ibis Singapore on Bencoolen is a hotel that enjoys an excellent location in Singapore’s city centre, within walking distance from Bugis and the central civic district, and the East-West (Bugis station) and Circle (Bras Basah station) train lines. I was looking forward to my staycation, having had fond memories of ibis during sojourns in France, where that red sign can be found everywhere, signalling a convenient and affordable stay.
Similarly, ibis here prides itself on being an ‘economy hotel for business and leisure’ in the AccorHotels group, of which its other brands in Singapore include the luxury hotel Sofitel So, Singapore Resort and Spa on Sentosa, Grand Mercure Roxy and Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay. The ibis at Bencoolen is one of two here – the other being in Novena. Another ibis hotel will be up later in 2015 in the Macpherson area of Singapore, which hosts a rapidly growing light industries hub.
Rooms
I was amazed to hear from duty manager Eugene that there are a whopping 538 rooms in this hotel as the building did not look huge from the outside. Every room (about US$130 on Agoda) has a similar layout, except for a number of ‘Benefits’ rooms which cost slightly more (about $17 difference ) upon booking.
Room in the signature orange-red hues of ibis.
My room was one of these ‘Benefits’ rooms, which comes with added perks such as access to a nearby California Fitness gym at Bugis including classes like yoga and zumba, a late check-out up till 4 pm and most interestingly, a ‘Handy’ smartphone in my room. The latter is a great service as it offers unlimited free local and INTERNATIONAL calls to 27 countries – a first-ever experience for me, which is ideal for those who need to plan ahead for the next leg of their holiday.
The room is simple and functional, with free wi-fi, coffee and tea making facilities and a shower for the bathroom. They may not be luxurious, but the ‘sweet bedding’ was extremely comfortable and there were ironing facilities and a working desk next to the window, which makes the hotel also suitable for business travellers. My only gripe was that the TV was small and not HD, but I’m probably one of the few people nowadays who still depend so much on the goggle box.
Welcome drinks and macarons
To juice up your gadgets, there is a USB charging point in addition to the regular power points. ibis offers a ’15 minutes satisfaction guarantee’ – if you have a problem with your room which clouds your stay, staff will come up with a solution in 15 minutes, otherwise that service will be on the hotel. I did not have the chance to try that out though, for I encountered no problems with my stay.
Restaurant
While there is no room service, guests can order from the menu of the hotel’s in-house restaurant, TASTE, and pick it up to go when the food is ready. TASTE is also where the buffet breakfast is served, and where there is a bar with a TV. The prices of the standard local and western favourites are extremely reasonable – in fact, my friend had previously introduced me to TASTE on a rainy afternoon when we ducked into the hotel and discovered that is where you can get one of the cheapest lattes in town.
Breakfast was a comprehensive spread — there are even Indian and Japanese selections like idli and chawanmushi respectively, in addition to the local and western fare. Even if you can’t make official breakfast hours, you can look forward to drinks, cakes and pastries from 4 am to 6 am and 10 am to 12 noon.
The ‘ibis mocktail’ is a mix of cranberry juice, sparkling water and lychees.
Amenities
ibis features a “Monscierge” screen in the lobby which offers recommendations on nearby attractions, airport flight schedules and amenities.
For those without their own gadgets, there are two Mac computers and a tablet in the lobby for use. There is a printer too, so no worries if you forgot to bring along that airline e-ticket.
The hotel also offers a range of bamboo bikes for you to explore the area, on a first-come-first-served basis. Why not bike to the California Fitness gym at Bugis? If you are feeling lazy, the Hippo tourist bus happens to stop outside the hotel too.
For yours truly the media junkie, what I appreciated most was the hotel’s subscription to the ‘PressReader’ service, of which I downloaded an app which allows access to over 2,300 publications. During my stay, I was happy to download many European magazines which are not available in Singapore for my reading.
I downloaded many magazines with the PressReader app during my stay.
Sustainability
ibis Singapore adheres to AccorHotels’ ‘Planet 21’ sustainability principles. Although there is an electric water boiler in the room and tap water is safe to drink in Singapore, ibis also offers a “Eco Clean Bottle Program” that allows you to rent or buy (S$12) a glass bottle and get it refilled at any time during your stay at the bar. Bamboo also features ‘eco umbrellas’ available for rent (free) and the bikes.
