I’m back to my Singapore posts again, this time with a review of The Clan Hotel, a 5* hotel in the heart of the city’s Chinatown neighbourhood. I was really excited to try out a stay here, having previously always been in the Conrad Marina Bay. Given it’s a 5* offering, I was expecting a similar standard, but sadly it came up really short. I would go so far as to say I wouldn’t stay here again. That said, it did have some positives and does offer a nice option for a decent price. I’ve also looked at other reviews which are largely positive, so perhaps I got it on a bad week – you can read on to make up your own mind!
Location of The Clan Hotel, Singapore
The hotel is located in Chinatown, right at the heart of the city. It’s a short 15 minute walk to Marina Bay, and is right opposite Telok Ayer MRT station meaning that connecting to anywhere across the country is super easy.
There are lots of interesting things to see in Chinatown, including the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, Thian Hock Keng Temple, the Singapore City Gallery, Chinatown Heritage Centre and countless Hawker Markets and eating options. It’s a great place to stay if you’re interested in Singapore’s food scene.
You can read my full guide to Chinatown HERE and Marina Bay HERE.
Accommodation at The Clan, Singapore
The accommodation was in line with what I would expect from a 4* hotel. It was absolutely fine, but that’s the only word I can use for it. It fell short of what I would expect from a 5* hotel, largely because of cleanliness.
The room was small and compact, with a large double bed. The bed was comfortable, though the headboard had white stains all over it when we arrived which I sanitised with an antibacterial wipe! There is also a small open clothes hangar behind the door with 5 hangars available, a desk which is so narrow my laptop didn’t fit on it, and a seat by the window which was so uncomfortable it was basically artistic rather than practical.
The highlight of the bedroom was the view from the window which was absolutely beautiful, particularly at sunrise and sunset. Sadly though, the wooden benches all around the window were filthy with dust. Even the lock on the door had a big layer of dust on it, and the floor wasn’t particularly clean. Next to the bed was a phone, which I moved one day to make some room for my book, and under the phone was an old tissue.
The bathroom was tiny, with a toilet, small sink area and a shower. The shower was actually really nice and powerful and a decent size. What let the bathroom down was cleanliness. The sink cabinet was streaked brown and looked like it had never been cleaned, and the floor was filthy. I actually cleaned it myself on all fours with a wet wipe and the wipe was black with dirt. Our sink didn’t drain properly, meaning my husband’s beard residue in there (and not cleaned), and the drain itself gurgled constantly.
The room offered a small minibar, with a couple of drinks in it which were extra cost. Water was provided free via a filtered tap in the bathroom, which I liked and meant we could keep topping up our water bottles. There was also English and Chinese tea available in the room which were both tasty.
Room service was haphazard at best. On one day it didn’t come at all, and on every other day it’s clear it was just making the bed and emptying the bin, rather than actually any cleaning. My bedside table remained dusty, the floors weren’t vacuumed or swept.
Don’t get me wrong – the accommodation was nice and I’m probably being picky on the cleanliness. But I am judging the hotel as a 5* hotel, not a 4* hotel, and to me it came up short against those standards and its price point.
Food & Drink at The Clan Hotel, Singapore
The Clan Hotel offers one restaurant, called Qin Restaurant, and a bar. It is here that breakfast is served. Breakfast was fine, but again not really what I’d expect from a 5* hotel. The restaurant is quite small, meaning on some mornings we had to wait for a table. The buffet is then right next to the tables so it’s chaos.
The buffet I found to be relatively limited – it was mass catering but on 2 days only had one fruit on offer (melon), on another day there was no bread left for toast, and the only thing that was actually really nice was the yoghurt. I didn’t have the cooked breakfast, but my husband did on one day and said it wasn’t very nice.
What I did love about the restaurant was when I visited during the day. It serves lunch and dinner, and you can sit there for a drink too. On a couple of days I went for cocktails and to read my book after a busy morning exploring. The staff were wonderful and the cocktails were delicious. They really looked after me, and I got the feeling that the hotel is high quality but maybe was just too busy to give consistently good service during my visit.
Amenities & Experiences at The Clan Hotel, Singapore
The main amenity is the hotel pool, which has a lovely rooftop view, and is a decent size. Next to the pool is also a jacuzzi area. That said, it gets very busy so you have to book the loungers in advance, and it’s a really cramped space. There is no pool bar and you cannot have any food or drink up there. I found myself missing the beautiful big pool and comfy loungers at The Conrad Marina Bay, where I could sip cocktails and get snacks to while away an afternoon.
One thing I really loved about the hotel was that is embraces its Chinatown Heritage, offering traditional tea ceremonies daily to guests. It also has interesting information on the area’s history throughout the building – for example in the lobby area and within the lifts.
The hotel also has a nice big terrace area, again with some lovely city views. That said, I don’t think the area was maximised. I sat there twice at around 3pm and not a single member of staff came to offer me a drink – when I would have ordered one. I just sat reading my book as staff walked past.
Finally, the hotel also offers a concierge at the entrance, but only to facilitate a welcome and help in booking taxis/transport. Bags aren’t taken up to your room for you and they don’t offer typical 5* concierge services such as recommendations. I should also note that check in took over 40 minutes. There was a huge queue and not enough staff, and a slow process where everything seemed to take an age and the system didn’t work or load properly. It was quite frustrating.
So what do you think of The Clan Hotel Singapore? I think it’s a nice 4* hotel, but judging it against 5* hotel standards and prices, it falls well short to me. It just wasn’t polished enough around the edges, and the cleanliness was a real deal breaker for me – so we wouldn’t stay here again, but I can’t help but feel we didn’t see it as its best and perhaps it was just super busy during our stay. What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.
And as always, stay safe and happy travelling! And if you’re travelling to Singapore, check out more of my posts below.
- Singapore 2 Day Itinerary HERE
- Singapore Layover Guide HERE
- Free things to do in Singapore HERE (coming soon)
- Gardens by the Bay HERE
- Singapore Botanic Gardens HERE
- Mount Faber & The Southern Ridges Walk HERE
- Singapore’s Best Gardens HERE
- Singapore’s WW2 history HERE
- Jurong Lake Gardens HERE
- MacRitchie Treetop Walk HERE
- Rail Corridor Walking Guide HERE
- Bukit Timah Nature Reserve HERE
- Singapore Museums HERE (coming soon)
- Civic District Area Guide HERE
- Sentosa Area Guide HERE
- Chinatown Area Guide HERE
- Marina Bay Area Guide HERE
- Bukit Timah Area Guide HERE (coming soon)
- Hotel Reviews: Raffles Singapore HERE, Conrad Marina Bay HERE, The Clan Hotel HERE.
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