Singapore, to a Hong Konger, at moments, appears pickled in time with preserved Malay, Chinese, Peranakan, and colonial British architecture dotted around the age-old city.
At 35 Robinson Road, sitting beside the Lau Pa Sat hawker centre heaving with tourists, the new-ish QT Singapore exhibits this pickled history in a quiet luxury fashion. The small luxury hotel-beloved hotel chain opened their Singapore hotel in September 2024, their first outside Australia and New Zealand.
The hotel retains its protected exterior, originally constructed 130 years ago with the opening of Eastern Extension Telegraph Company’s Singapore offices, a company responsible for bridging the U.K. with India and other nations in submarine communication.
In standard Singapore fashion, the property has seen hands changed multiple times, renamed to the Cable and Wireless Building in the early 20th century, becoming the Telecommunications Authority of Singapore in 1995, Ogilvy Centre in 2001, Sofitel So Singapore in 2014, Hotel Telegraph in 2022, and finally QT Singapore come late 2024.
The 134-room hotel features a 24-hour gym, a rooftop pool and bar, and a restaurant and bar pairing with Cygnet by Sean Connelly and Cygnet Bar.
For a three-day trip in May to Singapore from Hong Kong, I stayed in the QT Balcony Suite, an 80-square meter space filled with modern design motifs and curated to cool you down, both physically and mentally from a day out in the city.
Alongside a king bed, expect a sizeable bathtub, rain shower, and an elegant vanity. Their lounge area is positioned at the foot of the bed with a grand TV that can be controlled by a bedside iPad, with a Bose speaker, Nespresso machine, and Dyson hair dryer and Corrale hair straightener coming with the room to keep you at peace with your favourite brands.
The bed itself is lush, a soft embrace to soothe your body and rock you to sleep after a day hitting Singapore’s concrete streets. Make sure to keep your airconditioning on to dry the room and remove the possibility of damp pillows.
I like the addition of the overheard electronic fan in the suite, respecting the older traditions in Singapore to cool down. For your mandatory one-hour-plus phone time session planned in between afternoons and evenings during any holiday, especially in Singapore with the sometimes unbearable heat, the balcony suite is great for lounging about, whether it is the balcony or indoors.
Above the rooms and suites, QT’s rooftop bar and pool is engulfed by neighbouring finance centres with the sun peeking through to shine on the water. It may not be the cherry on top of a relaxing cake-like hotel, with plenty of sweet layers to explore, but it does bring tranquility to the hotel amidst the city chaos.
Downstairs, Cygnet by Sean Connolly and Cygnet Bar serve guests and outsiders, with the former led by famed Kiwi chef. The steakhouse is snazzy, confident, and meaty. With exception for breakfast, the all-day dining space specialises in tender meat and steakhouse-adjacent classics, such as steak frites, spaghetti vongole, crab linguini, oysters, and prawn cocktail.
The adjacent bar stocks funky cocktails inspired by authors contained within the New York Public Library and drinks familiar in the City. Their cocktails eere on the sweet side with herbal and sour touches. I recommend The Devil Wears Prada for a fruity, vanilla-strong gin drink.
The service is polite and staff friendly; drinks take a while to craft with their unique ingredients, but they are worth the wait.
QT Singapore is a 10-minute walk to Maxwell Food Centre and Amoy Street Food Centre, and next door to Lau Pa Sat for a feed of Singaporean, Indian, Malay, Cantonese, or Indonesian food. Chinatown nearby also features a crowd of Western restaurants, wine bars, and pubs if you are feeling fancy on your weekend trip.
Beyond a visit to Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay, the neighbourhood around QT lacks a real pulse that other spots in Singapore offer. Treat the hotel and your room as a base to hide from the loud lights and sounds of the city and to relax during a weekend roaming around the Lion City.
QT Singapore, 35 Robinson Road, Singapore, 068876, +65 6701 6800, book here, rooms start at HKD2,410/SGD396