The hotel also uses “Ecopens” in collaboration with the ‘A Tree for a Child’ program — basically pens at the hotel are made from used and recycled paper in Indonesia, made by the parents of underprivileged children employed to produce them. If you think you could reuse your towel in your room, don’t forget to leave it on the towel rack. For every five towels reused, AccorHotels will plant one tree.
Sparkling or still water? Rent or buy a bottle at ibis.
The star quality of ibis Singapore is its great central location for both leisure and business travellers. The room was practical and had everything I needed. I would also recommend it to business travellers given its proximity to the central business district and major convention centres in Singapore which are just a few minutes’ walk or a train ride away.
ibis Singapore on Bencoolen
170 Bencoolen Street
Singapore 189657
Tel: +65 6593 2888
www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-6657-ibis-singapore-on-bencoolen/index.shtml
GIVEAWAY
We are giving away a 2D1N stay at ibis Bencoolen to one lucky reader! To win, simply follow the below steps:
Step 1. ‘Like’ the Asia 361 Facebook page and/or the Alvinology.com Facebook page.
Step 2. Share this post on Facebook and tag up to three friends in your post. (Make sure your post is public so we can find it.)
Step 3: Comment on the post below and tell us whom you’ll like to share this staycation with.
This contest ends on 5 July 2015. The winner will be notified via email. Good luck!
Contest terms and conditions:
- Redemption for the stay is subject to room availability.
- The winner is responsible for transportation from place of origin to the hotel.
- This contest is open to all, and not limited to Singapore residents.
97 Comments
Liked m shared the post with 3 friends tagged. If I m the winner of this staycation I would like to bring my parent there.
I’ll like to share this staycation with my awesome Hubbie a.k.a Daddy Chang & our 2 lovely princesses !
Ever since the birth of our 1st princess , I’ve witnessed how he slowly learn to be a Daddy . He always place us in his top priority , providing the best for us , treating my family as if his own cos he believes that family is irreplaceable !
Therefore , hope to win this staycation for him to reward for his constant sacrifices
hope to win! gonna go with hubby! shared with 3friends!
I would like to stay with my lovely family.
I want to share this giveaway with my lovely family, we love sg staycation.
Planned a trip with my highschool buddies and meeting up with friends in Singapore! Looking forward to the reunion!
It would be really great to have this staycation, and I will be sharing it with my besties whom we already planned to have a trip to Sg.
Liked & shared. I would like to stay with my wife for this giveaway! Thanks.
I like to bring my wife Rahama for a short staycation!!
Would absolutely love this!!
My boyfriend and I are planning on coming to Singapore later this year and would love to stay here!!
@jaystewart
Liked and share. I’d like to share this staycation with my closet girlfriends ! I’ve never experienced a hotel staycation before simply because I am not interested in one. However, I didn’t know that a staycation in a hotel can have so many perks as mentioned above !!! It’s simply fascinating and exciting, I’m stoked to experience it and share the experience with my friends so please choose me ! Thank you (:
Hope to win this staycation with my beloved one as we both stressed out with work, yet no time for a real holiday, a staycation is just perfect for us right now.
Liked and shared … I hope to win this staycation and surprise my girlfriend as she deserve a short staycation from her busy work..
I would like to share with my hubby and daughter!! I would like to win this staycation so tat we can all have a family bonding time…thanks.
would be great if i cant win this, a small get away with me dearest.
I hope to share it with my girlfriend and to give this to her as a bday gift to celebrate her 21st, couldn’t afford that much money but want to let her enjoy and relax as much as possible. So I hope you let me win this, thank you.
I would like to give this staycation to my girlfriend and hope to celebrate her 21st, couldn’t really afford a staycation like this so I hope you give me this big good news.
This hotel looks amazingly comfortable and fully equipped with all the necessary amenities! What’s more attractive is the convenient location. I would like to share this staycation with my beloved sister who recently got proposed to, her fiancé and my family. I’m looking forward to hold a celebration at the hotel for their engagement, and share pretty photographs of the room with my friends thereafter!
Would like to have this staycation with my 3 good friends whom i tagged in the shared fb post.
