Review: InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay (small rooms, nice location)

A Traveling for Miles review of the InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay.

On a recent visit to Singapore, I had planned to spend my three nights at the Grand Hyatt Singapore, but an expiring IHG Free Night Certificate and a great points rate at the InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay (38,250 points/night) persuaded me to split my trip into a 1-night stay with IHG and a 2-night stay with Hyatt.

In one fell swoop I made good use of a Free Nights Certificate that’s worth, at most, 40,000 points (it’s a certificate from the legacy IHG Rewards Select Card which cannot be boosted) and I got another property to review for this site.

Getting there/location

As its name suggests, the InterContinental Singapore sits on Robertson Quay to the west of Marina Bay, the Esplanade, Raffles Place and the Singapore Cricket Club.

Unlike the hustle and bustle of the areas in and around Orchard Road and Marina Bay, Robertson Quay has a very tranquil feel to it that I really liked. It felt peaceful and relaxing.

That being said, this isn’t some out-of-the-way location in Singapore. There are a lot of restaurants and bars in the immediate vicinity, and plenty of notable sights within a 30-minute walk:

• Singapore River: 1-minute walk
• Robertson Walk (shopping area): 4-minute walk
• Kim Seng Park: 7-minute walk
• Sri Thendayuthapani Temple: 8-minute walk
• Clarke Quay (entertainment/nightlife) : 12-minute walk
• Chinatown: 17-minute walk
• National Museum of Singapore: 20-minute walk
• Orchard Road (eastern end): 25-minute walk
• Maxwell Food Centre: 25-minute walk
• Merlion/Marina Bay: 30-minute walk

The two nearest MRT (Mass Rapid Transport) lines are Fort Canning and Havelock which are between 10 and 15 minutes’ walk away, but you’ll find multiple bus stops much closer to the hotel than that.

To get to the InterContinental Singapore from Changi Airport, I took a “Grab” (Asia’s equivalent of Uber/Lyft) which, late in the day, cost me $23.50 (US) and took around 25 minutes. At peak times it will take longer (but probably no more than 35 minutes in total).

If you’re hoping to use public transport, the MRT will probably be the best option – Changi to Expo (CG line heading towards Tanah Merah). Change at Expo to the Downtown Line (DT) and alight at Fort Canning from where you’ll have a ~12-minute walk to the hotel.

Arrival, first impressions and check in

I arrived quite late in the evening, so the area was quiet and there weren’t many people milling around (this area is the opposite of Orchard Road).

The first thing that I noticed was that the InterContinental sits within a building that it shares with other businesses. Most of the building is occupied by the hotel, but other businesses/offices which are not affiliated to the hotel share the building.

This is probably why when you enter through the street-level doors, you then have to take an elevator to the 4th level before you reach the lobby and the check-in desks.

The small lobby area stretches out to the right of the check-in desks (as you face them) and leads to the Club InterContinental Lounge (more on that later) and a second set of elevators which service the room floors.

When I got up to the 4th level, there was only one person working the front desk (presumably due to the late hour) and there was a family checking in ahead of me, so there was a wait of around 10 minutes before I was served (this wasn’t an issue as I was so jet-lagged that I had lost most sense of time!)

The check in process was reasonably quick and I was offered 600 points or something else as my Platinum elite arrival gift (I can’t remember what the other option was). I took the points.

I was also told that breakfast (which wasn’t included in my booking or as part of my elite benefits package) could be pre-purchased for SG$30 (~$23 at the time of writing) or it could be paid for at the time of dining for SG$38 (~$29 at the time of writing). I chose to pre-pay.

That took care of most of the formalities, and after I was shown the way to the main elevators, I made my way up to my King Classic River View Room.

King Classic River View room

The hallways on the room floors look modern, clean and well looked after, and given that this hotel is approaching its 10th year after opening, that’s either very impressive or it means that the common areas have been refreshed in the not too distant past.

When you open the door to a King Classic room, this is what you’re likely to see.

