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Stick or twist…
I’ve just been offered an upgrade from the garden wing to the valley wing at the Shangri La in Singapore.
It’s S$140/nt per room inclusive of taxes. If I was on a bare bones rate it would be no-brainer. However I’m on the Amex FHR rate.
So we already have breakfast included and a slug of cash to spend.
What am I going to get for my money? A significantly more relaxed breakfast, a nicer check in experience and free flow champagne. Anything else I’m missing? With five of us in the party across two rooms that’s an extra £32 each, which is probably about the cost of a glass of fizz. But we don’t really need it….
Comments welcome. FWIW I’m erring towards taking the offer.
YOLO.
YOLO.
Thank you for your comprehensive assessment of my predicament 😂
If the Valley Wing is still as good as it used to be, then definitely do it. Unless you don’t plan to spend much time in the hotel. It’s as much about the refined atmosphere and sense of luxury as about the free-flow champagne and chocolates etc (although at that price I imagine you could drink and eat your way to a profit 😂). Rooms are bigger and nicer too (although it has been a good few years since I was last there, so I don’t know what may have been done since in the way of refurbs etc). Personally I’d go for it.
You’re welcome. Without wanting to sound rude, you are seeking our justification for a decision that you’ve probably already made. In the words of Mrs S, just do it Strickers you stingy b***
If the Valley Wing is still as good as it used to be, then definitely do it.
I’ve only ever stayed in that hotel once before and that was the Valley Wing. Not perfect but they were 100% booked out.
@strickers – the dilemma I have is that I’m thinking what that adds in % costs to the whole holiday. It’s not a lot. But i’ve tacked quite a few of these “not a lot” gigs on so far it seems, which I guess has the added benefit of making the % uplift even smaller…I suppose another way to look at it is to consider how big a deal (or not) the money will seem like in a few years’ time, and whether or not you’d find yourself looking back and regretting not doing it… I don’t think I’ve ever regretted spending money on upgrades and extra luxury or special experiences etc. Except maybe once when I recklessly completely blew the budget, but even then, amazing memories.
We are regulars at the Shangri-La Singapore and sometimes get upgrades from Garden Wing to Valley Wing. Sometimes we get the extra stuff (quieter breakfast etc) and sometimes just the room upgrade. Personally, we prefer the Garden Wing rooms – the balconies are great if you want to sit outside but not in one of the communal areas and the Valley Wing rooms we have had didn’t have balconies (I am not sure if any do). The Valley Wing room is more luxurious (bigger bathroom, dressing room area, etc) but the Garden Wing isn’t shabby at all and I don’t miss the extra bits in the Valley Wing rooms.
We have never queued at check-in for ‘normal’ guests and I wouldn’t pay extra for the Valley Wing check-in itself.
Although the breakfast in The Line (the main restaurant) can be a bit chaotic, there’s a bigger choice there than in the Valley Wing so that might sway you. The Line is one of the best hotel breakfast buffets in Singapore in my opinion.
If I were you, save the money and use it somewhere else in SG, or spend it in the bar in the Shangri-La (it is exceptional and should not be missed!).
If the Valley Wing is still as good as it used to be, then definitely do it. Unless you don’t plan to spend much time in the hotel.
This would be the lens for me. If you’re going to be out and about all day then you won’t get the value, if you just want to take it easy and enjoy the experience of a hotel then it’s a no-brainer. I suppose you could split the difference and go for Horizon Club although that might just be worst of both worlds.
Have you benchmarked FHR against the Luxury Circle rate? Luxury Circle, which prices off best flex, was cheaper than FHR last time I was getting quotes for Singapore and the upgrade is locked in at booking, rather than subject to availability on arrival.
Thanks for throwing a spanner in the works, JenT 😂
We booked this with the £100 rebate that Amex travel had a few months back. That combined with the FHR benefits made it the same price as staying somewhere like the Voco (ex Hilton). It’s just a 24hrs stopover at the start of the trip, so the plan is get to the hotel and chill that evening (spend the FHR credit….) breakfast the next morning, explore for a bit, back to the hotel for a shower then head to the airport again.
I feel like with nice hotels there’s a diminishing return per £ once you get to a certain level of quality. You’re already going to get a very nice experience regardless of which wing you stay in, so I would save the money and earmark them for a splurge on something else later in the trip 😉
I’m with YOLO.
If you can afford to do it, then do it. If you can’t, then don’t. Why throw anything else into the equation.
And YOLO won. Let’s face it, it was probably going to happen anyway but thanks for humouring me…
Here’s hoping for strong tailwinds for my flight next week – although with the champagne flowing until 10.30pm we should be sweet…
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