Hello everyone, and welcome to another of my reviews. In this article, I’ll be reviewing my recent stay at ibis Styles Singapore Albert.
I actually haven’t done a hotel review in quite some time – the last was Furama Riverfront hotel late last year. After a busy period at work, I decided to take a breather and book an affordable staycation at ibis Styles Singapore Albert just to wind down and relax.
ibis Styles Singapore Albert – the Brand
The hotel was officially opened in 2022, with a total of 172 rooms. It was previously known as Parc Sovereign Albert, and from what I can see minimal changes were made. Like its predecessor, it’s classified as a 4-star hotel, with full-fledged facilities such as a gym, pool and restaurant.
I managed to snag the room for around $100 during Accor’s Red Hot Rooms sale, making it fairly affordable by today’s standards. Given its usual price of around $188, I decided it was fairly value-for-money. Let’s see how the staycation went.
ibis Styles Singapore Albert – Video Review
For those interested in seeing some hands-on footage of the hotel, check out my Youtube review of ibis Styles Singapore Albert below:
ibis Styles Singapore Albert – Check-In
ibis Styles Singapore Albert is located in the heart of Rochor, just a stone’s throw away from Rochor MRT.
The exterior facade of the hotel looks modern and sleek. It’s not exactly luxury, but it reflects the functional and utilitarian nature of the hotel.
The hotel has two check-in counters – one for regular guests, and another for Accor members. I arrived shortly after check-in time, and there was no queue. Check-in was done fairly promptly, though there could have been more of a personal touch.
Being an ibis Styles, certain areas of the hotel appear more upscale than the usual ibis premises. One such area was the waiting area of the lobby, which features tasteful decor that reflected the hotel’s “Styles” moniker. I can imagine it would be quite nice to take a Zoom call here.
However, the upscale decor was not reflected in the corridors of the hotel, which looks fairly plain Jane by comparison.
ibis Styles Singapore Albert – Superior Room
I was assigned to room 525, which was a Superior double room.
First impressions: the Superior Room was cozy, but well-maintained and clean. There isn’t much to shout about in terms of its aesthetics, but nothing much to complain about either.
There’s a wooden wardrobe on the left of the entrance, which is fairly spacious and clean. There are a bunch of hangers, as well as a safe and a pair of in-room slippers. However, the hangers are fixed to the bar and can’t be removed. I understand that it’s a security feature (to prevent guests from “stealing” the hangers), but it was still a tad annoying nonetheless.
The usual amenities are provided – there are coffee and tea sachets, an electric kettle, and a mini-fridge. Everything was pretty clean (the cups, kettle, fridge, etc), which is an area where hotels sometimes fail to pass muster.
Despite the cozy size of the room, there is actually a large bag/shoe rest that is more than sufficient for two.
Despite being just 14 square metres, the Superior double room features a Queen-sized bed, though it does take up most of the space. Furthermore, the floor-to-ceiling windows do make the room feel a tad more spacious and airy.
I was given the pool-facing room, which…faces the pool. It’s actually a decent view, though the construction works of the adjacent building do mar it somewhat.
Opposite the bed is a sleek marble tabletop. A pair of power parts is available, and there’s even a desk lamp as well. There’s also a mirror and a chair, making it a viable option to double as both a workstation and a vanity desk.
There’s also a Sharp smart TV, but unfortunately during my stay, it couldn’t seem to connect to the Wi-Fi so it was as good as useless. I tried calling the front desk staff for help, only to be told that unfortunately, this was a hotel-wide issue. That was really a bummer, as I was looking forward to some Netflix and chilling in the room.
On the plus side, the bed was very comfortable, and I had a great sleep that night. The bed was just the right firmness, while the pillows were great to lie on as well. My only criticism is the duvet, which could have been a tad thicker. I’m also ambivalent about the printed artwork above the bed.
There is also bedside lighting available with convenient USB ports, allowing you (and your fellow guest) to charge your mobile devices by the bedside.
