Carlton Hotel

[piggypig04]

Hi Chan Yuen Ying,

Pls let me know if u Fight successfully for the wavier for corkage charge for wine...

thanks

 

[ariescyy]

I will be going down to Carlton to negotiate on the perks and to confirm with them this Saturday. Will let you all know if my mission is successful...Crossed finger

 

[ellentg]

Yuen Ying >> All the best, think they may be more flexible to you since you are taking the bigger room. When is your AD?

purplebottle >> are you refering to renovation for ballrooms? If you are taking the Esplanade Room, there is no reno if I am not mistaken.

They keep assuring me that they will keep the place presentable during reno period...

 

[ev3]

Chan Yuen Ying> hi gal, when is your AD? in yr 1st post - i totally agree wif u on Carlton vs M-Hotel. Tis 2 hotels are so close in terms of price etc and was on my top list. Ultimately i chose Carlton and signed for the existing ballroom. I share similar sentiments as u!

I think in the contract i sign up, the perks are pretty standard. What i like abt Carlton - they are less pushy compared to others, and overall, their service is relatively good & consistent, which is what i find important. Before & after signing up, they still attend to my queries and emails very swiftly.

Ellen > Fyi, the new ballroom will be ready Q1-Q2 nxt year. The existing ballroom will have some reno and they also assured me that it will be presentable by my AD - Sept 2010. When is your AD?

 

[ariescyy]

Hi Ev3, my AD will be Nov next year. My initial AD was on 23 Oct which i supposed is a super auspicious date where i went to check for hotel's ballroom availability and almost all booked. So i need to change it to another date instead. Besides these 2 hotels, any comment on other 'hot wedding hotels' like Holiday Inn Park View, Grand Hyatt, Novotel Clark Quay...These 3 hotels are in my wanting list too but didn't actually go down to meet their coordinator as already fall for Carlton.

 

[accyt1978]

Reno of the Interconnecting LOBBY has started.. THough it made the Lobby smaller but what matters most is the Banquet area is still hardly affected... went there to have a look and seriously.. i have no complains at all.. it's not the first time that carlton are doing expansion during operation..

For the price i've paid i'm pretty satisfied... though it would have been better had the reno been after my wedding.. but oh well.. i'm not as YIM CHIM as some...

Cheers to all who are gonna use the new ballroom on the new wing... i'm sure for the price u people paid.. it'll be all worth it...

 

[ellentg]

Ev3 >> My AD is on 31 Jul 2010. The reno doesn't affect me at all cos Esplanade Room will be untouched.

Anyway, I may be out of Carlton... cos the service I got wasn't exactly very good (else I'd very likely confirm immediately cos we like the place). Maybe my coordinator wasn't in good mood that day haha....

Also for Esplanade Room, since there are less perks, it will end up almost the same price as some 5 stars hotels.

Back to the reno... Like what Alex mentioned, I guess we don't need to worry too much cos the place really looks alright even though reno is on-going..

 

[ev3]

Chan Yuen Ying > i also fell in love wif Carlton when i went. in fact i went to a number of hotels before carlton. I went to Holiday Inn - the one near somerset - do not really like the look n feel.

I attended wedding at Grand Hyatt before. It is certainly more grand than Carlton but more ex too cos it is 5-star. I do not think i want to pay for tat price. though it has really high ceiling. if that is what matters to you.

For Novetel, attended wedding there before too, the food is no gd...

Of cos, one man's food may be one man's poison - as the saying goes! hehe so it depends on what your preference is end of the day!

Yup 23 Oct is an auspicious date. When i was selecting date in Mar, tis date was still available at most places. but by now, mostly taken up! so gona act fast o

Ellen > my coordinator is Simon, so far I have no complaints

It really depends - cos not many 5-star n good places throw in alot of perks. of cos i see some hotels n restaurants do throw in much more perks.. so if tat is what matters to you, go for wat your heart tells u!

I am happy to have chosen Carlton, looking forward!

 

[ellentg]

Ev3 >> For me, I think coordinator is v important cos we'll work with this person for the next one year or so. I guess you gotta be comfortable with that person la, and that even for the same coordinator, some pple may like him/her but some pple may not...

So that's why didn't sign after meeting them though i like the ballroom...

Carlton is certainly a very good choice for those taking the Empress Room, convenient location, nice place, good food with affordable price!