A short staycation would be nice as we have been so many downs for the past 6months and its great to have a change with new experience staycationing as we never staycation before.
Thanks 😉
Wish to share the stay-cation with my other half during his birthday and surprise him with cakes and presents 🙂
Liked & shared!!! a small getaway with ny deariest!!! couldn’t find time to go on an holiday, so a short staycation would be great!!! Love SG Staycation!!!
Winning this will allow me to celebrate my 25th wedding anniversary (10 June 1990) with my lovely hubby who work hard day and night and I have yet to find something special to present to him and to mark this priceless milestone! So with this staycation, he can rest & relax and we can spend the night together just the both of us! Hehehe ;) To make the win more memorable, we never had the chance to travel for our honeymoon yet ever since from our wedding, so we hope this staycation can at least give us a a preview of a real honeymoon!
Liked and shared!
I would like to share 2d1n staycation with one of my best friend. Always in love with sg and all about it ☺
I would love to gift this to my buddy who as always been there for me for the past 8 years. He has been really stressed out and overwhelmed by work recently and I feel this would definitely give him a good chance and also “force” him to relax himself and take some time off to appreciate the beauty of life 🙂
i would like to stay at Ibis hotel to celebrate my big 3 with my friends and family! The amenities sounds really good and I’m really keen to win this staycation! ^^
I will like to share this staycation with my family member
Liked and shared. I would like to share this staycation with my boyfriend/fiance as our anniversary is around the corner. Hope to win this giveaway!
Liked and shared . I hope to win this staycation and stay with my family to get away from the busy work to have a relaxing weekends
I would like to share this staycation with my my sister whom birthday is on Sept, would like to surprise her with this staycation.
I want to share this staycation with my family. I cannot remember when was the last time I have a holiday? With this staycation, I can wake up when I want, go to sleep when I want, and eat what I want. Most importantly, I can have fun with my family without worrying about the consequences on work.
I would like to share this staycation with my parent. until now, I always dream to treat them with something like this. I want to pay for it. Make them happy and have a minute to relax from routine activity.
I would like to have this staycation with my wife as i owe her a honeymoon. We have been married for 8 years now and i have yet to bring her on a honeymoon. I would like to take this chance using this beautiful hotel to make it up to her.
I would like to share this staycation with my hubby and our two babies. Thanks for such a wonderful giveaway.
I hope to share this 2D1N stay at ibis Bencoolen with my husband and have performed the following steps:
Step 1. ‘Liked’ the Asia 361 Facebook page and Alvinology.com Facebook page.
Step 2. Shared this post on Facebook and tagged up to three friends in my post. You can click this link to locate it. (https://www.facebook.com/mengchee.mark/posts/907799749293402?pnref=story)
Step 3: I hope to share this staycation with my husband because we can really turn off those tech work savers and just relax and have fun and the break will allow us to refresh our brain cells.
I’m hoping to win this for a staycation with some close friends. There’s always time for a staycation.
hope to win this staycation for my birthday which is on 15th september! It is my 18th birthday and i would like celebrate it in a hotel with my friends whom i tagged and also a few more! The location of this hotel is really near city and it will be more convenient for my friends and I to travel around!
My dad deserves a good break from work! He’s been travelling for work almost twice a month, for the past 6 months now! Although his office is in bugis and he drives past ibis hotel everyday to get home, I bet he has never had the opportunity to step inside! Please give him the experience of staying in the hotel! 😀
MY SECONDARY SCHOOL CLIQUE IN BAND! they are the ones whom i feel the most comfortable with and they are just my family. <3
Hope to win and enjoy with my King, Prince and my lovely Princess..
Think its time to let the parents have some time to themselves as we are all grown up.
I would like to go with my hubby for this staycation 🙂
I would like to enjoy this staycation with my grandson, Fabien. He is a darling and precious of our family. Since he is born I have been taking care of him and never had a chance to go on a vacation. He loves to stay close to me and I want to bring him along with me for this staycation if I win.
My Ns Buddies!
Hi Asia 361 <3
I’ll like to share this staycation with my love Darren Kwan.
Done Liked, Shared & Participated
FB: Casy Ang
I liked & I shared with all my loved ones….