The room is a little odd because, effectively, you walk straight into an area with a closet and toilet cubicle on one side and an open bathroom on the other, and you walk through this area to get to where the bed is.

This is the view looking back towards the entrance door from the sleeping area.

There’s no getting away from the fact that to get from the sleeping area to the door of the room you have to, effectively, walk through the small bathroom.

Speaking of bathrooms, this is what it looks like.

There’s a single sink/vanity unit (which looks very nice).

Next to the sink, there’s a tap which dispenses filtered water.

I love this idea. For once, a hotel has come up with a measure that’s positive for the environment without being negative for guests.

There are select complimentary amenities to one side of the sink alongside a scannable QR code which can be used to request other items that are not automatically provided in every room.

To the left of the sink is a cabinet with two drawers.

And to the right is where you’ll find the shower cubicle complete with rain shower, a hand-held shower and some full-size toiletries from Byredo (the same brand that you’ll find at the InterContinental London O2, the Andaz Prague and the Andaz West Hollywood).

Directly opposite the sink is the toilet cubicle and the closet which share a sliding door – you either have the toilet door closed and the closet open or you have the toilet door open and the closet closed.

Pushing past this area, you enter the room’s small sleeping area with king size bed.

There’s no real sense of space here and the feeling that the room is quite tight gets a little worse if you close the sliding doors which divide this area from the bathroom/shower/closet toilet.

There are nightstands on either side of the bed (one has two drawers, the other doesn’t have any) and both have access to the room’s lights as well as to universal power outlets. One side of the bed also has access to a USB-A port.

Opposite the bed, you’ll find a small desk and more power outlets …

… as well as a large flat screen TV and a set of cabinets which are home to the minibar, the tea/coffee making facilities and the room’s cups and glassware.

Lastly, I should show you the view, which looks like this …

… and I should mention that the room’s large floor-to-ceiling window comes fitted with a blackout blind which does a very good job of keeping out daylight.

Overall, the room’s fixtures look nice, the decor is clean and yet not bland, the bathroom looks well put together and the showers work well, there’s a good amount of hanging and drawer space, the bed is comfortable, the window blind does a good job of blocking out light, I didn’t notice any external noise when I was in the room, and the view isn’t bad, but you can’t get away from the fact that this looks like and feels like a really small room.

The hotel’s information says that these room types start at 24 sqm/~258 sqft, but this feels smaller than that.

I’m not sure if that’s because of the room’s layout (you feel like you’re walking through the bathroom to get to the sleeping area) or if it’s because things feel a bit squeezed in (the desk feels like an afterthought and is not a comfortable place to work), but whatever it is, this is not a room that I’d want to have for a stay of more than a couple of days.

Dining and bars

There are five restaurants and bars around the InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay and, at the time of writing, this is what each of them offers.

Publico Ristorante & Garden

Publico is the hotel’s own restaurant, it sits at ground level, and with 220 seats spread across the restaurant and bar, it’s comfortably the largest eatery at the hotel.

A little strangely, the restaurant is not directly accessible from the hotel and this is a feature that it shares with every other eatery associated with this InterContinental.

To get to Publico from your room, you have to take the elevators to the lobby, then take the second set of elevators from the lobby to street level, exit the hotel and turn right. That’s when you’ll see the entrance to the restaurant ahead of you.

Outside of breakfast (which I’ll cover in a separate section), the food on offer here is primarily Italian, with wood-fire pizzas, pastas, and more.

Here’s what the restaurant’s hours look like at the time of writing:

• Breakfast, daily: 06:30 to 10:30
• Lunch, Monday to Friday: 12:00 to 17:00
• Brunch, Saturday and Sunday: 12:00 to 17:00
• Dinner, Monday to Thursday: 17:00 to 23:00
• Dinner, Friday and Saturday: 17:00 to 23:30
• Dinner, Sunday: 17:00 to 22:00

Note: The kitchen closes an hour before the restaurant does.

