusually, an extensive cheese and charcuterie selection too. Sit in the bar, or, if you need to get a little work done, in an area next to the bar with your glass of wine and your laptop (yes, with power outlets and wifi provided). Next door and also part of the hotel is another dining choice, 25 Degrees Burger & Liquor Bar, with sister outlets that are very popular in Los Angeles and Bangkok.
Hotel G has 308 rooms of four types, all city-sized but designed to make the most of the space. Good Rooms are 13 to 15 square meters, Great Rooms are 16 to 18 square meters, and Greater Rooms are 27 square meters. The Family Rooms consist of two interconnected Good Rooms. The chic decor is minimalist — padded leather headboards against walls papered to look like cement, with a feathered chandelier overhead. There’s room to work at the desk and even plenty of space for some morning yoga stretches on the laminate wood floor.
The compact bathrooms have an overhead and handheld shower, separated from the toilet by a curtain. The sink is in the main part of the bedroom. Bath amenities are by the Australian brand METIS. There’s a small area for hanging clothes, and space under the bed to slide a suitcase next to the safe drawer.
Though the hotel is popular for staycation weekends as well as for international travellers, those without a local SIM card will appreciate borrowing the smartphone provided in-room to help them find their way while exploring Singapore’s highlights.
Hotel G also has a well-equipped fitness centre, decorated in chic vintage style like the rest of the hotel. Each floor has a hot and cold water dispenser too. Singapore’s tap water is potable, but it’s nice to be able to refill a bottle with cold water and avoid adding more plastic to the planet.
