PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay Lifestyle Room Staycation Review

PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay in Singapore reopened in Dec 2020, following a $45m renovation from the former Marina Mandarin. Now operating under the Pan Pacific umbrella, the refurbished hotel champions a “Garden-in-a-Hotel” concept with its focus on sustainability but what does it really mean for guests?

Note: This stay was done in August 2021 when safe distancing measures were in place. Some arrangements and operations might have changed since the time I visited.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to Klook and Trip.com. I may get a commission if you purchase through my links but they are at no cost to you.

Stepping into the hotel

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If you’ve been to the former Marina Mandarin, you’ll find that the interior of the refurbished hotel is still distinctively Marina Mandarin. Its towering atrium space and sci-fi-like lift columns and corridors are so iconic that its influences are difficult to erase without a major overhaul.

However, once you get past the dramatic atrium design, you’ll start to appreciate the new touches by PARKROYAL; they’ve added indoor gardens throughout the lower floors in the atrium balancing the sci-fi core with elements of nature. Within this garden are organically-shaped nests, enclosed in spiraling strips of wood, that serve as semi-enclosed spaces for guests to relax in.

Overall, the introduction of the new elements made the otherwise aloof space pretty cozy, giving us a good first impression of the hotel.

Checking in to our Lifestyle Room

We booked our stay on a package called “Hearty Eats, Restful Stays” which included a breakfast and dinner buffet together with a one-night stay in their Lifestyle Room. The official check-in time at PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay is 3pm and check-out time is 12 noon.

We arrived before lunch on a Monday to check in to our room and managed to score an early check-in. Check-in counters are located at level 4 and look a tad like a futuristic garden, tying in with the overall vibe of the atrium. Check-in experience was relatively smooth though they had limited counters and we had to wait for a while.

Tour of the Lifestyle Room

Typical of the hotel rooms in Singapore, there’s a short hallway into the main abode flanked by a wardrobe and the entrance to the bathroom.

Once you get past the hallway, the spaciousness of the room stands out immediately. There’s generous space between the furniture to move around. I would think that their rooms are all similarly spacious as the Lifestyle room is only slightly bigger than their other non-suite rooms at 33-35m² vs 31-33m².

The key feature of the Lifestyle room is the reading nook with a daybed nestled in the middle of their floor-to-ceiling windows. Doors at either side open up to a small balcony but too bad our room looked out to the adjacent malls and roads so there wasn’t much of a view.

The rooms have been updated with motorized curtains for convenience and flooring has been redone to a lighter, more modern hue to give a brighter vibe as compared to its predecessor.

They didn’t scrimp on the space in the bathroom as well but the mash-up between the old and new was clearly more obvious here. The marbling on the walls and the shower facilities appear to have been retained, judging from some patina on the hinges.

The bathroom countertop and the tiling have been replaced and they have even installed a tap for filtered water. I really appreciated it for the convenience but the hygiene skeptic in me doubts that the toilet is the best place for it.

I don’t recall there was a minibar or any snacks offered but it’s hardly a deal-breaker since Marina Square was just next door. Basic amenities such as a kettle and a Nespresso machine were available too so good enough.

Overall, the Lifestyle room was a comfortable, spacious accommodation.

Rooms at PARKROYAL Marina Bay: Lifestyle room, Urban room, Signature Marina Bay room, or COLLECTION rooms?

In summary, their most economical tier is the Urban room. To get a guaranteed bathtub in the room, you need to go for at least the Lifestyle room. To get a guaranteed Marina Bay view, you can go for either the Signature Marina Bay rooms or the COLLECTION Marina Bay rooms.

Putting aside suites and family rooms, there are four types of rooms that will typically be sufficient for couples – Lifestyle room (as reviewed above), Urban room, Signature Marina Bay room, and the COLLECTION room.

Urban room is the most economical and frill-free of the four, at a comfortable size of 31-33m². Bathtubs are only in selected rooms and most of the rooms overlook Padang or city views, though there are some that look out to the Marina Bay area albeit on lower floors.

The Lifestyle room is slightly bigger with a daybed and bathtub, and the rooms look out to the city area. I haven’t come across any reviews on the lifestyle room looking out to the Marina Bay area so I’m going to assume there aren’t any until otherwise.

To get a guaranteed vista of the Marina Bay area, PARKROYAL has set aside their Signature Marina Bay rooms. They are typically located on the higher floors and come with bathtubs. The room size is also between 31-33m².

