Singapore Staycation Spotlight: SG Hotel On Wheels, A Themed Container Pop-Up at Downtown East

PUBLISHED December 7th, 2021 06:30 am | UPDATED July 25th, 2024 01:31 pm

There’s a certain offbeat charm about the nomadic life – whether it’s caravanning, glamping, or having an Airbnb holiday. Even if your travelling wings are clipped for the moment, you can still get a taste of nomad living with Singapore’s first roving hotel concept: SG Hotel On Wheels (SHOW).

Housed in ten pastel-hued shipping containers, this pop-up hotel is the brainchild of Ultimate – the folks behind AIRZONE and Art-Zoo – and LS Modular, a container specialist for events like Artbox Singapore. Their plan is to take the SHOW across Singapore, popping up anywhere from beaches to nature parks. The first stop? Downtown East’s Begonia Carpark, from now till 20 March 2022. What’s more, it comes with a whole carnival of fun at its doorstep – games, rides, and bouncy playgrounds. We had a chance to experience a stay there, and here’s how it went down.

Location & Space

Once simply an open-air carpark for Downtown East visitors, the Begonia Carpark now houses ten shipping containers in cheery colours – much like a trailer park. Dubbed SHOWrooms, the suites are set just beside the carnival area – though thankfully at enough distance that you won’t hear the hubbub of the crowd from within. You can splash right into Wild Wild Wet a stone’s throw away, or stroll over to E!Avenue for groceries and dining.

Each of the ten rooms comes decked in a different theme, from a safari suite clad in wildlife prints to a resort retreat with a backdrop of beach scenery. A pocket-sized front ‘garden’ is attached to each suite, complete with artificial grass and deck chairs. The best time for lounging outside is by night, when the fairy lights strung between the containers come on.

Rooms

SHOWrooms are split into two categories: the 20-footer room (from S$239 per night) and the 40-footer suite (from S$299). Whereas the 20-footer features a basic queen-sized bed and bathroom, the 40-footer is more like an apartment in miniature – you get a fully equipped kitchen, living room, and bedroom.

Our Peranakan Suite is an eye-catching affair of teal-coloured walls with peacocks and flowers outlined in gold. The living room is fitted out in heritage style with a blue velveteen couch and a shophouse painting above it, along with a trio of painted floral plates – save that one has fallen off the wall and simply been left there, glue marks and all. There’s also a small dining table that looks rather the worse for wear, slotted in the narrow space between the couch and the wall.

The kitchenette is well-equipped with everything you’d need for a homecooked meal – a fridge and freezer, a microwave with grill functions, an induction cooktop, and ample cabinet space stocking cutlery and crockery. We love the addition of a window that offers charming views of the carnival merriment outside – though it might also have been the source of the ants that we spotted on the countertop.

It’s rare to find a hotel TV equipped with Netflix, so you’ll be glad to know that both of SHOW’s TVs – one in the living room, and the other in the bedroom – do. Meanwhile, the bathroom is striking with its walls clad in Peranakan tiles and a retro blue-and-gold washbasin, not to mention a non-slip floor with raised patterns. Bathroom amenities, however, are limited to two generic bottles labelled ‘Soap’ and ‘Shampoo’. The soap doubles up as hand soap too.

All in all, it’s an experience that falls somewhere between glamping and a themed hotel. In terms of creature comforts, there’re certainly a few pain points – for one, we turned on our taps the next morning to find the water running uncomfortably warm. This was likely due to the supply pipes baking outside in the hot sun – which meant washing our faces with warm water. For all that, it’s certainly a novel experience.

Another highlight is the welcome kit, which goes beyond the usual face masks and hand sanitizer to include a bottle of chewable Vitamin C tablets and disinfectant spray. For skin pampering, don’t forget to put on some Allureskins Potions SPF 50+ sunscreen, or try out the luxurious 24K Gold Mask. Each room also comes thoughtfully equipped with a ECOM MASK 030+ air purifier to eliminate airborne germs and viruses.

Attractions

All room bookings come inclusive of a complimentary pair of Wild Wild Wet day passes, but that isn’t the only fun that awaits. With D’Ultimate Xcape’s Vacay To The East, you can expect a Downtown East experience that spans carnival thrills and experiential workshops.

Expect carnival classics like ring toss, where you can win massively adorable plushies on offer – we’re talking oversized bananas and unicorns. Kids will love bouncing on the Dino Inflatable Park (S$12 for a session pass), which stars a massive ten-metre-high dino water slide, as well as classic Uncle Ringo rides like Viking ships and spinning teacups. Once you’ve had your dose of thrills, wind down with a workshop by Fara Design Art Studio, featuring a rotation of art and crafts like resin art and acrylic pouring.

F&B

Not in the mood to cook on your vacay? SHOW takes in-room dining to the next level with a multi-merchant, single-order ‘room service’. That means you can mix and match online orders from different F&B outlets at Downtown East, and have them delivered to your room all at once – no delivery fee needed. Otherwise, you can stroll over to the dozens of food options on your doorstep, including Don Don Donki, Takagi Ramen, sushi bars, and hotpot restaurants.

SG Hotel On Wheels (SHOW) is located at Downtown East, Begonia Open Air Carpark, 60 Pasir Ris Drive 3, Singapore 519599, p. +65 8952 0535. Rates start from S$239 per night for a 20-footer room. 

All photos courtesy of Alexis Yang