Hello everyone – welcome back to another of my reviews. In today’s article, I’ll be reviewing my stay at Hotel G.
I’ve always been intrigued by Hotel G – it seems to personify the boutique hotel concept. There’s a youthful vibe to its branding, and its rooms aren’t particularly expensive as well. It also has two well-reviewed restaurants on its premises, namely French restaurant Ginett and burger bar 25 Degrees. As such, I decided to book a stay to try it out.
Hotel G – Video Review
For those interested in viewing some hands-on footage of my stay, do check out my Youtube review of Hotel G below:
Hotel G – The Brand
Hotel G is an international chain, with properties in cities such as Bangkok, Hong Kong, Perth, San Francisco, Shenzhen, and more. The local establishment first opened its doors in 2013, and underwent a renovation in 2016. With a total of 308 rooms, Hotel G Singapore is actually quite a big property, with a significantly higher occupancy capacity than similar boutique hotels such as Hotel Nuve Urbane and Santa Grand East Coast Hotel. In fact, it has more rooms than One Farrer Hotel.
Traveloka is currently running a weekday package with Hotel G, where a Good Room Queen can be had for less than $100. The rate includes breakfast at 25 Degrees and a late 2 pm checkout, which makes it a pretty good deal for a chic four-star hotel. The hotel describes itself as “the quintessential Lifestyle hotel, custom designed to reflect the cosmopolitan rhythms and dynamism of the tiny island nation of Singapore” – with such chim words, I had to book a stay to see if it’s worth its salt.
Hotel G – Check-in
Hotel G is located in Middle Road, which is a short walk away from Bencoolen, Bugis and Rochor MRT.
Curiously, the entrance to Hotel G is on the second floor. If you’re taking a Grab/taxi, do let your driver know that the drop-off point is actually on the second floor, which is accessible via the carpark.
As typical of a boutique hotel, the lobby of Hotel G is rather small. It does manage to convey a chic vibe though, with pop art on the walls, a swing in the corner, and potted plants mounted on the wall – very cafe like. As I checked in on a weekday, there was little to no queue and I was assigned a room within minutes. I was actually given an upgrade to the slightly more spacious Great Room King, which was a welcomed surprise.
Upon exiting the lift, the corridors continued the industrial-chic aesthetic of the lobby, with cute wallpapers adorning the walls. It definitely made for a good first impression, and made me excited about the room.
Hotel G – Great Room King
The Great Room King features the exact same configuration as the Good Room Queen, with the exception of being slightly more spacious (16 sqm compared to 13 sqm).
The Great Room King features an elongated design, giving the room a sense of depth. Contemporary wooden flooring and walls complement the chic vibe of the hotel.
Being relatively cosy at 16sqm, a few of the more traditional furniture has been cut from the room to save space. Instead of the usual wardrobe beside the door, guests of Hotel G get a simple rack instead with a few wooden hangers. As can be seen from the photo above, the clothing rack is quite small, and can only hold a maximum of 4 pieces of clothing at once. Next to it is a large mirror where guests can check themselves out before heading out. Personally, I would have preferred a smaller mirror but a larger clothing rack.
The refreshments are rather ordinary, courtesy of Nescafe. There’s a kettle for guests to boil water, although packet water are also provided in a more sustainable touch. I like the minimalist appearance of the coffee mugs – it’s a nice touch that is thematically congruent with the rest of the chic room. However, there’s no fridge, which was a conspicuous absence.
The Great Room King comes with a wooden work desk. The desk is of a decent size – not the most spacious, but I made do. I like the sturdy feel of the wooden desk, and while the chair was no Herman Miller, it was comfortable enough for short periods of sitting. There’s also a tissue box, pen and paper, and an analog phone on the desk. I quite like the wooden board, where multiple useful cards are pinned – including a handwritten greetings card that welcomed guests to the room. Once again, it’s a small detail that reinforces the youthful vibe of the hotel.
My only knock is the lack of ports – there’s only one power port available, and no HDMI/Audio/Ethernet ports to be found. For a contemporary, young hotel, the absence of such connectivity ports is head-scratching.
However, I do like the smart use of space – the safe is integrated into the bed frame, while there’s a hollowed-out compartment for guests to store their luggage/bags. Like the clothing rack, it’s not the most spacious (if you’re travelling with bulky cases of luggage they probably won’t fit) but I found that it fitted two duffel bags nicely.
The King-size bed was comfortable – plush but not overly soft. It wasn’t outstanding, but I had a good night rest on the mattress so no complaints here. The pillows were comfortable too. I quite like the quilted headboard, which adds a tad of sophistication to the bed. There’s also a ceiling lamp that doubles as a bedside/desk lamp.
What I really liked was how evident Hotel G’s industrial-chic design was. From the faux-granite wallpaper, to the dreamcatcher lamp hanging above the bed, as well as the pop art hanging on the wall – all these touches really came together to reflect the dynamic and idiosyncratic nature of the hotel. A lot of hotels refer to themselves as “boutique” hotels, but few have such strong aesthetic touches that set them apart from their competition.
The TV is a 32-inch smart LG TV. The picture quality was decent, and I had no issues connecting it to my laptop to watch some Netflix in bed. Another small touch I liked was how the TV instantly turned on the moment I entered the room (and placed the keycard in the power slot) and started playing music from the hotel’s playlist. This set the ambience literally from the moment I step foot into the room. I have to say, the music (which veered more towards indie, folk acoustic genres) was pretty good too – whoever curated it has good taste.