Publico offers inside and outside seating so you’re covered regardless of what the weather does

Anyone who has read my reviews before will know that, outside of breakfast, I don’t usually dine at the hotels at which I stay, and this stay was no exception (why would you eat in a hotel when you’re in one of the best foodie cities on earth?), so I can’t comment on the quality of the food served here.

I can, however, say that Publico had a very nice feel to it, the seating was comfortable (I like that there’s a variety of seating options for guests to choose from), and the staff with whom I interacted were fantastic – friendly, helpful and just nice people to be around – so if you absolutely have to eat at the hotel, this will probably be a reasonable choice.

Link to the latest Publico menu (.pdf)

From now on, every eatery I mention is associated with the InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay, but none of them are owned or run by the hotel, they’re all independent businesses and just as is the case with Publico, you’ll have to exit the hotel and enter each restaurant through its own separate entrance.

Wolfgang’s Steakhouse

This is the same steakhouse chain that we get in the US, and as its name suggests, it specialises in dry-aged beef and larger cuts like the porterhouse.

Lunch is served daily between 11:30 and 15:00, and dinner is served daily between 17:00 and 23:30. Reservations are taken by phone.

For guests who’d prefer not to venture out and who’d like a steak, this will probably work, but given the prices this restaurant charges and the incredible dining options you’ll find all over Singapore, this is unlikely to offer great value for money.

Link to Wolfgang’s Steakhouse Singapore

Ishi

Ishi is on level two of the complex in which the hotel sits and is a small Japanese counter restaurant.

It’s closed on Mondays. Lunch is served Tuesday to Sunday between 12:00 and 14:30, and dinner is served Tuesday to Sunday between 18:30 and 22:30.

With just 26 seats and reservations taken by phone only, I suggest booking well ahead of when you plan to eat or you’re likely to be disappointed.

Link to Ishi

Ummi

Ummi is on level one, it serves Mediterranean/Lebanese food and its webpage has this to say:

“Our menu celebrates authentic recipes passed down through generations, brought to life with fresh produce, fragrant spices, and the warmth of home cooking. Every shared plate, mezze spread, and slow-cooked dish tells a story, inviting you to savour each bite and each moment.

From sunlit lunches filled with laughter to intimate evening gatherings, UMMI transforms seamlessly into the perfect setting for both everyday meals and special celebrations — a place where the flavours of Lebanon bring people together.”

Lunch is served Tuesday to Saturday between 12:00 and 15:00, and dinner is served Monday to Saturday between 18:00 and 23:00. It’s closed on Sundays.

Link to Ummi

CODA

This is a 15-seat cocktail bar on level two of the hotel complex and it’s open daily between 17:00 and 00:00.

The information put out about this bar is far too pretentious for me to reproduce here, so if you want to know more, check out the link below (but prepare to be assaulted by quite a bit of nonsense).

Link to Coda

In-room dining

In-room dining is available 24 hours a day, which is worth knowing given that Ishi is closed on Mondays, Ummi is closed on Sundays, and Publico’s kitchen stops serving at 22:00 on a Sunday. I suspect that it’s Publico’s kitchen that supplies the in-room menu, but I’m not sure.

Breakfast

Breakfast is served in Publico between 06:30 and 10:30 daily and, as you’d expect, it’s a buffet. What you may not expect, if you haven’t visited this part of the world before, is just how extensive the buffet is.

It’s huge and it’s very good.

The expandable thumbnails (below) will give a good idea of what the buffet offering is like, but here’s a selection of items that I noted down:

Western style

• Streaky bacon
• Chicken sausages
• Roasted mushrooms
• Baked beans
• Sliced roasted tomatoes with Parmesan cheese
• Roasted sweet potato
• Egg station (offering omelets and eggs however you want them)
• Cheeses (Blue, Brie, Gouda & Goat’s cheese)
• Cold cuts (Gammon ham, Chicken Lyoner, Turkey ham, & Smoked salmon)
• Various salad items and dressings
• Various prepared fruits (including pineapple, watermelon, papaya & oranges)
• Cereals (Cornflakes, Coco Crunch, All Bran, Fruit Loops, Granola, & Gluten free cereal)
• Honey (served from a large honeycomb)
• A variety of yoghurts
• Pancakes, waffles, and various pastries/cakes
• Milks (Full cream, Soy, Skimmed)
• Breads (White, Wholemeal, Multigrain, Rye, Ficelle, Soft rolls, & Mini tomato rolls)

