Staycation Spotlight: voco Orchard Singapore, A Freshly Rebranded Hotel With Fun Nods to Heritage

PUBLISHED February 14th, 2022 06:00 am | UPDATED February 22nd, 2022 11:12 am

The Orchard Road belt practically overflows with five-star hotels, and the newest kid on the block is voco Orchard Singapore. Except it isn’t exactly new, of course – what was once Hilton Singapore has been rebranded to voco, an upscale brand in the InterContinental Hotel Group empire.

Though hailed as Southeast Asia’s first voco property, little has changed of the 51-year-old property from façade to facilities. Fans of the old Hilton, however, might appreciate a few quirkier touches: a warmer welcome experience, nostalgic nods to Orchard’s history, and revamped menus at the restaurants.

Location & Space

Location-wise, there’s no doubt voco Orchard is a prime gateway to gourmet and retail therapy. With Forum The Shopping Mall just beside and the up-and-coming Palais Renaissance across the road, you’ll have no shortage of dining options from omakase to French cafés. Craving a shopping splurge? Wheelock Place and ION Orchard are a five-minute stroll away.

With its marble flooring and dark wood tones, it’s clear much remains the same of the old-school lobby – though the colour scheme has been given a soothing blue overhaul. Much of the revamp revolves around rebranding, in the form of nods to Orchard Road’s heritage – once home not to glitzy malls but to pepper farms, nutmeg plantations, and fruit orchards. Take a sniff in the lobby and you’ll detect reed diffusers wafting hints of grapefruit and pink peppercorn. Upon check-in, we’re handed some surprisingly delicious housemade cookies, spiced with black pepper and lemon.

Rooms

Guests of the old Hilton will find the hotel’s 423 rooms largely familiar, barring a few decorative additions. Our King Bed Premium Room (from S$231.35++) is a spacious 32 square metres, set high on levels 17 to 19. Blonde wood and grey carpeting make for a sleek, bright space, though our view out the full-length window is mostly limited to high-rise residences.

What voco Orchard undeniably gets right is the bedding. Out of the few dozen hotels we’ve stayed at so far, our vote goes to voco Orchard for the best night’s sleep we’ve had. Think an airy, bouncy bedspread that feels like the duvet equivalent of a meringue, blanketing a plush king mattress – the super-sinkable kind that makes you want to leap into it facedown. Fun fact: we’re told the bedding is in fact sustainably crafted from over 150 recycled plastic bottles. Score one for both the earth and our beauty sleep.

If you’re looking to get some work done, this is one business-friendly room. We get the benefit of a sprawling glass desk by the window, a Herman Miller office chair, and audio and video ports. Otherwise, there’s a 55-inch smart TV for browsing entertainment. Meanwhile, the marble-tiled bathroom comes equipped with organic toiletries from cult New York brand Apotheke.

One unique touch is our welcome kit of conversation cards. Perfect for small talk on a lazy weekend, the cards feature questions themed around the personalities of voco Orchard’s bird mascots: the chirpy Finch, introspective Owl, and sociable Flamingo. Think contemplative questions like ‘What title would you give to this chapter in your life?’ mixed with party starters like ‘If you were a cocktail, what would you be?’

Facilities & Services

Fancy working on your tan? The rooftop swimming pool on level 24 is a fairly modest 20-metre-long affair, but you’ll find plenty of loungers for sunbathing. For the gym buffs, there’s an expansive 24-hour fitness centre packing weight machines, rowing machines, and an aerobics studio.

Guests in Club rooms can also enjoy access to the bright and airy (if somewhat boardroom-like) Club Lounge on level 22. Settle into a leather chair and tuck in complimentary canapés and evening cocktails here – our platter of bites for the day included samosas, mozzarella salad, and fried chicken.

Food & Beverage

All four of the hotel’s well-known restaurants have reopened: European fine-dining concept Iggy’s, rooftop Italian spot il Cielo, stylish steakhouse Opus Bar & Grill, and D9 Cakery. For dinner, we headed down to check out Opus Bar & Grill’s revamped food and cocktail menus, and of course, to admire their in-house vertical herb garden.

Opus Bar & Grill was among the first in Singapore to serve up MSC-certified seafood, and their new dishes showcase their ongoing commitment to sustainable seafood. The Seared Tuna Carpaccio (S$22) is a refreshing starter of tender tuna and orange slices with a pep of wasabi, while the Saffron Seafood Risotto (S$32) stars meaty, sustainably sourced local prawns. The earth-friendliness extends to the greens – both come with a sprinkling of micro herbs plucked fresh from the vertical garden.

Wagyu-loving folks will get their fill – and more – with another new starter: the Wagyu Short Rib Croquettes (S$26). These massively oversized croquettes come densely packed with smoky meat, balanced with sweet corn purée. There’s also no going wrong with the crowd-favourite Seared Foie Gras (S$25), where luscious foie gras comes married with cherry wine compote, caramelized pear, and a drizzle of duck jus.

But this is a steakhouse, and the spotlight goes to their showstopping signature: the 1.2kg Whiskey-Aged Wagyu Tomahawk (S$168). Salt-aged for seven days, this thick-cut slab of Australian wagyu is flambéed right at our table, resulting in a whiskey-kissed char and juicy red insides. To season, we have our pick of three salts – bold paprika salt, subtler charcoal salt, and rosemary salt. Oh, and don’t forget the fries – fried in foie gras fat, the Opus Over-the-Top Fries (S$16) lives up to its name with heapings of black truffle purée and parmesan.

Wash it all down with the bar’s brand-new trio of signature cocktails, crafted around Orchard Road’s rich past of nutmeg plantations and fruit orchards. The Rosella (S$20) is an easy-drinking Aperol spritz, given a tangy twist with rosella and elderflower syrup. Meanwhile, the warm, woody Nutmeg Old Fashioned (S$20) features maple syrup and Wild Turkey bourbon infused with nutmeg.

voco Orchard Singapore is located at 581 Orchard Rd, Singapore 238883, p. +65 6737 2233. Rates start from S$192.06++ for a King Bed Deluxe Room.