Ibis Hotels in my mental image stands for basic business hotels. I missed a chance to stay at their hotel in Delhi earlier this year. But as luck would have it, I found myself enjoying the hospitality of Hotel Ibis Singapore on Bencoolen soon after. Located right in the central business district close to the Bugis MRT station, it is not difficult to locate them.
My marker for the hotel though would become the Krishna temple located right behind it along with a lovely Chinese temple.
Ibis Singapore On Bencoolen – A Short Stay
In the evening when I was exploring the market behind the hotel, it was a pleasure to see people of both communities visiting both the temples.
Customer-friendly practices
When I first landed, I entered the hotel through the back alley door and the first impression from the bright red lobby was a sense of a trendy hotel. As I was pre-booked, check-in was quick and the lady at the counter explained to me the facilities. And that included ‘A Handy-phone’ in the room that I can use to call 27 countries for free. That gave me unlimited use of 3G data. These 27 countries included India and I could not have been happier. I found it too good to believe. It was like the hotel handing me over a fully loaded local number. Now, this is an innovation in service that I have not yet seen in any other hotel. Believe me, it is such a big relief to have a local number as soon as you land in a new country.
The lobby of the hotel at Bencoolen has a touch screen that is like your local guide. You can access it to find ideas to explore Singapore, get information, or just know anything about the country. There is a row of computers and iPads that you can use to access our work in case you are not carrying your own machines. Of course, the staff helps you out with the details too.
They also handed me a pre-loaded Ezlink card – which you can use to travel on MRT and local buses. What a thoughtful little innovation that makes the lives of travelers so easy.
Eco-friendly practices at Hotel Ibis Singapore on Bencoolen
The next day morning as we stepped out to go, I saw a row of bamboo cycles and the friendly hotel manager explained that guests can take these cycles to go around the neighborhood for free. The hotel is surrounded by many big and small art-centric attractions. I explored the Peranakan Museum and while walking around I saw there was the Singapore Art Museum, Chinese Cultural Center, Bugis Village, and a whole lot of restaurants and eating joints to be explored. So, this Bamboo cycle made a lot of sense to explore this area.
The hotel does not serve drinking water in the room, the tap water is drinkable. However, you can buy a bottle or carry your own bottle at their restaurant and get it refilled as many times as you want. I loved the idea that involves the guests as much as the hotel staff in contributing towards green living.
Regular Facilities at the Hotel
I only had breakfast at their restaurant and I appreciated the fact that they have an exclusive vegetarian corner and I did not have to go searching for the food I can eat.
Rooms are compact with just about enough space for you to move around, though they come equipped with all the essentials – an iron box, a tea kettle, and a television.
The washrooms are super compact; I kept banging on the walls. There is hardly any space to keep your toiletries or hang your clothes.
Space and facilities are enough for a single user but for couples or families, it may be cramped a bit. For someone like me, it was ok, as I spend most of my time exploring the city and only use hotels for parking myself.
Overall, this hotel is an excellent choice for business travelers.
Why was I in Singapore?
I was in Singapore for Skyscanner’s Content Hacking Workshop with writers, bloggers, and influencers from 8 Asian countries.
It was a wonderful experience to exchange ideas and learn from all of them.
Recommend you to read the following places to visit in Singapore.
Singapore Botanic Gardens – a UNESCO World Heritage Site
if u r still there pl. call me up.
will b nice 2 talk with such an arrangement.
During My Singapore Visit I stayed in Ibis Singapore Novena . One of the property of Ibis Hotel Chain. According to Ratings it was 3* but services I must say is almost of a 5* kind.
They have almost more than 10 properties in singapore itself from 2* to 5* but I must say that they don’t really compromise on service part.
Easily 5* to IBIS and this blog