Asian style

• Chicken Char Siew bao (Chinese-style filled buns with barbecue-flavored chicken)
• Steamed Dory with sesame ginger sauce
• Kimchi fried rice
• Wok fried Nai Bai (a variety of Bok Choy, Chinese cabbage)
• Char Kway Teow (a stir-fried rice noodle dish)
• Congee (rice porridge)
• Mini samosas
• Vegetable Kurma/Korma curry
• Tomato chutney (a South Indian condiment made from fresh tomatoes, lentils, chili, and spices)
• Coconut chutney (a South Indian condiment made from fresh grated coconut, green chilies, roasted chana dal, and ginger, all blended with water)
• Idly/Idli (a soft, fluffy, savory steamed rice cake from South India)
• Preserved fruits (papaya, mango, longan in sugar syrup, & Lychee in sugar syrup)

Drinks

• Iced milk tea
• Apple Juice
• Orange juice
• Cranberry juice
• Pineapple juice
• Lapsang Yuzu
• Berry Blast

Tea and coffee are made to order …

… and, most importantly for me, there’s a signature laksa on offer as well.

This is a signature broth with a mix of vermicelli & rice noodles, prawns, egg, dried bean curd, laksa leaves, and house-made sambal (a spicy chili-based sauce) and it was delicious.

I was told by the restaurant staff that I tried the laksa at the best possible time (shortly after it was cooked) and that after 09:00, the quality deteriorates noticeably (so avoid this after 09:00!)

Speaking of the staff … I cannot compliment them highly enough because they were fantastic. Nothing was too much trouble, when they saw that I was interested in the more local dishes they offered great advice (told me what to try and what to pair with what) and I was even given a Yuenyeung (brewed coffee with traditional Hong Kong-style milk tea) which I’m reasonably sure wasn’t anywhere on the list of available drinks.

This was the best ~$23 I think I’ve ever spent on breakfast, and it puts to shame the appalling congealed sludge that often passes for breakfast in the US and which costs 2x or 3x what this breakfast cost.

If you don’t have breakfast included as an elite benefit or as part of the rate that you booked, it will cost SG$30 (~$23 at the time of writing) if you pre-purchase it at check-in or you can pay as you go for SG$38 (~$29 at the time of writing).

I recommend trying this breakfast out at least once (make sure you pre-pay), because as hotel breakfasts go, this one is excellent and very good value (which isn’t unusual in Southeast Asia).

An aside – You may see a sign in the lobby which reads as follows:

“Breakfast at Publico – While a relaxed, comfortable look is always welcome, please note that sleepwear, slippers, and shorts fall outside our standards for the venue. We appreciate your understanding in helping us maintain the refined atmosphere our guests expect.”

Being a compliant sort of person, I made sure that I didn’t wear shorts to breakfast, but the man who walked in just after me did and had no issues. A few minutes later, a female guest walked in with, essentially, a sports bra and shorts that were so tight they may well have been cutting off circulation, and she had no issues either.

It’s probably safe to assume that you can enjoy breakfast in Publico in shorts despite what the sign says.

The gym

Just as is the case with the eateries, you cannot access the gym from within the hotel – you have to exit through the property’s rear entrance at street level, turn right and walk around 150 yards.

It sits in a triangular space with 2 walls of floor to ceiling glass and that’s not really something you’ll be able to see in most of these images as they were taken at night (sorry!).

There’s not much more than I can add there that the images don’t already tell you (it’s well equipped and not particularly large), but it’s worth noting that because it has large windows and sits at street level (rather than on subterranean floor like many other city hotel gyms), it gets plenty of natural light.