 

[piggypig04]

Hi Chan Yuen Ying,

my initial actual wedding date is at 23oct10..Like u say it is really a very popular date most hotel i wanted are taken up.
Btw how's yr bargain so far? any luck?
I guess im taking carlton cos of the service provide so far.im pretty satisfied. However, finger cross hopefully in time to come they can maintain the standard.

 

[ariescyy]

Hi,

They agree to waive the wine corkage charge - 1 bottle/table. Besides i negotiated for a coordinator's day use room till 7pm and wedding card inviation raise another additional 10%. That's all i could think of to bargain with them. I couldn't think anything else to add in as the perks. Do adv if you have any other perks that you think i should negotiate with them as i haven't give the deposit yet. Will only pay them next week.

 

[ev3]

Hi,

Ellen > Totally agree - coordinator is very impt. I went to tis 5-star Hotel previously and before going, i read good reviews in this forum, but when i met the coordinator - she was totally turnning me off due to her attitude. Thus I strike tat out of my list immediately. What did you sign up ultimately?

Chan Yuen Ying > when is your AD? I think the perks are reasonable.

 

[ariescyy]

Ev3 --> My AD is on 6 Nov 10. How bout u?

 

[ariescyy]

To add on, their service is good and they are not pushy as well. The wedding coordinator is so nice that it is pretty easy and comfortable to deal with her...

 

[ev3]

Chan Yuen Ying > My AD is 19 Sept 2010

You have the same wedding date as my fren's! Good tat u are happy wif the service overall

Happy to know you are another Carlton BTB!

How's your other wedding preparation?

 

[ariescyy]

Ev3,

At the moment, sourcing for MUA and photographer. At the same time browsing around the web for wedding gown. Still deciding whether to rent/to buy/custome made. My friend told me there is a nice tailor in Ipoh who offers to custome made gown at less than RM500. So might be going to have a look at the shop in Ipoh cause i'm going to Ipoh this weekend.

So, have u engaged any MUA/photographer yet? Any recommendation? Btw, where is the venue of your friend's wedding dinner?

 

[ev3]

hi Chan Yuen Ying >

My fren still negotiating for banquet - likely in Sentosa.

I have signed up with Sophia just in Oct.
MUA/photographerv both from there. Got recommendation from frens thus chose them. There should be alot of good ones around - probably also depends on rates etc other consideration.

 

[ariescyy]

Ev3,

My friend also took it there. How much is your package?

 

[ellentg]

Ev3 >> if nothing goes wrong, will go to Meritus Mandarin.

Yuen Ying >> I'm looking for MUA too cos taking my PS overseas. My AD is in July.... still got time to source i suppose?

 

[ariescyy]

Ellen,

I'm having my PS overseas as well in Taiwan. That's why i'm looking around MUA/photographer/wedding gown and suits etc..Doing some reseach now...hehe

Where you have your PS? Which bridal studio? Mine is BlueBay.

 

[ellentg]

Yuen Ying, I'm going to HK for my PS. Bridal Studio is HK's Mona Lisa... When you going TW? Sure it will be fun! ^_^

 

[ariescyy]

Ellen,

I'm not sure yet. Planning to go on May-June.Hopefully there will be flight promotion during this period...Crossed finger.

 

[michecwy]

hi dear all, can someone enlighten me when will the neew ballroom be completed for reno? cuz too many reno going on at calrton... Thax

 

[jestoki]

Hi, First time writing in this thread. My dinner will be in Nov 2010 in CH. Heard lots of negative feedback on the food and coordinations.. Praying hard all the reno will be ready by then..

 

[jestoki]

Hi Ellen, I will be taking my PS in taipei too. But looking at March/April, as we are concern with the summer weather. Not much airfare promo now.. I think have to book after Xmas season. If you know of any airfares promo, do inform me!

 

[ck3012]

Dear all, i am another DEc 2010 BTB.
Hope u don mind i join in this discussion.

I am considering Carlton but due to its price i am looking at Orchard Concorde Hotel too.
Anyone attended wedding at Orchard Concorde before? Will appreciate if someone can share the experience and food quality with me.

Appreciate the help and feedback, thanks!

 

[milky_kio]

I held my wedding in the current ballroom this year.. Let me share my experience with you.. Food wise, it is really good. Did received several good comments from my peers..

I had about 35 tables.. personally, i think it is good for less than 35 tables.. cos the other 4 tables at the back of the ballroom may feel a bit left out.. Actually, Agnes already advised us to cut down on the no. of tables for 2 projection screens.. but parents had too many relatives..