I wanna share this staycation with my new hubby of 5 months, Jonathan.
26 days after we got married, I gave birth to our hero miracle baby boy, Jaxxon, who survived a difficult and complicated pregnancy.
Since we’ve been married, we haven’t had a night off or enjoyed a honeymoon.
Winning this will be a treat for both of us, just to rekindle our romance and enjoy each other again. Thank you for this giveaway.
I would love to share this staycation with hubby. Love to celebrate our wedding anniversary here! Pls grant me my wish!
I hope to share this staycation at ibis Bencoolen with my husband
Like to share this great staycation with my family
Would love to spend this staycation with my hubby! Our 2nd wedding anniversary (June 26) and my birthday (July 10) are coming 🙂 I have never won anything before but hope this time around I will be lucky to snag this amazing gift!:)
I hope to win this to celebrate my wedding anniversary with my hubby… and of course with my 2 Rs… it will be very meaningful for us 😉 8 years of marriage and still as blissful as before !! Liked and shared
it would be awesome if we can celebrate my boy’s birthday with a staycation!
Liked m shared the post . If I m the winner of this staycation I would like to bring my bff and my boyfriend there.
Liked & shared the post with friends. Will be absolutely marvelous if I can bring my best friend for a short staycation and share some great moments!
I want to bring my family to enjoy this staycation. Today family lives are full of tensions and stress. Only a peaceful environment can help us to forget the tensions and rejuvenate the mind and body to lead the life more actively and happily.
Liked, shared and tagged 3 friends. I would like to have this staycation with my hubby.
I want to share this staycation with my sister beccause no one rejoices with me during life’s grand moments (or empathizes with me during the less than stellar ones) like my sister.
I would like to sure with my hubby and my boy. I have not stayed in any of Singapore hotel before, it will be a new experience for me.
Having enjoyed Accor’s Sofitel, Pullman and Mercure elsewhere, i would dearly love to experience the fabulous Ibis Singapore on Bencoolen’s comprehensive array of state-of-the-art and Eco-friendly amenities, especially the Benefits room with free gym access and a smartphone. I would have more than enough to occupy myself with without leaving the hotel.
i would love to spend my stay at the Ibis Singapore with Ming yuan
I would like to have a long-awaited for staycation in this very conveniently located and well equipped hotel with my friend.
I would like to have a short getway with my wife for my birthday and Father’s Day celebration!
The criteria are: Must be easily accessible; a lively place with good bars, food etc. And Ibis Hotel Singapore Bencoolen fits the bill!
Off course shared with my hubby and my 2 boys, especially my elder son birthday coming soon. They sure will love it, is really a good chance to have this staycation, wonderful contest👍👍 👍
I would love to share this staycation with my husband because our wedding anniversary is coming up and it would be great to have a nice retreat together as we have both been busy at work recently and have not had time to catch up with each other.
I want to experience this cosy staycation with my family because everyone seems so busy that it can be hard to find time for a week long vacation. This short staycation will be considered a rare opportunity to strengthen the affection and attachment between the members of the family by talking each other, eating together and enjoying together.
i would like to share this staycation with my hubby as we have not had much alone time to enjoy each other’s company since having a child. Thank you for the giveaway!
My company use this as corporate hotel but I have never been to it, look much nicer and comfortable than I thought! I hope to go with my sister so we can spend a day of sisters day with hubby and kids , go bugis shopping and go the famous guan yin temple nearby.
Would love to share this staycation with my husband and have some time away from the kids.
Would love to have this staycation with my parents, to reward them for their hard work everyday 🙂
I would love to share w my hubby who has been a wonderful and loving father to our 2 kids. Also since we had our #1 2.5years ago, we haven had couple time yet.. =(
Would like to bring family old folk for staycation as she has problem in walking, it is unlikely for her to travel out of Singapore
I wanna bring my husband who had been standing by with me when I am down and stress over with kid. Ever since we have our own kids, I probably had neglected him and spending less of our own WE time together . So hope to win this to make up for the wonderful times we had before we had our kids.
I want to enjoy a staycation with my husband as we love being pampered like a royalty.
I would like to share this staycation with my family members. We will have a great and fun family outing together.
