This is an attractive hotel situated on the river opposite Robertson Quay. Checking in was easy, and the staff courteous, friendly and helpful. We arrived early – I would guess it was about 8 to 8.30 – and understandably a room was not ready. However, as my wife has mobility difficulties we could not go far but the staff could not have been more helpful, particularly the manager (whose name I did not get) and Duty Manager (Kelvin) who ensured that we were comfortably seated and well looked after with complimentary coffee, and arranged for a room to be prepared as quickly as possible. We were in our room by about 10 -10.30. Also, it was my wife’s birthday whilst we were there. We had not mentioned this, but I assume it was noted from her passport on check-in as when we got back to our room that evening there was a lovely chocolate cake in the room (at least I assume it was for her birthday and not a case of mistaken room service!) We can’t thank them enough for their kindness and generous additional hospitality, which made our stay even more enjoyable.
The hotel is well positioned with easy access to the bars and restaurants on Robertson Quay just over the nearby pedestrian bridge across the river. There is a stop for the river boat trips just down from the hotel, and Chinatown is only some 20 minutes’ walk, although the hotel provides a courtesy minibus that goes to Chinatown, stopping at a number of useful places such as Orchard Road for shopping en route (but note that Chinatown is the last stop on the circuit which means that is takes about 40 minutes to get there, although it does provide a pleasant trip around Singapore on the way!). A timetable is available at the hotel reception.
The rooms are a good size, clean, comfortable and well equipped with toiletries, complimentary bottled water etc., and the breakfast buffet offers a plentiful selection including Chinese, Japanese, Indian and European options. However, it can be hectic at times. Other than breakfast we did not use the restaurant or bar so can’t comment on the food, but there are a number of restaurants and bars along Robertson Quay just across the nearby bridge over the river, which between them offer a good selection of dining.
We first stayed at the Grand Copthorne when we visited Singapore about eight years ago. It ticked all the boxes so we have used it regularly on a number of subsequent visits, and recommended it to others at home (three of whom have now stayed there and been similarly pleased). We wouldn’t do this if we didn’t think it was good, and we will unquestionably continue to use it on future occasions as it satisfies all our requirements.
Finally, I would like to thank the staff for their helpfulness once again, particularly the manager on our day of arrival, Kelvin and the white coated young front man who looked after us so well when our pick up failed to arrive on time on our day of departure (and whose name I regrettably did not note). Our sincere gratitude to all of them, whose kindness together with the benefits of the Executive Lounge enhanced an already enjoyable stay.