The operation coordinators, Alan and Nicholas, were great.. They are really experienced. We felt so good to be under their care.. They will tell you tips before you make ur grand entry.. Our wedding coordinator, Agnes, were also present to ensure everything is in order.. Some of my friends were shock to see her walking around though..

The servers made some mistakes during the dinner itself..New servers bah.. We had already feedback to Agnes.. i think the hotel will take note of that..

 

[laobo]

Hi milky,
Thanks for sharing! May I know what kinda mistakes did the waiters or waitresses made?

Hey CK,
I was considering Concorde initially but not now because their min tables is 35 while I only have like 30. So thought of Carlton which has quite alot of good reviews and even when I went to other hotels, the sales executive recommended me to go take a look at Carlton!

 

[ev3]

Thanks for sharing Milky

Very glad u had a very gd experience with Carlton!

 

[pink_lady00]

Hi Nicole,

Maybe u would like to call up Concorde to check with them regarding the minimum requirement. I also called to check and they are willing to reduce it to abt 29 for me...

 

[milky_kio]

hi Ev3, yea generally it was okie and great working with Agnes

 

[charray]

hi ladies,

For those who had their wedding at Carlton, may i know how is their bridal suite like? Is it nice? Thanks.

 

[laobo]

Thanks alot pink lady!! I am going to Carlton this Sat and keep my fingers cross!! =)

 

[laobo]

Thanks alot pink lady!! I am going to Carlton this Sat and keep my fingers cross!! =)

 

[ck3012]

Hi milky, thanks for sharing.
Carlton food is by wah lok rite?
heard food is good.
believe u went for food tasting before ur wedding. any idea how is the quality differs from wedding banquet?

for the cocktail area, does ur guest feedback that is too small??

bwt, i am looking at the new ballroom and priced at 918nett. wat is ur opinion??

 

[ck3012]

hi nicole, i am looking at orchard concorde (previous le meridien) not the one at millenia tower

however the building is too old so i drop the idea of taking orchard concorde.

now actually m looking at either carlton or amara at tanjong pagar. need to decide by this week.
anyone has feedback on amara at tanjong pagar??

 

[accyt1978]

Wedding just concluded.

Captain of the day was Alan.. a nice guy whom i feel is pretty experienced. the coordination between the captains and the rest of staff was pretty good...

i'm happy for the way the event turned out to be...

a little problem encountered by our guest was that they said the room was a bit dark.... but that's very subjective..

Food was good..

Service differs since it could happen anyway cos most are only part timers.. just as long as they dun spill anything on anyone..

the only issue i had personally was that the food was served a tad too fast.. by 9+pm, we were already on the last 3 dishes... my guests were all super punctual and i didn't expect my dish to be so fast..

anyway good luck to all..

following dishes is a must for diners there.

1) Pi Pa Ya (signture dish)
2) Roasted Chicken
3) Poached Prawns (guaranteed freshness)
4) The Lotus Rice or something like that..

I'm glad i had a good time there...

 

[jestoki]

That's really a great feedback from you. Thks alot for sharing.
It's really gd that ur guest r punctual. Did u give them reminders?

 

[irenerachel]

Hi everybody. I am a Dec 2010 BTB! Just confirmed the date as 26 Dec 2010 after consulting the master.

CK, I held my ROM in Amara Hotel's Poolside Garden. It is a beautiful place! However, I did not view the ballrooms because I already know that I want to have it outdoors. If you are interested, I can give you the URL to my facebook photo album. You may email me at [email protected] and I will pass you the URL.

I am also considering Carlton Hotel too. Can someone please advise what perks should I fight for when I speak to the coordinators? Thanks!

 

[carebearz]

I just attended a dinner at Carlton and thought the food was average. Personally, my relatives and I thought Crystal Jade serves better food. The ballroom was a bit dark and the atmosphere was more like a chinese restaurant, smells like one too.

I was told that the table cost around $900. I think for the same price, might as well go with Conrad's lunch which starts around the same price. Conrad's table seats 12 but it's very spacious. They had 1 bottle of wine for every table, not sure if this promo still stands. Better food and ballroom in Conrad.

 

[strikingreality]

I think there is only one coordinator at Carlton. I reached there at 5pm for my appointment. Then was informed that the coordinator is occupied with another couple.

So this other lady in sales brought us around the ballroom, where we saw the coordinator, also at the ballroom with the other couple. I don't know whether it is because the other couple is late, but I was really irritated that the coordinator had bookings booked up so tightly that he cannot meet up with each couple individually.