Like the bedroom, the bathroom is cozy, though clean and well-maintained.
The ibis styles branded towels – both bath and face towels are provided – are a nice touch, and elevate it from cheaper 3-star hotels.
A set of dental kits is provided, and there’s even a filtered water tap. The hotel doesn’t provide bottled water (due to sustainability reasons), so this added feature is a great distinction from other hotels with similar policies that simply expect guests to drink out of the tap.
However, the traditional design of the toilet bowl (instead of a concealed cistern) does look a bit dated. There’s also no bidet, which is a shame.
Guests can choose to shower using either the showerhead, or a “rainshower”. The fittings are by Grohe, which means strong water pressure, though temperature control was still a bit finicky.
The hotel also provides guests with shampoo and body wash. It comes in “Pressto Impress”-branded bottles, but a quick Google search failed to turn up anything substantial. While it’s definitely not as good as say, the Metis-branded ones available at Hotel G, it’s still a step up from generic offerings found at other 4-star hotels such as The Daulat.
That being said, I’m not a fan of the shower curtain. Not only does it feel cheap, it’s also impractical – water from the shower often “leaked” out into the toilet area. I would have much preferred a solid door. If a 3-star hotel such as Champion Hotel can have actual doors, I don’t see why ibis Styles can’t.
ibis Styles Singapore Albert – Amenities
Being a full-fledged hotel, ibis Styles Singapore Albert has a swimming pool, a gym, and a restaurant.
Both the pool and the gym are located on the 4th floor, with towels provided right beside the lifts.
In my opinion, the pool is the highlight of the hotel. While not quite infinity, it’s long enough for actual swimming (not one of those dipping pools that’s only good for Instagram photos), and was quite clean. On a humid day, the swim was refreshing and certainly a highlight of the stay. There are also plenty of lounge chairs available for guests to suntan if they wish.
While the pool was quite a treat, unfortunately the same can’t be said of the gym. It’s bare bones – a threadmill, an elliptical machine, and a row machine are all there is. There aren’t even any free weights or benches available, so it definitely won’t please any gym buffs.
Lastly, there’s also a hotel restaurant named Thaipan, and it’s actually pretty good. In fact, it’s even been featured in Mothership previously. I’ve tried its pastries as well as some of the Zi Char dishes, and they were all pretty good. It’s also quite affordable (surprising for a hotel restaurant), so do give it a try. However, I don’t think in-room dining is actually available.
Conclusion – so ibis Styles Singapore Albert “shiok” or not?
ibis Styles Singapore Albert was a decent staycation. On the plus side, the room and its facilities were all squeaky clean, with certain upscale touches (such as the hotel lobby, branded towels, open-air pool, etc) elevating it from other quasi 4-star hotels such as Hotel Nuve Urbane, Hotel Grand Central, The Daulat, Santa Grand, etc. However, the non-working smart TV also irked me, as did the lack of a bidet. Service could have been better too, especially with regards to staff training. While interacting with one of the hotel staff about the TV, we were told that said staff “didn’t know anything” because she was from a different ibis property that doesn’t have a smart TV. Furthermore, the maintenance crew that came in to try and fix the TV (to no avail) were also wearing Fragrance-hotel branded clothing, which not only is off-brand but also cheapened the hotel experience.
If you’re looking for a clean hotel to spend the night – with certain bells and whistles – then ibis Styles Singapore Albert is a decent choice at ~S$100. It’s miles better than say, the $69/night rate at the Fragrance Hotel/Hotel 81 next door. It’s also better than similarly priced 3/4-star hotels. However, at its usual price of S$188, I would personally opt for other 4-star hotels such as Furama Riverfront (which has larger rooms). And if having a pool isn’t that important to you, alternatives such as Hotel G and lyf Funan possesses more character as well.
ibis Styles Singapore Albert location: 175 Albert St, #01-02, Singapore 189970
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