Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel: Best Convention Hotel in Singapore

Best Convention Hotel in Singapore

With the rise of modern chic new hotels in the central district, it seems like the older and more established hotels have taken a back seat. But it isn’t the case for Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel which has already undergone a significant facelift and given a new lease of life.

It now looks like a true 5-star luxury hotel and no wonder they have recently just garnered four prestigious awards which include Best Convention Hotel, Best Luxury Hotel, Singapore and International Five Star Hotel titles at the Asia Pacific Hotel Awards organized by International Property Media.

Over the last weekend, I had an opportunity to do a staycation at this premiere deluxe conference hotel which is located along Singapore’s waterfront precincts of Robertson Quay. It is quite an experience to be staying in a hotel by the waterfront where you can also enjoy Singapore’s beautiful city skyline.

This hotel is like no other as itis one of the largest conference accommodation hotels in Singapore with 550 guest rooms and 24 serviced suites. Also, they have a large number of conference halls and meeting rooms equipped with the state-of-the-art facilities. Keen to find out more? Let’s have a tour around this hotel!

Keen to find out more? Let’s have a tour around this hotel!

Hotel lobby

To keep up with the trends, they had refurbished their hotel lobby and installed this stunning centerpiece that added a touch of elegance to the lobby space.

We were left in awe by the dangling art installation right above us. After marveling at the art installation,  we headed straight to the front desk to check-in. If you have access to the Executive club lounge, you can do your check-in at the club on the 29th floor.

Tempo Bar

In the mid-afternoon, you can also enjoy a Singapore-inspired Tempo afternoon tea set at Tempo Bar. On that particular Saturday, we got to sit down for an afternoon where we dug into their savory creations and local confections like Nyonya Kuehs and Durian cake. There’s also a good balance of savory and sweet bites. The food did not disappoint. To find out more about our afternoon tea experience, you can head over to the next blog post here.

During the World Cup 2018 season, the guests can also catch the live football matches on Television at the bar. Look, there even prepared a World Cup score chart for this special football season!

There are seating areas outside the restaurants for guests who prefer to go alfresco. Isn’t it delightful to be having drinks by the waterfront in the cool evenings?

You can also take an evening stroll by the waterfront. If you walk along the Singapore River, it will lead you all the way to Clarke Quay.

Singapore River Gallery

If you would like to know a little more about Singapore River, in particular, you can head over to the hotel’s Singapore River gallery, near at the escalator leading up from level 1 to 2. Do a short gallery walk there to find out more about the history of Singapore’s iconic river!

Hotel Facilities

Swimming Pool

The weather has been hot in Singapore lately and having a dip in the pool is one of the best ways to beat the heat. That day, I had a nice leisurely swim in the late afternoon just before the sky turns dark.

You can also check out the outdoor jacuzzi beside the main pool. If you do not feel like swimming, you can head over to their 24-hour gymnasium beside the pool area. Their gym is equipped with the latest state-of-the-art fitness equipment and gym accessories.  

24-hour Gym

Tennis Court

Make a guess. How many meeting rooms do they have here? There’s not 5, 10 or 15 meeting rooms but 33! The Waterfront Conference Centre houses 33 versatile meeting rooms. These conference rooms are equipped with the state-of-the-art meeting aids such as high-speed internet access, built-in projectors, motorized screens, video-conferencing equipment, intelligent lighting and sound systems for special effects. 

Grand Ballroom

This pillar-less grand ballroom can house up to 1,000 guests, and it is perfect for holding big events like weddings. Speaking of which, if you are looking for a big wedding venue which can house many guests, this is one place where you can consider. There is a wedding showroom within the hotel grounds where you can find out more about how the wedding plans and options offered by the hotel.

We stayed one night at their Club Deluxe Room on the 27th floor. The Club Deluxe Room comes with executive lounge access and executive privileges like complimentary suit pressed and free non-alcoholic drinks in the mini bar.

Other room amenities include a flat-screen TV with cable channels that include local and international channels; minibars, in-room safes, complimentary newspapers and high-speed wireless Internet access.

I would highly recommend getting a club room with executive lounge access if you can afford to splurge a little more. The cocktail hour at the club lounge provides delicious finger food along with good wines. You can also enjoy breakfast privately at the club lounge as the Food Capital is usually very packed with the breakfast crowd.

The hotel welcomes the guests with a fruit platter and a bottle of red wine.

Check out the view from our hotel room! Our room overlooks Singapore River, Robertson Quay, and the CBD area. Where else in Singapore could you get such a view?

Work Desk Area

The room is more spacious than the newer hotels in Singapore. There’s definitely ample space within the room for you to lay your yoga mat and do some stretching exercises.

My only qualms are the absence of USB ports installed in the room. As such, you will need to pack your adapter into your luggage. The newer hotels in Singapore usually have USB ports installed near the powerpoints in the hotel rooms.

Have a closer look at all the amenities provided in the room below. I really like the luxurious-looking spacious bathroom in particular.

Mini Bar

Ironing Amenities

Bathroom

Bathroom Amenities

Going Green

Pillow Menu

I’m glad that there have got a special pillow menu where you can order in the pillow of your choice. It had made my sleeping experience more enjoyable. It is a pity that the lavender scented dream pillow was not available. I recommend trying their Buckwheat and nature basic latex pillow.

Executive Club Lounge

The executive club lounge is located on the 29th story, and it overlooks the waterfront and city center. They serve afternoon tea from 2.30 pm to 5 pm and cocktails in the late evening from 6 pm to 9 pm.

You can also have your breakfast here in the morning. The food selection is limited to only the common breakfast staples like eggs, toasts, and bacon.

Afternoon Tea

There isn’t much of a selection during afternoon tea except for some sandwiches, chips, and biscuits. But when it comes to the evening cocktail hour, you will be spoilt for choice.

Evening Cocktail Hour

Look at the spread! I was impressed by the selection of hors-d’oeuvres they served, and it was all very delicious. I enjoyed most of the selections they had, including the desserts.

Wine Selection

I enjoyed the Asian delights like the sushi rolls and other Asian-inspired savory bites!

Desserts

My evening was made special because there was an NDP rehearsal going on and we got to watch the spectacular airshow through the floor-to-ceiling windows as we sipped wine.

Breakfast

Usually, I would prefer to have breakfast at the hotel’s main restaurant, but this time, I chose to have it in the club lounge because the situation at Food Capital was somewhat chaotic. It was a Sunday morning, and the restaurant was packed with people. There weren’t many seats left, and due to the layout of the buffet spread, the buffet lanes were narrow. I had to elbow my way through the crowd to get your food. The experience was not very pleasant, so we decided to have breakfast in the lounge. At least, we could take in some fresh air, and we didn’t have to squirm our way through the crowd.

We were satisfied with the breakfast selections at the club lounge. There’s cereals, bacon, sausages, eggs, toasts and even oats and yogurt parfaits for the health-conscious.

There’s an a la carte breakfast menu catered for the executive club guests. I had egg benedicts on English muffins, and they were splendid!

Check out the breakfast spread!

What’s for breakfast?

My Verdict

Overall, we enjoyed our stay here at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel. The service was good. One of the biggest advantages the hotel has over the newer ones is the luxury of space. The rooms were spacious, and the views from the hotel are fantastic. Location-wise, they are located slightly off the city center, but it is still highly accessible.

You could also explore the neighboring heartlands like Tiong Bahru and Outram where you can find many quaint shops and cafes there. In a way, you get to explore the best of both worlds – the city and charming neighborhoods of Singapore.