The Great Room King has windows, but they can’t be opened. There’s not much of a view anyway, but at least it allows for plenty of natural light to filter in.
Moving on to the bathroom, although it has solid walls it still uses a glass sliding door, something that’s common in more affordable “boutique” hotels such as Hotel Nuve Urbane for example. Unfortunately, the door can’t be locked, so if you’re not that close with the person you’re staying with this might be a bit of a privacy concern.
The bathroom is rather small, and divided equally into the toilet and shower sections. The toilet is a traditional cistern one, and unfortunately there’s no bidet – a miss in my opinion, given the dynamic and sustainable vibe of the hotel. However, I do like the marble walls, which gives the bathroom a refined, contemporary look.
Furthermore, I also enjoyed the Grohe rain shower. The water pressure was great, and I had a long hot shower with no problems. The handheld showerhead was good as well, with multiple settings. The only knock is that the shower area is on the smaller side, and can only comfortably fit one – couples planning to take romantic showers together will not find this ideal.
The toiletries provided are from METIS, an Australian luxury brand. Given the affordability of Hotel G, this is a significant perk – METIS toiletries can also be found at Parkroyal Collection Pickering, where rooms go for double, if not triple the price.
Given the cramped nature of the bathroom, the sink is located on the outside. Once again, this is a feature commonly seen in smaller rooms (such as Lloyd’s Inn, for example). I’m not a fan of this concept as it means that you will be touching the sliding door, etc with dirty hands after using the loo – not the most sanitary arrangement, in my opinion.
METIS soap is provided to clean your dirty hands though.
Hotel G doesn’t skimp on the toiletries, with dental and vanity kits, shower cap, body lotion, and even alcohol wipes provided.
In-room slippers and a hairdryer are also provided, both aesthetically packaged in minimalistic bags. There’s a power socket next to the sink (presumably for guests to plug the hairdryer in), but I actually used it for the kettle since it’s actually the only other power socket in the room (the other being the one next to the desk). I definitely would have appreciated more power sockets.
Hotel G – Amenities
Unfortunately, Hotel G doesn’t have a pool, which is a bummer. However, it does have a gym.
I’m not sure if it’s by accident or design, but Hotel G’s gym was dark – like spooky dark. The above photo was snapped with me maxing out all the lighting options. Unlike the room, there was no speaker in the gym playing music, which would have made the gym less creepy.
Hotel G describes its gym as being vintage-inspired, and the decor certainly reflects that. Equipment-wise, the gym has free weights, a couple of machines, and your usual treadmills/stationary bicycles. It’s no Parkroyal Collection Pickering, but it’s still miles better than Hotel Royal.
There is a leather punching bag in the corner, which I actually really enjoyed using. I think this is the first time I’ve seen an actual punching bag in a hotel gym, and the novelty resulted in it being the focus of my workout. It’s a nice touch that perhaps reflects the younger clientele of the hotel.
Hotel G – Service
The service of Hotel G was pleasant. Many of the staff at the front desk seemed to be in their twenties, but that translated more towards youthful energy, rather than inexperience. The receptionist I encountered was kind enough to give me a complimentary upgrade, so no complaints there. Requests made for more toiletries/water were promptly fulfilled as well.
There were also other small touches that elevated the hospitality of Hotel G. For example, there’s a spot the difference contest on the lift doors, where guests can win a pair of drink (wine/beer/non-alcoholic drinks) coupons to be redeemed at either Ginett or 25 Degrees. Who doesn’t like free drinks?
Conclusion – so Hotel G “shiok” or not?
To me, Hotel G personifies the boutique hotel experience. Yes, there were some shortcomings – the room isn’t the biggest, and because of size constraints, certain amenities (such as a fridge, a cupboard, or luggage space) were lacking. But those are minor annoyances that didn’t detract substantially from the overall experience. Hotel G succeeded in conveying its dynamic vibe, which is evident from the service staff to the design of the room. The room was clean too, and there were several aspects that actually punched above its price point, such as the METIS toiletries and the Grohe rain shower. For less than $100 (including late checkout and breakfast), Hotel G is a solid value proposition for those seeking a more unique staycation experience. And for those wondering, the food at Ginett and 25 Degrees are superb as well – both are my regular haunts.
Those interested in booking a stay can do so on the Traveloka app. Traveloka constantly has some sort of ongoing promotions, with prices so ridiculously low that I’ve personally booked about 90% of my staycations on Traveloka. Just for my readers, you guys can use the promo code “WAHTVLKSRV” (if you’re using SRV) and “WAHTVLK” (non-SRV) for 10% off any hotels bookings (up to $30 off, with a minimum spending of $100) for new users and $5 off any hotels bookings (with a minimum spending of $50) for existing users. The codes are valid till the end of 2022. Here’s a pro tip: keep a lookout for Traveloka’s Weekend Flash Sales which occurs every Friday to Sunday for the lowest prices! However, this post is not sponsored – I paid my own dime to book and review my staycations.
Hotel G Location:
200 Middle Rd, Singapore 188980
P.S Do check out the new “Discounts!” page for exclusive discounts for Wah so Shiok readers! More brands will be added very soon – stay tuned!
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P.S.S.S Shiok is a common word Singaporeans use to express admiration or approval. As of 2016, you can find the definition of the word in the Oxford English Dictionary.
