A Review of Hotel Ibis Singapore On Bencoolen

Hotel Ibis Singapore Bencoolen- A review & what to expect

My every visit to Singapore has been more memorable than the last one, from the colorful Chinatown to do some souvenir shopping to explore the various gardens of Changi Airport, there is so much to discover in Singapore that one visit is just not enough. But to explore you need a base and this post is about my hotel during my last visit to Singapore.  During this visit to Singapore to participate in Escapers17, I stayed at Hotel Ibis Singapore Bencoolen, that is part of  Accor Hotels group.

I must say that my stay at the Hotel Ibis Singapore Bencoolen was a memorable one and rather than doing a normal review I was wondering if I will be coming to Singapore on my own time & dime would I stay at Hotel Ibis Singapore on Bencoolen? The answer was a resounding yes and here are 10 good reasons why I would love to go and stay at Ibis Singapore Bencoolen again.

1. Location Location Location: Now I don’t know who first coined this phrase as research on internet ping pong between British real estate tycoons to Chicago wheeler dealers. But nonetheless what was true in those days is true nowadays also. The Ibis Singapore Bencoolen is located close to the wonderful Singapore Metro and the nearest MRT station is Bugis Street only about a 7-minute walk and is a major interchange between Downtown line and East-West line. This means that many major attractions like Merlion, Gardens By The Bay, Singapore China Town, Botanical Gardens, Little India etc. are all less than 30 minutes of travel time and most of them are within 15 minutes of travel.
   

   View from my room the green roof is a Chinese Temple & the Pink in back is Bugis street shopping area

2. Bold Colorful Theme: the Ibis hotels are known for their bold colors, and this one is no exception. From the hotel lobby with a designer sofa that is drenched in bold red to the eclectic bar next to the restaurant with large glass windows giving you a view of the street outside, and my room that had a large window that gave me a bird’s eye view of the Chinese temple nearby the hotel exudes positive vibes and bright colorful look.
   

   I liked the red Sofa in the lobby

   

   Remember if you like a sofa you take more than one picture of the Sofa 🙂

3. 24-hour in-house dining: The Ibis Singapore Bencoolen has a nice bar cum restaurant at the ground floor that offers round the clock dining so even if you arrive late or get those midnight hunger pangs like I do, then you don’t have to worry about searching for food in the middle of night. Though do remember that the late night menu has fewer options than the main menu. But still, it is better than nothing.
   

   Pasta in various avatars including Veg options is available 🙂

4. Vegetarian Food Options: The choices for vegetarians today have come a long way from the times I had to explain to restaurants about what a desi Traveler means by vegetarian >> “I cannot eat anything that use to walk, crawl, swim, or fly when it was alive” and still most of them said “ No problem you can remove the chicken and fish from the rice and eat it” Luckily vegetarians are now a better understood and in some cases even admired lot . At the Ibis Singapore Bencoolen not only you can order some of the vegetarian dishes À la carte but even the morning breakfast has a dedicated vegetarian counter with some desi dishes ranging from South Indian Idly’s to north Indian Parathas.
   

   You get desi Khana also during breakfast 🙂

   

   When I saw the special Vegetarian Corner at Ibis Singapore on Bencoolen it was a #desiKhusHua Moment

5. Bugis Street Shopping Area:  One of the new places I visited this time in Singapore is the Bugis Street Shopping Area. As I mentioned in my previous post there are many shopping areas in Singapore and I must add Bugis Street to this list. From swanky malls to little shops to street side vendors Bugis street is one of the most diverse and colorful shopping district in Singapore and from designer clothes to trinkets you can find everything here. That the place has hundreds of dining out options only add to the charm. And all this walking distance from the Ibis Bencoolen
6. Concern for Environment: I would like to give a simple example here, at the ground floor restaurant of the hotel you can borrow or even buy refillable bottles so that you do not have to increase your plastic imprint. This is a simple gesture but with thousands of guests staying at the hotel, I am sure over a period this will sure add up. The hotel is also an active participant in the Eco-pen program of Accor Hotels, where pen are made from used paper and the money raised is used to support underprivileged children.
   

   The Eco Pen is a special CSR initiative by Accor group to save environment and help underprivileged children – pic hotel site

7. Handy smartphone in select rooms: All guests have an option of free WiFi though if you want a faster speed you could also pay and take a better plan. But the best part was a Handy Smartphone with free, yes absolutely FREE calls to 27 countries out of Singapore including India. This phone is given in rooms that are called “ Room With Benefit “ It was a boon to have this phone when out in Singapore as it has all the important information/maps/apps about Singapore preloaded and you can search for nearby restaurants, attractions etc. at the click of a button. I also switched on the WiFi hotspot to connect my desi Phone with it for some free WiFi J What to say we desi people love free things 🙂
   

   The Handy Phone is really handy and you can make International calls besides Data to explore Singapore – image hotel site

8. Borrow A Cycle: Now though I did not use them, just the thought that I could borrow a cycle and explore the neighborhood of Bugis Street, and surrounding was good to know. Can you imagine not only these cycles are free for the hotel guests but also they use Bamboo as the main material to build them which is as eco-friendly as one can get?
   

   You can borrow a bicycle to explore Singapore when you stay at Ibis Singapore on Bencoolen -image hotel site

   

   I think a bicycle is the most eco-friendly means to explore a city till date- image from hotel site

9. Hotel Amenities: Though the room size is just ok for a business traveler it is the amenities that I liked from an iron board to coffee/tea maker to safe to the handy phone everything is provided to make sure a business traveler has everything that may be needed. The bathroom is functional with an emphasis on utility so they may appear small to you if you are looking for a luxurious bathroom. Outside of the room, you can use the business center, conference rooms, and laundry service. The hotel also has a car parking in case you need one.
   

   My bed was comfortable and notice the handy phone on charge next to it

   

   Complete room view -pic from Ibis Singapore on Bencoolen hotel site

   

   The room has a safe, iron, tea coffee maker, and even a small fridge, besides the Handy phone 🙂

10. Friendly Ever Smiling Staff: The biggest reason I will go back to Ibis Singapore Bencoolen is their every smiling friendly staff. From the GM to the folks on reception to the friendly staff at the restaurant everybody made sure that we had a comfortable stay. I especially want to thank Vicky from the restaurant who was always smiling and remembered everybody’s food choices even when the restaurant was buzzing with guests.

CONTACT for Hotel Ibis Singapore On Bencoolen 
170 BENCOOLEN STREET
189657 – SINGAPORE
TEL :  (+65)65932888
FAX : (+65)65932889
GENERAL Information: H6657@ACCOR.COM

I enjoyed my stay and the warm hospitality of Ibis Singapore  Bencoolen and would sure be happy to stay there again on my next visit to Singapore.

Note: I was in Singapore as to participate in Escapers 17 where Scoot / Tiger Airlines & Accor Hotels group were our hosts.

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