IBIS Bencoolen Singapore Offers Great Value and Amenities

We have heard so much about innovation and service at the three-star Ibis Bencoolen Singapore hotel located in the Bugis precinct in Singapore from friends who have stayed there. They have told us that this hotel has been offering its guests experiences and amenities of convenience as well as what really matters.

We recently stayed at this Accor Group property as part of some work we were doing with Accor to welcome 2015.

You can expect the basic consistent service and comfort provided at all Ibis hotels worldwide. There is no fuss in checking in at Ibis Bencoolen Singapore. Quick and efficient though it may get crowded because it is a popular hotel. After all this hotel has 538 rooms!

That includes a clean albeit small room with shampoo, hand or body wash from a dispenser. Rooms are only 18sqm which is enough for two adults with space for two luggage. You can get a good night’s rest with the comfortable pillows and bed which was just neither too soft nor too hard. From our room on the tenth floor, we could hardly hear the noise from the traffic.

If you forgot something from home, there are convenience stores including a Guardian and 24-hour 7-Eleven on the ground floor of the hotel. You can even get your laundry done with the coin-operated washing machines and dryer on the third floor. Iron and ironing boards are also provided there.

There is the East West and Downtown line at Bugis MRT and the Circle Line at Bras Basah MRT which are within walking distance. Ibis Bencoolen Singapore loans guests an EZLink card so you can top up the value for rides on public buses as well as the MRT. Or hop onto one of the public buses from the bus stop located right in front of the hotel.

If you stay in a room with extra benefits which costs around S$20 more than the standard rooms, you get a handy smartphone that offers you free internet access and unlimited calls to 27 countries, late check out at 4pm, get to keep in shape at the California Fitness Gym located in a nearby mall Bugis Junction which operates from 6am to midnight on Monday to Saturday and 8am to 10pm on Sundays and Public Holidays.

 

For S$17, you can choose three items from a selection of 11 local dishes such as chilli crab, fish curry with roti prata, fried hokkien mee or laksa. You can also pick a Japanese, Indonesian, Chinese or Healthy set for S$16 that comes with a drink. A la carte portions at Taste are also available with pricing ranging from S$6 to S$17.

For desserts, we really enjoyed the S$7 oven-baked crispy apple crumble that comes with a serving of vanilla ice-cream. The crunchy buttery flavoured apple crumble is freshly baked so be sure to order at the beginning of your meal or you would end up waiting around fifteen minutes for your dessert from the time you order.

Taste is a 24 hour establishment so you won’t go hungry during your stay. A sumptuous buffet spread is available for breakfast from 4am till noon daily.

We would urge you to explore and try out other food in the area. There are many vegetarian eateries at Fortune Centre. Bugis+ and Bugis Junction malls offer a wide selection of food, shopping or catch a movie. Other nearby attractions include a Hindu Temple and the Temple of Mercy.

Four Bamboo Bicycles are available at no charge for all hotel guests to utilise during their stay. Cycle around Little India and Waterloo Street to see the street life of Singapore from these eco-friendly Bamboo Bicycles. A padlock and helmet are also thoughtfully provided to ensure you can cycle through the city safely.

Another initiative which we find meaningful is the Accor ECOPEN. Instead of the usual plastic or metal pens you find in most hotel rooms, Accor works with on the “A Tree for A Child” initiative which was first created in 2001 by Yayasan Peduli Tunas Bangsa to help the local community. These pens are hand rolled with recycled materials. Accor hotels in Indonesia provides tons of used paper which is sold and recycled. The funds from the sale of these used paper are used to run workshops for parents of underprivileged children to produce these pens. We understand that employment for these parents allow them to feed their families as well as put their children in school.

Now that we have seen these for ourselves, we are impressed.

Check out our photo album of Ibis Bencoolen Singapore below.