That should make it a good place to work out when the temperatures in Singapore make outdoor exercise unappealing.

The pool

Yes, the InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay has a pool … of sorts. It sits at lobby level and can be accessed from the seating area that’s adjacent to the lobby between 06:00 and 22:00 daily.

As you should be able to see from the images above, this is more of a place to relax than a place to get any kind of meaningful swimming done (it’s only 4 ft/1.2 m deep).

That being said, it could be a nice place to spend some time after a day out in Singapore and as on the two occasions I visited this area there was no one else around, I suspect you may not have much competition for the five sun loungers on offer.

The Club InterContinental lounge

The Club InterContinental lounge sits on the lobby level next to the main elevator block and is open between 06:30 and 22:30 daily.

There are a variety of ways to access Club InterContinental:

• Book a room with Club InterContinental access included
• Booking the stay through some “luxury agents” (like Virtuoso) can sometimes include complimentary lounge access
• Pay per day at the hotel (can be arranged at the check-in desks)
• Access via an IHG Annual Lounge membership (a Milestone benefit that IHG One Rewards members can select when they earn 40 or 70 elite night credits)

Also, while no standard IHG elite status offers lounge access on its own, members with invitation-only IHG Royal Ambassador status get lounge access for up to two people.

Other than a nice place to get some work done or relax, the lounge offers the following:

• Breakfast: 06:30 t0 10:30 (buffet and made-to-order options)
• Afternoon Tea: 14:30 to 17:00 (savory options and pastries/cakes)
• Evening Cocktails/Drinks: 18:00 to 22:00 (canapés and alcoholic beverages)

All the food and drink offerings are complimentary (or included in whatever you paid) and throughout the day (from opening to close) the lounge also offers non-alcoholic beverages and light snacks.

At this point I should say that I did not have Club InterContinental access on this visit, but the very kind lounge agents allowed me in (briefly!) to take a look around. Keep this in mind when you view the images below as I was very keen not to disturb any of the guests in the lounge.

The space is quite small, but it looks nice, the staff are super-friendly, and the access to a peaceful outdoor terrace is very nice to have.

Whether all of this is worth the daily access fee (which won’t be cheap) will be up to personal preferences, but as the price difference between an entry level room and an entry-level room with lounge access is usually around $100 (US), those traveling as a couple will find it a lot more economical to book a room that grants lounge access rather than paying the daily rate.

In summary

This is a hard hotel to sum up because there are things that I like about it and things that I don’t like, so I can’t give it a big thumbs up nor can I say that it’s a property to avoid. It sits somewhere in the middle

On the negative side, the hotel feels a little soulless without a central bar and without any restaurants actually within the hotel itself. Having to leave by the main exit before you can access any of the restaurants/bars associated with the property means that none of the restaurants feel like they’re actually part of the property.

Also, the King Classic room felt small and compact, and I didn’t love the layout that required me to, effectively, walk through the bathroom every time I entered or left the room.

Given that entry-level rooms usually cost between $300 and $350 per night (USD), if you’re not set on staying in the Robertson Quay area, you can find considerably larger rooms at properties of a similar standard for the same price or less (an entry level room at the Grand Hyatt, for example is 452 sqft/42 sqm, that’s 75% larger).

On the positive side, the fittings in the rooms are good quality, the room aesthetics are nice, the staff are great, the breakfast is fantastic, and the Robertson Quay area feels a lot more relaxed than a lot of the other areas in Singapore where hotels are located.

So, would I go back? Yes and No.

I wouldn’t go back if I was traveling with Joanna (the rooms are too small) or if I was traveling alone and there were no good deals on offer as other options in Singapore are likely to be better overall (I may have to sacrifice the peaceful location for a larger room).

I’d go back if I was alone, only staying 1 or 2 nights, and if I managed to find a very competitive cash rate or a very good award deal (especially one that meant I could burn a free night certificate without having to top it up with points).

I don’t dislike the InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay, but I also don’t like it enough to return unless I was getting a very good deal because at standard rates, I think you can do better elsewhere.

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