We have just stayed at the Mandarin Oriental and I agree with the other reviews it is indeed a fabulous hotel very calm and relaxed.
We stayed in a club room and it was well and truly worth the extra dollars. Our check in was friendly and efficient and we were taken to the club where we had a great pot of tea while the staff checked that our room was ready.
Our room was on the 20th floor with a marina view simply wonderful. Plenty of room, a fabulous big, comfortable bed with a doona, big comfy pillows and a wardrobe with plenty of hanging space including lovely fluffy white gowns and slippers.
We chose to stay in a club room to enjoy all the extras, particularly the late check out, as our flight did not leave until 9pm. The club became a special place where we could enjoy a quiet pot of tea and a bite to eat and of course some fabulous cocktails and canapés each evening. We were always made welcome by the great staff.
I celebrated a birthday during our stay and the Mandarin Oriental surprised me with a birthday cake and the club staff all sang “Happy Birthday” it really made my birthday special.
The front of house staff were wonderful, always ready with a smile and the concierge very helpful with directions and arranging tours.
We used the services of the Oriental Spa and both agree that it was the best spa treatment we have so far experienced.
We will definitely be making the Mandarin Oriental our hotel of choice the next time we are in Singapore.

Stayed at the MO Singapore for 3 days. The Location of the hotel was great, right on the harbor with great views of the city. The hotel is also just a few steps from a large shopping mall. The only negative about the location is that it was quite far from a subway station. However it is possible to stay in air conditioned comfort going through a series of underground interlinking malls. This is key since Singapore is really hot and humid and you will be sweating in no time if you are walking above ground in the hot sun. The check in at the hotel was very quick and efficient. Staff was very friendly and helpful. The hotel contains a Morton's steakhouse for those who like quality steaks. The buffet breakfast was great with many choices including indian, japanese and malaysian cuisine and includes a station for just about any type of food--cereals, breads, fruits, omelettes, cheese, etc. We were given a room with a wonderful view of the harbor and the city. The room was impeccably decorated, the bathroom large with a tub and shower with views of the city, the bed comfortable and included an entertainment center with surround sound speakers. We loved this hotel.

As a local resident in Singapore, I decided to stay at the MO to watch the preview of the nation's National Day parade. As it was a busy weekend on Aug 2-3rd, the hotel was certainly put to the test in service standards. I was pretty perturbed when I reached the hotel for a check-in at 3pm and realised that my room was still not ready for occupation. I was told to wait for 1.5hrs. I was merely told I was to be allocated a higher floor than I had originally booked but not given any form of compensation while I waited. The front desk could have given me a welcome drink and told me to take a rest in the club lounge while I waited. Does that mean I had to wait and check time and again till I was eventually allocated a room? No answers were given. Was this the kind of service standards I had expected from a top ranking tripadvisor hotel? What's more, such service standards strayed from the usual standards I would expect from a MO hotel ! I began to wonder if It was because I was a local resident and not an international guest and therefore not given priority in room allocation. I know that front desk was under a lot of pressure but my point was that they could have been better prepared to deal with such a tight and pressing condition. I had no choice but to store my luggage with concierge and go ahead for a swim at the pool while I waited. Along the way, I was put through some inconvenience as I was still afterall a hotel guest, with no room but using hotel facilities. I waited patiently till half past five and still there was no news from front desk. I decided to go downstairs to front desk and after much difficuly, they finally found me a room. My question is - If I did not go downstairs at 6pm to enquire, would it mean that I was simply forgotten and had to wait till 7pm to get my room when I should have been given at 3pm? That would mean that I would have to miss half the show at the Marina bayfront where the preview was happning - the only reason why I chose to check in at the MO as it was directly facing the bayfront. I even had to remind the front desk there was a need for some form of compensation for the time lost. I was rather shocked such reminders had to be given after reading reviews about the excellent service standards at MO Singapore ! Are local guests not guests of the hotel at all? I was only able to speak to the Duty Manager subsequently who proceeded to apologise and compensate me for my time lost. The next day, I also received a personal apology note and a box of chocolates.Perhaps this was only an isolated event about their lack in service standards.

The duty manager had superbly demonstrated the service standards of a top ranking hotel, so did the pool staff who remembered guests by name ( not all staff could do that ! ) as well as the some of frontline staff I met along the way. What I liked about the MO as compared to other hotels in Singapore is this - the huge buffet spread at MELT, the poolstaff who bend over backwards to provide excellent service and the awesome view of the harbour view rooms. Things to improve - service standards of front desk ,TV in rooms ( do consider changing to plasma or flat screen which the rest of the world is using ) and pl. treat all guests the same way, be it local or international. Although there was an unpleasant event I met during my stay, I still loved the MO Singapore, but do bear in mind that they should do better if they want to keep th top ranking on the tripadvisor website.

We stayed here in July 2008. The hotel is an exemplary place and my kids are now forever spoiled for breakfast buffets. From the warm greetings when one arrives to the over-the-top excellent service, the MO is what other hotels aspire to be. It is a true oasis of calm and peace in otherwise hectic Singapore.

What we liked/loved:

- the SERVICE-- OH MY GOD they were absolutely amazing. Second only to the Shangri La Bangkok but not by much !!

- the breakfast buffet is out of this world

- the rooms were small but beautiful (fresh orchids in multiple locations)

- the swimming pool on the 4th floor is really nice with great views

- the aircon is really nice --kept the room meat-locker cool :-)

- the overall look of the place -- very nice cool, Asian modern

- the location is fantastic --right in Marina area close to everything and right next to the Marina Sq shopping mall (!convenient with a great food court)

What we did not like/hated:

- Singapore's National Day celebrations were scheduled to be held right across the street. This meant loud booming practice sessions at 9am. The din was equivalent to a rock concert. OUCH!!

- For a super luxury hotel, I was surprised that the MO Singapore did not have those cool TOTO washlets, bidets etc. In fact the bathrooms were the only dated part of the hotel that I could discern. They need to update the bathrooms.

- Laundry is definitely tailored for the expense account set. This means that you could be out USD 300 for doing a family's worth of clothes. The MO should come up with some reasonable family plan for this. It is painful and annoying.



Overall we loved the place and will certainly stay again. We realize that Singapore is more a business hotel type spot rather than a resort type location but with a few tweaks the MO could move into the heavenly zone occupied by the Shangri La chain and some others. C'mon guys you can do it ! :-)

Two qualified thumbs up.