PUBLISHED February 19th, 2020 06:45 am | UPDATED July 25th, 2024 01:33 pm
They say good things come in small packages, and ST Signature Tanjong Pagar is a prime example. Riding the wave of co-living concepts in the last year – lyf at Funan being perhaps the splashiest launch thus far – ST Signature recently rolled out their flagship hotel on Tras Street, mere months after their first opened in Chinatown. As its co-living tagline suggests, this compact hotel is all about bringing guests close together – socially, and sometimes literally.
Location & Space
As far as dining and drinking goes, you couldn’t wish for a more plum spot. Set in a conserved shophouse in the heart of the CBD, ST Signature Tanjong Pagar boasts a bevy of dining gems for neighbours.
Think Heart of Darkness, BAM!, and Jekyll & Hyde all along the same street, with the trendy enclaves of Telok Ayer and Amoy Street a short stroll away.
Checking in is a breezy affair with ST Signature’s smart Chat-In system. From placing your deposit to uploading passport details, it’s all done through an automated platform on your phone – though of course, there’re community hosts around to lend a human hand. A few taps, and you’ll be whisked up through the maze of sleek, dark-panelled corridors in search of your room.
Rooms
Packing 92 cabins into three levels of one shophouse is quite the feat, achieved through smart design and some inevitable squeezing. Cabins come in four categories: medium-sized ensuite or small, each with the choice of an upper or lower bunk. In an ingenious bit of engineering, upper- and lower- bunk rooms are slotted together in an S-shape design; this means that if you have an upper bunk, you sleep ‘stacked’ above your lower-bunk neighbour in the next room. Game of human Tetris or luxe Tokyo capsule hotel? You decide.
We had a medium upper ensuite with window (around S$200++ per night). This long, narrow space – only one arm’s span in breadth – fits in a decent array of amenities, from a small desk and mirror to a double bed and universal power plug up above. What you won’t find is a ladder to your loft – to get to pillowy paradise, you have to hoist yourself onto the desk and step up on the shelf above. Personally, we’d have preferred sacrificing a tad more room space to skip the gymnastics (doing this tipsy and sleepy was quite the adventure).
Another notable drawback is the lack of storage space for clothes, aside from hooks behind the door. If you’re willing to live out of your suitcase, though, the room proves surprisingly clean and sleek, particularly the bathroom – stylish and equipped with sustainable bath products from Fair CosmEthics and The White Company.
Facilities & Services
Compared to the Chinatown property, the Tanjong Pagar flagship features fewer nooks of communal space, but there’s still room for those ready to mingle. Head to the second-floor Cook Lab to fix yourself a cuppa, and stay to chat with fellow caffeine-seekers or your community hosts. Fitted with Miele appliances – including a hob and hood, microwave oven, and coffee machine – it’s a cosy spot to cook up a storm with company.
A full-glass event space on the rooftop is still under construction; once ready, you can look forward to convenient yoga sessions by Sweatbox Yoga in the morning and evening.
To increase the amount of elbow room in your cabin, the first floor boasts a row of lockers to stow luggage bags and unwieldy belongings (that’re likely more for folks backpacking across Asia than staycationers looking to get away from the heartlands). You’ll find locks for the lockers in the vending machine just outside, along with a thoughtful range of other essentials: water, pads, condoms, umbrellas, and chocolate.
F&B
Feeling like a lazy lie-in? Through a tie-up with F&B partner Katrina Group, ST Signature offers fuss-free food delivery from Streats, So Pho, and Bali Thai via its chat platform. If you do manage to roll out of bed, there’s resident Japanese restaurant Torasho Ramen & Charcoal Bar to nosh at. With an industrial-chic look amped up with dragon motifs, this izakaya-style diner serves slurpworthy bowls of ramen like Truffle Tonkotsu (S$18) and Uni Tsukemen (S$16), paired with a good-sized selection of shochu and umeshu.
What we can’t wait for, though, is Levant, a rooftop bar currently still in the works. Decked in vibrant shades of orange, this in-house bar will offer sleek cocktails and Mediterranean-inspired small plates alongside lovely views of the CBD.
ST Signature Tanjong Pagar is located at 32 Tras St, Singapore 078972, p. +65 6291 7050. Rates start from S$108 per night.