I would like to stay here with my family on National Day as we can spend time together and encourage bonding as a family…
Liked and shared. I would like to share this staycation with my family members. As this is our first time staycation in Singapore.
I would like to win this for my family
I would like to share this staycation with my dear dear ~ pls pick me thanx !!
this place seems like a very ideal place for me and my dear dear to spent a good quiet staycation .
I would like to share this staycation with my sister.
I would like to go with my Hubby as well as my good friend and her hubby as well…
I would love to share this staycation with my mother!
I hope to win and stay this stay cation with my hub and if possible my beloved four legged
would love to have this staycation for my birthday with my partner and bestfriends 🙂 thanks
Hello! Thank you for this giveaway! I would like to share this staycation with 3 of my good friends in university, as we use to stay in hostel together! We are also from the same faculty in university!! 😀
I would like to share this staycation with my best buddy.
I would love to share this staycation with my family.
I would like to bring my best buddy to this staycation. I hope she will enjoy with the staycation.
if i win, i’d go on this staycation with my boyfriend!
we recently crossed our second anniversary and he is graduating soon (with a degree in math, no less), so it’ll be super awesome to mark these two milestones with a staycation at ibis! the hotel really wows me with its benefits room, 15-minute service guarantee and environmental consciousness. can’t wait to sample the yummy food and drinks, read thru unlimited magazines, and ride on bamboo bikes with my love!(:
I want to win this short staycation from iBis Singapore on Bencoolen because this hotel is situated at an accessible location and tourists can get to the nearby shopping Bugis Street Market for shopping of trendy, cheap clothes etc, Albert Centre Food Complex for a whole load of local delicacies (known to have many famous nice foodstalls), visit our local hotspot – Parco Bugis Junction for fine restaurants, trendy shops, supermarts & cinema etc!!! This is a great hotel to stay in, for sure! Especially being a local Singaporean, we even get to go to more familiar places like the right behind Chinese Temple and even travelling via Bugis MRT to Suntec City, Marina Square or Raffles City for a day-out short trip!!!
Hope to this win short getaway so I can bring my lovely wife and enjoy some splendid time together!
FB Username: Ron Lim
I want to win this staycation for a short, relax time. Most importantly, I love the accessibility of the hotel offers. I can shop during the day and relax on a comfy bed of iBis Singapore on Bencoolen’s hotel room. This is a sweet & perfect holiday for me & my spouse. I want this to be special so I can make it a memorable one during the stay. Cheers!! Thanks.
I would like to share it with my mum as she work 365 days and I hope to give her a break staycation to relax! We have never live in a hotel in Singapore as we find it expensive so i hope with this chance we will be able to stay in and have fun and relax.
I would like stay with my mummy to reward her work she have been busy doing housework all day long. I hope i have a chance for my whole family to go relax.
With my NS Buddies as it’s been a year since we last meetup!
liked and shared Asia 361 Alvinology!!! hope to win the staycation for my daddy because he always work hard for the family and he should really pamper himself and take a good break ! I love my dad and i am always proud of him because he is so special inside my heart.. my fondest memory that i have is seeing how my dad encourage me when i repeated my Tertiary education. He said no matter how you fare, dont give up because there is always a path leading to success eventually. Taking longer time doesnt matter as long as you you reach your final destination eventually. He is the best dad ever. He believes that the kids should come first and he has the full responsibility as a dad to wholly take care of them and send them to university. I admire his thinking and selfless act for being such a wonder dad who is willing to put down everything My dad is defintely someone that i look upon to ! hope to win the staycation for him to celebrate my parents anniversary so as to reward himself for devoting himself to the family for the past 27 yrs and being together with my mum for 25 yrs. Its not easy but he is defintely someone who i will like to look upon even when i am old… fingers crossed that i will be the lucky one !! 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 🙂 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 🙂 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 😉 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 Benson Lee Joanna Koh Lim Eng Keat
I would like to win the stay to help my best friends jennifer to celebrate her incoming birthday because we have known each other for almost ten year but didn’t have a chance to go for a staycation before!
are the results out yet?
I would love to bring my love kevin chua to this staycation as we are both in a rough spot career wise and im hoping this staycation can help to cheer our spirits up 😀
Like to share this staycation with son, mom-in-law and aunt