Worse still, this other girl tasked to show us around is very non-committal and clearly not trained in the sales routine. ("I will take your questions and pass them to Simon to answer") So it was almost like blind leading the blind.

Very bad experience. Clearly struck out of our shortlist.

 

[blinky03]

Simon is very professional. I think the girl you met is probably not from the sales side. I posted a bad experience I had with carlton but it could have been removed. Anyway, many things went wrong on wedding day and the feedback went back and forth. Took time long to get back only after reminders were sent.

Food is good. Praises from guest but service can get really bad if you are not getting the good staff to service your guests.

They don't take feedback quite well even if you are specific and unbiased. Just keep your fingers crossed because most hotels use part-timers for wedding dinners.

Bridal suite is small by normal standards and it's made from two rooms combined.

Room service food is very nice. Captain for my wedding seems inexperienced although i was assured she is. Sigh...

 

[accyt1978]

HI Jessica Ng,

i'm not sure why they were so puncture.. i didn't send reminders or what though.. but there is one feedback that is very true for those who wants to have their wedding in TOWN during end nov till end of the year...

Be prepared to have late guests... since TOwn would be badly JAMMED up due to the Xmas decorative in town...

I would prefer to compare likes for likes when it comes to FOOD, LOCATION, PRICES and Packages..

otherwise.. if money was never a problem.. why bother about carlton in the first place. There is Raffles just across the street or Fairmont just opposite of it..

But can anyone guarantee the food would be nice or above average..

To me... minimal Lo$e$ to me financially is more important than the BEST FOOD to get, THE BEST SERVICE they could cater or THE BEST ATMOSPHERE the guests could enjoy...

I rather not turned a night of CLASS to be a night i have to suffer for the rest of the year after getting married.. but of cos.. i'm sure most capable people have no problem with loses this days... but i'm not one with that thinking..

 

[blinky03]

I feel that to minimise "risks" of losses or loesses, the simplest way is to not have one or to invite as few guests as possible.

 

[carebearz]

I think it depends, small guest list may not necessary mean less losses..

For me I had only 120 guests and it was a little difficult to find hotels that have rooms catering to this size. In tne end, I opted for Ritz Carlton. Due to the small size, there were a lot of things that I didn't have such as big ballroom etc. So in the end, I topped up for the flowers and paid for a band to create the atmosphere.

And thank goodness that we did hire the band and top up on the deco as we were initially very apprehensive on paying a couple of thousands more for flowers and band. It created a really nice atmosphere and all the guests said this was the first time they had attended a small wedding party that was was classy, cosy and elegant.

No one left early at my wedding and in fact, all of them said they had wanted to stay back for more coffee and tea.

But due to the small size, my per table cost was pretty high. 1 table at Ritz could pay for 2 tables at Carlton or even lunch at Conrad.
Before the wedding, a lot of people were saying we were pretty dumb to not to do a bigger banquet. But in the end, they were won over when we showed them on the wedding day that small banquets can be just as good.

The guest list is also a nightmare. People think easier to manage fewer guests but you can't over-invite as the room has got no space for reserved tables. And if you invite the exact number of guests, you may end up with empty seats with the no-shows and it's difficult to have a reserved guest list which we wanted to avoid having anyway.

So inviting few guests may not be the solution to minimising losses as in my case. If we had done the 20tables at say another hotel, we will not need to pay extra for deco and band as the grand ballroom itself has enough 'qi pai'.

But for us, we decided that we want quality over quantity. And I think due to the small size, food quality was good as some of my guests had previously attended Ritz's dinner said my food was better.

90% of my guests gave less than the banquet price but the 10% who gave more enabled us to cover the cost.

 

[piggy_ang]

Hi, can anyone pass me the contact for wedding coordinator of Carlton Hotel? Many thanks!

 

[zactor]

Hi ladies,

Does any one of you happen to have pics of the bridal suites? I haven't had the chance to view their suites though have signed up a package with them.

Big thanks!

 

[ricsha]

Hi Claudin

You can contact Simon @6311 8186
He is a nice guy.

good luck!

 

[luvyvel]

Hi Carton BTB,

After reading a few pages back, im quite confuse in the existing ballrooms/function rooms available for weddings. Exactly hw many are dere? Is the Esplanade room the main ballroom? There is a new ballroom in the new wing? Pardon me for asking so many questions. I am looking for approximately 20-25table. Can someone enlighten me?

 

[jest14]

How is the bridal suite? anyone can describe?? Thanks i dun need it 1st class, but hope its nice lah....anyone have experiences to share??