Façade-staring at resort-like airport hotel
If coming with high expectations for the new Singapore hotel at Changi Airport, directly connecting to brand new terminal 3, you won’t be disappointed. And if you just happen to be booked for a stay at Crowne Plaza Changi Airport hotel it will be a most pleasant surprise.
Business travellers, holiday-makers, discerning drinkers, people on a stop-over etc. are all in for a treat at this ‘green’ InterContinental Hotel Group hotel.
Premium bed, Crowne Plaza Changi Airport
And this hotel’s awards speak volumes: In May 2020 Crowne Plaza Changi Airport was awarded ‘Skytrax World’s Best Airport Hotel‘ for the sixth successive year in the 2020 World Airport Awards! Noteworthy, Crowne Plaza is also something of an airport specialist worldwide, so there is “internal” competition.
Located at Singapore Changi Airport with direct access to all airport terminals and Jewel (a nature-themed entertainment and retail complex on the inside of Changi Airport), this splendid hotel caters to travellers who will have more reasons for a longer stayover, as well as local visitors seeking meeting venues or a relaxing staycation – thanks to the variety of lifestyle offerings available within and around the hotel.
Once one has stayed here, and even though not situated downtown, it will be a hard-to-resist hotel to return to at the first opportunity. Terminal 3 itself, as part of this airport, undoubtedly being among the top ten in the world, is a pleasure with its superb interior, architecture, comfort and duty-free shopping, bars and eateries. For instance it features indoor trees stretching from ground floor high up all the way to the terminal’s ceiling.
Guests can also enjoy room packages including tickets to Jewel’s Canopy Park attractions such as the Discovery Slides, Foggy Bowls, Petal Garden and Topiary Walk.
Crowne Plaza Changi Airport design adventure
So why should not then Crowne Plaza Changi Airport (opened in 2008) be on par with the airport itself! On the contrary it exceeds any expectations one could possibly have, at least if aiming for something up-to-date and stylish. Suitably this hotel is in line with Singapore’s ambitious strategy to place itself as an attractive destination on the world map.
Even more so; rarely have I seen a hotel with such an appealing design, façade and interior décor; in fact unique design concept.
Additionally, among all airport hotels in the world, one can confidently say that Crowne Plaza Changi Airport – far from the dull and routine environs one can often expect from such a place – is a strong candidate to be in the absolute top list worldwide. Here is why.
Coming out of the luggage area upon arrival one is only steps away from the lobby of the hotel; a covered gate leads directly over to the adjacent hotel where a restaurant is situated to the left and with the lobby lounge to the right, before arriving at the lobby.
Immediately the wow-factor is there. Carefully selected patterns fills the floors, carpets, walls and décor. Walls and public spaces have curved contours and the dark-coloured, rich patterns from floor to ceiling are striking. A shiny black and grey-white tile floor is laid out in an unsymmetrical pattern. Custom-made design furniture is spread out in the lobby (sofas with covers in purple and yellow or orange and red colours and designer chairs) and the restaurants.
This design adventure continues outside and inside the lifts and along the platform-based corridors. The ceiling and walls circumventing the lift doors on each floor have a striking wall colour pattern in yellow, orange, pink, purple and red behind a metal latticework. And painted in black on the surface on top of these colours are branches and leaves of a tree, stretching out over the ceiling above your head. You get so distracted by the beauty of the intriguing patterns you might end up forgetting you were on your way into the lift or to the room!
One also ends up staring at the façade with this latticework and the wall behind it coming in a pattern of squares with a variety of colours such as a combination of orange, yellow, peach, light blue and light brown, or light brown and greenish colours; and which in fact covers all the walls facing the open corridors.
This unique architectural style also allows for natural light to flow down within the building and into the guest bathrooms through their frosted windows.
Thus, Crowne Plaza Changi Airport has achieved to make also the exterior, the walls and corridors, to be interesting parts of the hotel. Walking along the passages between the separated buildings it is like being in an outdoor-indoor space. And this is further emphasized by a ‘rain-forest’ garden and a large open courtyard in-between the buildings housing a lush garden studded with palm and frangipani trees – and a swimming pool! So here is an airport hotel featuring a pool and gardens and thus resembling, as closely as it possibly could be, a resort (when not having a beach).
To finish off the exterior, the outer walls with the hotel room windows are also covered with a metal framework in a pattern imitating frangipani flowers. This elaborate screen also stretches between the hotel’s wings and partly frames the pool area. In fact it has a special purpose: shielding the building from the hot tropical sun and cutting down on the energy consumption.
