Our Hotel Telegraph (Previously SO/ Sofitel Singapore) Review
Latest Update (as of 13/03/2023): SO/ Sofitel has become Hotel Telegraph as of September 28, 2022. This Hotel is now part of Small Luxury Hotels of the World & Viva Land Group and no longer under Accor Hotels. Our Hotel Review is still on SO/ Sofitel but hotel details have been updated to reflect the latest.
SO/ Sofitel Singapore is a Boutique Hotel located within the Downtown Core (Robinson Road) of the Central Business District area and right next to the famous Lau Pa Sat Hawker Centre (Telok Ayer Market). This Hotel is popular for its French-inspired outlook and the use of the latest media technology. They are part of the Accor Hotels Group.
We had recently booked a one-night stay at this hotel and here’s a short review of our hotel stay experience!
Checking In And Our Upgraded (And Very Spacious) SO Urban Room
– Checking In
The overall decor of the Hotel Lobby was bright, a long corridor with ample seats and a restaurant right beside. In the middle of the corridor was a concierge table and their side exit. At the end of the corridor was two lifts which would eventually bring us up to our room in the SO Heritage Wing on the second level. We waited for quite a while before we could get into the lift.
We checked in before 3 pm but were told that our room was still getting cleaned up and would be ready at 3:30 pm. But when 3:30 pm came and nobody approached us, we went to check again with the Counter but were told that the room was still not ready. It was 10 minutes later when a lady came to us and told us that we would be upgraded to a better room because of the delay. We were not sure if it was still the same SO Urban Room that we booked but from the online photos, it seemed like it was but with a much spacious layout and a bigger bathtub.
– Our SO Urban Room Key
Another issue before we could enter the room was with the room card keys which we just couldn’t open with it. We were lucky that one of their staffs was around and he helped us to exchange them without having us to wait for the lift and make a trip down again.
Interesting Features Of Our SO Urban Room
– Very High Ceiling
Not a very unique feature but the very high ceiling did make the room even more spacious and gave a very ‘princess-y’ feel. There was a sitting area with a small table in front of the lounge chair and when the lights in the living room area was switched on, an outline of Singapore Island was projected to the ceiling. They had another image projection (those dome kind) above the bed which was another intention to make the ceiling looked even higher.
– Hands Free Control Of TV And Lights
One thing we liked about this hotel was that they took good care on our lazy nature by providing us with an iPad Mini which can control the TV Programs and all the room lights in any corner (we did not try the bathroom in case something happened if it got wet).
– Bed, Pillows and Blanket
The overall comfort level for their Bed, Pillows and Blanket was definitely high. Bed was sturdy (no back pain in the morning) and Pillows were fluffy and we did not even have to fold them in half just to get the required neck support. Blanket was also thick enough to warm us up when the air conditioner level was set low.
– Balcony
Our SO Urban Room came with a Balcony (behind the red curtains and came with a small table and chairs) which was facing opposite of a Office Building. We were there on a normal working weekday so we just stayed inside throughout (better not to disturb those who were still working).
– Wider Bathtub & Two Sinks
Our room came with a wide bathtub which was separated from the Rain Shower section and the Toilet section. If you like to soak in bathtub, you may want to prepare some bath bombs beforehand. The bathtub has a ledge too so if you want to bring in your wine glass, you can do so too!
Another good thing about this Room was that it came with two sinks and with its own magnifying mirror. We could take our own sweet time at our sink like squeezing out blackheads, shaving and taking out contact lenses. They also separated some of the toiletries items by gender so it got us trying to guess what they have packed differently for the ladies and for the guys (not much difference though).
– Rain Shower
Rain Shower from most Hotels is usually a slightly larger shower head sticking out of the wall. For SO Sofitel, their Rain Shower was located in the ceiling and the water pressure was definitely high and shiok! They do have another of those normal shower head and we had an issue with the water hose connection being loose thus water was gushing out from the base of the shower head.
– Mini Bar
The mini bar was also very well-stocked. It came with a small Illy Espresso Machine, a brightly colored Kettle, good selection of tea, one drawer of free local tidbits (marked as Oh-So-Free and do try them if you are not from Singapore) and a few other drawers (marked as Pay As You Go which means nothing inside is free). There are also Cocktail, Wine and Champagne Glasses (which you can bring in with your soak in the bathtub).
– Welcome Drink Voucher & Zeffer
We were also given two drink vouchers and we could choose from:
- Glass of House Wine (Red or White)
- Bottled Beer
- Fruit Juice
- Soft Drink
- Coffee or Tea
We went to the Rooftop Pool Bar, 1927 and tried their Zeffer which is a Red Apple Cider infused with cinnamon, vanilla and blackberry leaves and Alcohol content at 5.4%. It was a sparkling drink and the taste was pleasant.
– Swimming Pool at the Rooftop Pool Bar
The swimming pool was next to the Rooftop Pool Bar and was rather small for our personal comfort. We were thinking that there could be many sneaky eyes from the office buildings as well as from the many lounge chairs surrounding the pool. Drinking though, it will definitely be a good environment to sit around the lounge chairs, admire the night sky (if you are not sitting at the bar counter) and enjoy the breeze, if any.
– Dinner At Lau Pa Sat
We joined the many tourists to eat at Lau Pa Sat and these were the food that we ordered:
- Sambal Kang Kong
- Mixed Satays and BBQ Prawn
- Har Cheong Gai (Prawn Paste Chicken)
- Oyster Omelette
At that time many came to us with their menus and that gave us a hard time deciding. But we did noticed that for Seafood Items, most (or nearly all) are from the same stall but there seem to be more choices for Satays and BBQ Prawn. We recommend that you take a walk among the various satay stalls and buy directly (to confirm the freshness). There should be no much difference from whom you buy your Seafood items from.
– Checking Out
The checking out process with SO Sofitel was straightforward. We just returned the two card keys to the front counter, stood around for a short while (we did not eat or drink from the paid sections) and we were good to go.
– Personalized Service
We got an email asking for our feedback and we highlighted on the room delays, keys and shower hose issues. We were not expecting any replies but we were quite surprised to receive a personal email reply from the manager that his team will try to make sure these issues will not happen. Not bad not bad!
How To Get To Hotel Telegraph (Previously SO/ Sofitel Singapore)?
Address: 35 Robinson Road Singapore 068876 (Google Maps)
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Contact Details: +65 6701 6800 / [email protected]