Disclaimer: I understand the risk of travelling during this period and I am not saying that it is a great idea. With what’s going on in the world right now, there is absolutely nothing important in this post. This is a share of experience that may be able to help fellow travellers make better travel decisions in future. ❤️
After being grounded in my home country for about 7 months, I left Singapore on 9 November 2020 without a return plan. Since then, I have been living in hotels.
Quick stats
5 cities (Johor Bahru, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, Bangkok and Bali)
6 flights
48 unique hotels
160 nights in chain hotels (96 Marriott, 41 Hyatt, 19 Hilton, 4 Fraser)
20 nights in quarantine hotels
Most expensive stay: Andaz Bali at S$269
Cheapest stay: Aloft Seminyak at S$36
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Pandemic hotel experience
In general, my experience staying in hotels during the pandemic has been amazing. Although, I must admit that it felt very wrong to say that.
Of course, most hotels are running reduced services and not all facilities were opened but having the pool, the gym, the lounge, the restaurant all to myself are something that I could only dream about one year ago.
I feel for hotel staff who’ve had their jobs affected by this pandemic. I’ve spoken to a lot of staff on the ground and it’s somewhat comforting to hear that most of them got to keep their jobs, albeit with reduced salary/working hours.
Room rates
Room rates are at historical lows in all the cities that I’ve been in. Rates at Marriott hotels have been substantially lower than Hyatts and Hiltons. Marriott’s BRG program is also the most lenient. Having discounted Marriott eGiftCards in hand made rates at Marriott hotels a lot cheaper than those from the other 2 programs.
Breakfast
Most hotels now offer à la carte or assisted buffet for breakfast. Some even offer in-room breakfast at no cost! I am not a heavy eater and have never truly enjoyed full buffets like others. À la carte dishes are generally fresher (as they are not left out in the open for a long time) and are plated nicely. This new norm of how hotel breakfasts are handled has been a dream, for me at least.
Upgrades
Marriott and Hyatt hotels have been very generous in offering me complimentary suite upgrades (almost 100%) while my experience with Hilton has been quite the opposite.
Reduced opening hours of hotel facilities
Hotel pools, gym and spas are operating at reduced hours. Not an inconvenience for me.
Ranking my stays (value)
This is how I would rank my stays based on what I got, for what I paid.
I have delayed this article for a couple of days as I had a good feeling about the hotel that I checked into just 2 days ago. And boy, it didn’t disappoint!
What I paid: S$55 nett
Package: Room only (BRG)
What made it value for money: View
9) The Laguna, a Luxury Collection, Bali
What I paid: S$176 nett
Package: S$133 credit (Marriott STARS)
What made it value for money: Credit, villa upgrade, in-room breakfast of great quality, service
8) The Athenee, a Luxury Collection, Bangkok
What I paid: S$152 nett
Package: S$119 credit
What made it value for money: Credit, suite upgrade, view, lounge quality, breakfast quality, service
What I paid: S$88 nett
Package: Room only (BRG)
What made it value for money: Suite upgrade, lounge quality, view, service
What I paid: S$86 nett
Package: Room only (min. 14 nights)
What made it value for money: Suite upgrade, breakfast quality, lounge quality, service, hardware
What I paid: S$68 nett
Package: Room only
What made it value for money: In-room breakfast, suite upgrade, location, afternoon tea
What I paid: S$38 nett
Package: Room only
What made it value for money: In-room breakfast, location
3) Sthala, a Tribute Portfolio, Ubud, Bali
What I paid: S$39 nett
Package: Room only
What made it value for money: In-room breakfast, upgrade, view, service
What I paid: S$36 nett
Package: Room only
What made it value for money: In-room breakfast, upgrade, hardware
What I paid: S$40 nett
Package: Room only (min. 7 nights), free laundry
What made it value for money: In-room breakfast of great quality, suite upgrade, laundry, service, hardware
Honourable mentions: W Kuala Lumpur, Ritz-Carlton Bali, W Seminyak, Grand Hyatt Bangkok, Marriott Marquis Bangkok.
Ranking my stays (quality)
Here’s a less-exciting list of my favourite stays if price does not matter. This list is based on the quality of breakfast, location, club lounge (if any), views, hardware, service and elite member recognition.
8) W Dubai Palm
7) W Seminyak
2) The Athenee, a Luxury Collection, Bangkok
1) Al Maha, a Luxury Collection, Dubai
The more expensive hotels that are missing here are Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm, Alila Seminyak and Andaz Bali.
Bottom line
I currently have a backlog of 8 Balinese hotels to write reviews on and will be taking a break from hotel-hopping for a while.
I am very comfortable in Courtyard Seminyak right now and will probably be extending my stay for 1 or 2 more weeks. Hard to believe that this high-quality Category 4 hotel is only going for S$40 a night.
Looking ahead, I am not sure how long I’ll remain in Bali. I couldn’t be more grateful to be on this beautiful island at this point in time. Maybe I’ll fly to Batam in the coming months to check out the new Marriott hotels and catch a glimpse of my home country from the shore. 🙂