Orchard Rendezvous Hotel by Far East Hospitality

The location is convenient and the service is good. However, you can tell the room is old. The lighting is dim, and some of the facilities are damaged. Also, the lack of carpet in the room makes it feel more like a hostel.

The room was cleaner, with a balcony offering street views, and the decor was also very new. The front desk service and luggage storage service were both excellent. It's very convenient for dining out, shopping, and taking the subway.

1. **Unresponsive Phone Service:** On the first day, someone answered the phone, but from 5 PM on the second day, no one picked up. I called three times between 8:57 AM and 9:16 AM on the third day, and still no one answered. I inquired about the phone issue at 9 PM on the second day but received no reply. At 9:17 AM on the third day, I went downstairs to the reception, and they said it was a system problem, but guests were not informed at all. 2. **Dirty Linens & Poor Follow-up:** The bed sheets were dirty. I had to go down to reception myself to get someone to arrange a change. I mentioned it over the phone and to the male receptionist, but there was no follow-up. I had to physically go downstairs a second time for it to be addressed. 3. **Misleading King-Size Bed:** This was the first time I encountered a 'king-size bed' made of two single beds pushed together. I brought it to the attention of the staff, and they showed us two other 'king bed' rooms, both of which also had two beds pushed together. 4. **Outdated Facilities:** The facilities are quite old. The toilet flush is very loud, and the wardrobe is impractical. The children's amenities were also old, and there was no bed rail.

There was construction next door, with hammering from 8 AM to 10 PM. My room faced the construction site directly, making it impossible to sleep. Also, the pool towels should be clean, but the ones on top were all semi-dry. I even saw a staff member hiding in a small space next door folding towels, which made me wonder if they were being reused.

I stayed here for a trip in September. It was great because it was clean and the pool and gym were free to use. However, there was construction going on nearby, and loud noises started around 8 AM, so I don't think you could sleep in until noon.

First, the positives: The pool is large, and the room is quite spacious. Having worked in hotels myself and stayed in all sorts of hotels of varying grades, I'm well aware that different price points and star ratings cannot be held to the same standards. I wouldn't expect five-star service and facilities for this price, and I want to state upfront that I am genuinely not a difficult guest. Precisely because of my hotel work experience, I have a fairly high tolerance for hotel staff, service, and facilities. I usually don't fuss over minor issues and certainly don't leave negative reviews at the drop of a hat. That is, unless I've truly been pushed to my limit. Regarding my stay at Orchard Rendezvous Hotel, I have a few genuine observations to share: The location is only passable. The hotel is located in the Orchard Road area, but it still takes about 10 minutes to walk to the MRT station. Coupled with Singapore's sometimes winding roads, underpasses, and pedestrian routes, after staying here, I wouldn't consider it a 'very convenient location.' The hotel is genuinely very old. As soon as I walked into the lobby, I had a bad feeling. The lighting was dim, the decor colors were heavy, and the facilities clearly showed their age. Of course, 'old' itself isn't a crime, but the overall state of maintenance did make it feel rather uncomfortable. The elevators are genuinely frightening. They make noticeable old-equipment noises when operating, making each ride a bit nerve-wracking, almost like a 'horror ride.' This isn't just about old decor; it makes guests question the condition of the equipment. There are stairs on the way to some rooms. Dragging luggage to the room, we actually had to carry it up and down stairs. For a hotel, I genuinely find this layout very unreasonable, especially for guests with large luggage, the elderly, or those with mobility issues. The room itself is a positive. The room space is relatively large, and there's a very big walk-in closet. The bathroom is also spacious. For a hotel in Singapore, the space is indeed commendable. The only pity is that the pillows weren't very comfortable. The most unacceptable issue was the construction noise. Our room directly faced a construction site, with constant and very loud construction noise from 8 AM to 10 PM, almost non-stop throughout the day. We initially booked one night as part of a cruise package and then extended our stay for another night. After checking in, I kept wondering: why did I not see anyone mention this before? If you're a light sleeper or sensitive to noise, you really need to seriously consider this. The construction noise wasn't just occasional; it was continuous for long periods, and after a while, it felt like the sound was 'drilling into your brain,' which was extremely tormenting. Some of the staff's attitudes were also very unpleasant. I can accept an old hotel, average facilities, and even many hardware deficiencies, but service attitude is another matter. Some staff members gave the impression that they didn't want to deal with you at all; their attitudes were cold and even made you feel mistreated. Even with my high tolerance for the service industry, encountering such attitudes is still very unpleasant. However, I must commend the Duty Manager. This was the most commendable aspect of the entire stay. When booking, as we had two separate reservations but wanted to be in the same room without having to switch midway, I emailed in advance to inquire. The Duty Manager responded very quickly and efficiently helped arrange it. Furthermore, when we called to complain about the construction noise, the manager didn't dismissively tell us to switch rooms. Instead, he frankly told us that even if we moved to another location, we might still be affected by the noise, and proactively offered complimentary breakfast as compensation. I ultimately accepted this arrangement. Because for travelers, repacking and moving rooms, or even finding another hotel last minute, is itself another hassle. I am grateful that at least someone was willing to address the issue and offer a practical solution. The last frustrating point was the hotel's floor access control. Many aspects and facilities of this hotel made me question 'how safe is it?', yet the floor access control was extremely strict. The room card only allowed access to our own floor, completely preventing access to other guest floors; the emergency stairwells also only allowed exit from a floor, not entry from other floors. If friends or family stayed on different floors, moving between them was incredibly inconvenient. In summary, I genuinely didn't want to write such a long negative review. Because I've worked in hotels myself, I know how hard front-line staff work, and I know no hotel can be perfect. So, for many things, as long as they don't severely impact the stay, I usually choose to be understanding. However, this time, from the hotel's age, elevator condition, room layout, to the most serious issue of prolonged construction noise, coupled with the unpleasant attitudes of some staff members, it truly accumulated to a point where I had to speak out. I wasn't expecting a five-star experience for this price; I just believe that basic lodging comfort, equipment maintenance, and respect for guests should not disappear simply because of a hotel's price point. I really didn't want to leave a trip with such feelings, but in the end, I was too upset and decided to write down this truthful experience.