The next tier of rooms would be the COLLECTION rooms which will give you club access. Club lounge offers all-day refreshments, breakfast, afternoon tea, and evening cocktails. You also get additional privileges such as complimentary laundry/pressing services and late checkout at 2PM, subject to availability. For the rooms, you can choose between one with a Marina Bay view or a city view. The size of the room is actually similar to that of their Urban room and Signature Marina Bay rooms.

PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay restaurants and dining options

Peppermint

Our package “Hearty Eats, Restful Stays” was essentially a half-board promo that included buffet breakfast and dinner at PARKROYAL’s very own restaurant, Peppermint. The restaurant was very spacious and tastefully decorated. You will need to make reservations to dine in there if the meals are not already included in your hotel package.

The restaurant, despite appearing to be rather well-staffed, also had to operate on a lean menu and it felt like we had to wait a while to get the food. Ordering was done through a website (accessible by a QR code on the table) and there were perhaps about 6 categories with maybe 2 to 5 items per category for each meal, with breakfast having a leaner selection. We weren’t blown away by the spread but it was acceptable. Taste-wise was not exceptionally spectacular but still a satisfying meal with some breakout stars amid decent dishes.

There were a couple of vegetarian options as well, including a plant-based rogan josh and vegan sausages. The restaurant was also able to cook up a special vegetarian vermicelli dish  (which was fabulous) for my SO.

Urban farm at Peppermint

PARKROYAL stays true to its branding with an urban farm right next to the Peppermint restaurant that features a variety of herbs, fruits, and vegetables. Not too sure how much of it goes into the cuisine served at the restaurant but regardless, the outdoor farm was something different to experience during a staycation.

Other restaurants in PARKROYAL

There were also a number of other restaurants including Peach Blossoms – serving Cantonese fare, Sushi Jiro, two bars, and a Ruth’s Chris Steak House. We wanted to try the dim sum at Peach Blossoms but the restaurant was full. In these times, you really need reservations to dine in the more popular restaurants.

Other dining options

The good thing about staying at PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay is its proximity to major shopping malls such as Marina Square and Suntec City, both of which have excellent casual dining options that do not require reservations prior. We had one of our meals at Shake Shack. 😛

Swimming pool and other facilities

Swimming pool

The hotel features a 25 metre mineral water pool that looks out to the Marina Bay skyline, though slightly obstructed by low buildings near the floating platform area. It comes equipped with comfortable, wide daybeds and plenty of parasols to shield from the sunlight. There’s also a smaller pool just a distance away though it doesn’t seem to be anything special (such as a jacuzzi, maybe?).

I’ve read that the pool gets illuminated by thousands of LED lights at night to mimic the starlit skies but I didn’t manage to visit the pool then to see it for myself.

Gym and spin

There’s also a large gym with well-spaced, well-maintained equipment and machines. Next to it, there’s a smaller room with spin bikes which I’m not sure if it’s complimentary for guests to use.

Overall Staycation Experience at PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay

PARKROYAL Marina Bay was definitely a comfortable hotel to stay in and a competent one at that with all its facilities and amenities but compared to its sister hotel at Pickering, I’ll say the Marina Bay one pales in comparison as there was nothing very distinct that stood out for us in our entire experience. However, it is definitely one of the more affordable hotels with a Marina Bay view so it is worth considering for people who prioritize the scenery.

If you’re looking for a more unique stay, check out our review of Andaz Singapore.

Booking a stay at PARKROYAL Marina Bay: Klook, direct from hotel or…?

I’d suggest checking 3 websites if you’re looking to book a stay at the hotel:

1. Pan Pacific reservation site
   Always check out their website first as they often feature exclusive deals and packages. At the time of writing, the Hearty Eats, Restful Stays promotion is back. They also offer 10% off if you register as a member.
2. Klook
   If there are no promotions ongoing, I’d say Klook is the next best option for packages. The good thing is they often run platform and credit card discounts that you can stack. Check out Klook promo codes to slash some extra dollars off the next deal you book.
3. OTAs such as Trip.com
   If you’re looking for just a room to stay/rest in, websites like Trip.com usually offer very attractive rates. And you can stack it with websites like Shopback to earn cashback. If you’ve yet to sign up with Shopback, use my referral link to sign up for a $5 bonus!