By now you can probably guess that the rooms also won’t disappoint any design-loving guest. Inside the Premium room done up in modern Asian style there are more details to drink in. Again, the frangipani becomes a strong feature as a motif: the graphic flower pattern, as an opaque film, covers large parts of the glass wall separating the bed and the bathroom. Also the wall-to-wall carpet comes in a similar pattern.
At the foot of the bed is also a sofa with green silk pillows for comfortable seating, facing the flat wide-screen television. A floor-to-ceiling window also lets in ample daylight while after turndown, as a contrast, the dimly lit room becomes very cosy.
The room comes with neutral-toned furnishings and light brownish marble in the bathroom, including shower’s seat. One can also luxuriate in the antique-style bathtub, while watching TV and hearing its sound via the bathroom’s own speaker.
Bar ’75, Crowne Plaza Changi Airport
A slide door hides either the mini bar and fridge or the wardrobe area, which also comes with a sitting bench. Some rooms also come with private patios.
Crowne Plaza Changi Airport: Ultimate comfort in Club Lounge, Bar ’75, dining at slick Azur
All in all your in-room needs have been considered to great satisfaction; featuring a work desk space, designer reading lamps, a safe large enough for a 17” laptop, an I-pod loaded with a variety of music, and of course wireless internet access.
The air-con is also exceptionally good in this hotel in the sense that you can actually get the temperature you want without a lot of noise and not a too cold room; something that is far from always the norm even in new hotels.
While we are at this topic, you might also think that an airport hotel stay equals noise. But here, should your room be facing the runway you will see all the planes starting and landing while soundproof double-glazed windows keep out the noise from jets. Having a good night’s sleep was no problem at all.
If one opts for access to the sumptuous comfort and extras being offered in the Executive Club Level (pool level), it gives access to the ultimate comfort zone in the form of the 100-seat Club Lounge with a private buffet breakfast every morning, complimentary internet, drinks and snacks throughout the day, a meeting room and the evening sociable soirée with ‘cocktail hours’.
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Next to the club lounge, one can also enjoy spa treatments; especially catering to the long-distance traveller, with jet-lag reflexology on the spa menu. Other than that the hotel of course also comes equipped with a Business Lounge within the meeting facilities area.
Described as the “perfect hub for corporate or social meetings”, this airport pleasure hotel comes with 950 square metres of meeting space, including a 250-seat ballroom and seven function rooms. An architectural invention here is that natural light also can filter through a water-covered skylight over the ballroom and function room areas.
The Lobby Lounge, which opens to a private garden, is also a nice alternative for small meetings, relaxation and laptop work, where you can enjoy for example afternoon high tea or evening drinks.
To round off with dining, and without disclosing too much of what should be part of everyone’s individual experience, it is of course on par with the rest of what Crowne Plaza Changi Airport boasts.
Sumptuous dining facilities include Azur, an all-day dining restaurant built around a show kitchen concept; Bar ’75 – a sports bar offering a variety of experiences with three distinct zones (perfect also for a “waterhole stopover” if you have time to kill while at the airport); and Imperial Treasure, a popular Chinese restaurant attracting also city-dwellers as guests.
The inviting and sleek restaurant Azur offers good value buffets, (with fresh produce and cold dishes laid out on inviting fluorescent ice beds). Again, a lot of effort has gone into the exciting design dominated by tiles in rich colours of green, blue, dark blue, black and grey. A curved framework of vertical poles, also covered with tiles, frames off the restaurant from the lobby area.
Here they take the good initiative of serving complimentary water as soon as you sit down.
Create your own pizza, order seafood or something from the grill such as Australian tenderloin medallion. The Italian dish Asparagus risotto and morel ragout served with a crispy king prawn is delicious. Or try the local dish Mee goreng mamuk, which is round yellow noodles fried with mixed seafood and mild sambal (paste) chilli. The wine list offers plenty choices, including 20 reds.
Bar ’75, which completes the needs one could have (in addition to plenty of stores and additional choices nearby at Terminal 3) is a sports and casual bar with a touch of Asia in the 1970’s décor. Within its distinct zones one can watch the Sports, play Foozeball & Pool or relax with a drink.
Last but not least; all the hotel’s hosts are very accommodating, making one feel very much at home.
And since the hotel caters well as a resort for leisure guests and downtown Singapore and all the island’s attractions are not far away, this hotel is very much recommended for weekend getaways.
Globally, the Crowne Plaza brand provides upscale accommodation at over 430 hotels and nearly 60 Crowne Plaza properties are located at top airport locations including Amsterdam’s Schiphol and Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airports. Specially designed to help business travellers to recharge, Crowne Plaza champions a better way of business travel for modern business productivity.
Text and (some own) photos: Joakim Persson
(Revamped review from January 2009)
