I had another opportunity to stay at the Mandarin Orchard on a business trip. The hotel was the preferred venue of the meeting organizer but was not actually my first choice, at least for the price. I was hoping it had improved from the time I last stayed there but sadly it wasn't.

I was in a room at the Main Tower and admittedly some improvements had been made such as the new entertainment system, which now has better quality TV channels that included a few HD channels, which was a first for me at a hotel in Singapore. The room itself was seemingly refreshed but a few of the facilities were still rather dated and should have been dispensed with. The old love seat in the bedroom, the shower in the bath and the bidet are a few such features. There was likewise a bathroom scale that was grimy and damaged and clearly needing replacement. The bed was also quite odd. It was a queen sized bed, which you would not typically find in a hotel of this category. Admittedly it was comfortable and I did not have any issues sleeping but usually you would expect a king sized bed.

I also found that a few comments from previous reviewers on the lack of face towels as well as turndown service were indeed true. Now these are small things in my view but if you are competing with other hotels in the vicinity then I must say that even the little things do count. There were a few other little things that I also noted. I didn't get my morning paper on any of the 4 days I stayed. At first I thought it was because of our company rate but apparently my colleagues who were on the same rate as I got their newspapers. I also found that my used towels were taken daily despite the hotel's policy on saving on laundering towels guests intend to reuse and signify so by hanging in the appropriate places. Worse was that one day the towel was not even replaced.

I had breakfast only once at Triple Three and I came in early so did not have the opportunity to observe whether they had resolved the long queues that usually set in around 7 AM. While the food spread was admittedly good, I still don't think it is worth the price. Frankly though, this observation really applies to most hotels I've stayed at in Singapore so not a specific issue with the Mandarin.

I would say that given the price and the quality of the hotel as it is now, there are much better options to stay at in the Orchard area.

check in is slow, n where i upgraded to the club rooms cos we had a midnight flight so we could crash at the lounge till we were ready to go to the airport
The club lounge is doin the best job in the hotel i would say. The tea food is amazing.

But i would only suggest for people to go there if u dun care about service but wan location n dun mind waiting for checking in.

The club rooms nothing fantastic as we came from the fullerton bay hotel. Probably a third of the room area.

I wont suggest staying here for more then a night or two to get your fill of orchard road n a cheap room. N then moving to the bay to get a different feel and more service in a nicer room. Or go to hilton

btw the cancellation period is 2 days before 2pm.. so beware! n the breakfast downstairs closes at 10am!

The hotel is located in the middle of the shopping district, like 10 min walk from nearest train stations. Great for holiday and shopping for sure. But the traffic around the area is terrible, takes forever to get a taxi during peak hours. And the taxi is always stuck in traffic going in or out of the hotel. Also, the excessive taxi fares in Singapore, it's like 25%-50% in addition all the time plus the additional charges for city area pick up etc. So, stay away from this hotel if you are here for business.

Stayed overnight at this hotel for a business trip. The location cannot get any better as it is right smack in the middle of Orchard Road. Room was nice and clean; we were given a room at the Orchard wing. Buffet breakfast had a wide array of choices from rice, noodles, congee, dimsum, fruits, bread, etc. The pool was also nice though a bit small. Staff were friendly and helpful. My only complaint is that the internet was not free.