Conrad Centennial Singapore

[unkown]

Hi vodka,

Thanks for the advise.
Really appreciate
Hope u won't mind me asking yr experience with Conrad.

unkown

 

[vodka]

hi unknown,

no prob at all. overall, i'm veri pleased wif conrad's svc.

 

[lala]

any one has experience with julie, the catering sales manager? care to share?

 

[carol]

Hi Gals,

I just had my wedding in Conrad too, early Jan, Saturday. Like Vodka, my hubby and I were very pleased with Conrad's service.

As for food, I had checked with my friends (those who are so close that will definitely give honest comments). They said the food was quite good of cos it was not as good as some top restaurants but acceptable. And my in-laws friends (some very fussy eaters) have also commented that the food was good.

I only took the sharkfins after the dinner in the suite (they also upgraded us to Presidential suite, which is super comfortable). Personally it tasted better than the one I had during foodtasting.

My co-ordinator was Catheryn and she was also very professional and caring. She checked with us on the schedule and items that we might have to ensure that the fish dish would be served at the right time. Hence, I believe the couple has shared responsibility to ensure that they do not change the programme once it had been conveyed to the Banquet manager (usually during rehearsal at about 5.30pm).

To ensure that the door opens at the right time for the march-in, your hubby must convey the exact timing to the Banquet manager during the rehearsal. I was very glad that the banquet manager opened the door at the right time for both march-in cos we had specific sections when the door should open for maximum impact.

As for freebies, most couples will get the same treatment I believe. There is free corkage for liquor. As for wine corkage, you can ask for nett price instead of the triple plus. Also for those who have at least 30 tables on sat, it is likely that your coordinator will give you the free barrel of beer.

Overall, I am very very happy with Conrad and both hubby and I were glad that we signed up with Conrad. This had enabled us to have a very beautiful wedding.

One point to note for those who intend to sing, there is no facility to play karaoke VCD, so if you or your hubby intends to sing a song to each other, you will have to get a guitarist or prepare a CD with only the music. We didnt know about this but luckily we had a guitarist and sang unplugged style which went well too.

Hope these points help all the brides-to-be.

 

[unkown]

Hi carol,

Congratulation and glad that everything turn out well on yr big day..

Understand from yr posting that u actually has upgraded to Presidential suite. Did u actually requested for it or conrad did this as a surprise for u? So does that mean is FOC and u did not trade in other freebies in order to get the upgrade..

Really happy that u and yr guests are satisfied with the food...
Feel more assured now....
Me looking fwd to my food tasting next mth..

Finally, wishing you and yr hubby a blissful marriage!

best rgds
unkown

 

[carol]

Hi unkown,

yep the Presidential suite was given FOC, we only traded the 1st year anniversary dinner at Golden Peony for the day room.

Do take note of what you dislike about the dishes during the food tasting and let the chef know after the foodtasting.

 

[carol]

Hi,

forgot to add this, my hubby also asked the banquet manager why do they stacked the glasses after the dinner has started. The reason for this is, for the first march-in, the couple will go onto the stage to cut cake. If the glasses were placed there before dinner, they may become unstable with all the movement on stage. So, it is to prevent any accident from happening that they stack it just before the second march-in.

As for the height, I too find it a little high cos I am not very tall. But my husband is rather tall, 1.78m, so not really a problem for him, but for me, I only managed to hold the side of the bottle. But it is fine since this is the job of the groom. I guess,they think it looks nicer when it is stacked higher. For those who dun know, the glasses are placed on a rotating dish. When you are pouring the champagne, the dish will rotate and they will dim the lights in the ballroom and guests will see the light at the base of this rotating dish, so something like spotlight on this. I found it quite nice.

I was very excited before the wedding too, and like all the brides-to-be, very keen to find out more info from ex-brides. I found this forum very useful in my planning and found many answers to those questions that I had. Wishing all the brides-to-be here many, many sweet memories.

 

[sweets]

hi carol..

thanks for sharing...is there anything else on hindsight that you will change or take note of ?

 

[unkown]

Hi carol,

so u actually manage to upgrade from 2 nite Centiennial suite to 2 nite Presidential suite

That's very sweet and kind of Conrad to provide a FOC upgrade for u! U must be very touched by their service and effort! U r really very lucky..
Don know whether i will get such suprise or not!

I strongly agree with you that this forum is really very useful especially with all the ex-brides coming in to share their experience with the rest of us...

Happy Lunar New Year to you and may all yr wishes come true and have a great goat year!

 

[ann]

Hi gals i am a bride-to-be of Conrad.

My beautican who just attended a weekday wedding dinner at Conrad, told me that the food wasn't nice & service was poor.

I am very disturbed to hear that.

 

[kiroro]

Hi Ann,
Not to be too affected. I think for every hotel, there are both good and bad feedback. Just bare in mind, lots of things are subjective. Might be bad to some one but good to somebody else. Since you already book Conrad, just go for your foodtasting and feedback accordingly. Tell them what you hear in terms of negative feedback and ensure that they are looking into it.

 

[ann]

Hi Kiroro

Thanks for ur reply. It was most pleasure to hear that. I was worried sick about it. My parents are most particular about food (my parents are cantonese from HK).

 

[kiroro]

Hi Ann,
My Mum is also a cantonese... Cantonese are really picky in food i agree

. Anyway, when is your wedding ? Mine is in June. Don't worry too much... You have already booked so ....just don't stress yourself over it.

 

[ann]

Hi gals
my wedding is in Sept. Yup. Just pray hard that nothing will go too wrong on that day!

 

[binbin]

hi ann....wanna join our mailing list? hehhee....can leave ur email add.

 

[carol]

Hi gals,

agree with Kiroro, dun give yourself too much pressure. As an ex-bride at Conrad, I am sure things will go smoothly. A lot of my parents' and in-laws' guests are picky with food, but they had no negative comments on our wedding feast. Just make sure that you convey to your coordinator and chef everything that you are unhappy about during the food tasting.

Service at Conrad can't be that bad, they have a reputation to maintain. So, pls dun worry too much... now its the time to keep cool and make sure you look the best on the most important day of your life. Enjoy the wedding!

Frankly, I really miss preparing for wedding, the choosing of gowns, reading up mags for ideas, the decor, the flowers, songs, everything that can make the wedding the most beautiful thing we have ever experience and for the memories to last a lifetime.

 

[disappointed]

Like to share my experience with Conrad... Been to a colleague’s wedding in Conrad and it was quite hilarious... It first started with the captain, waiter and waitresses dancing on stage, disco style (with the wedding cake shaking throughout the routine)... You can actually see that the dancers are not too willing to do it... this became the talking point the day after the wedding... The second thing about the dinner was that the waiter and waitress shown us the disk before serving it to us... that's ok except that they show the next table the same dish also... the serving is definitely pathetic... usually I would stop at the 7th or 8th dish but I actually went for supper after that... On the whole, it was more of a funny experience and grand one... and the food is very disappointing (Both quality and quantity)... the ballroom shape wasn't rectangular (slight L shape) and the deco... wait a min what deco? I don't remember seeing any deco... Not what I expected from such a high class hotel...

 

[lisa]

Hi Disappointed

which day did you exactly go for the wedding? Just curious

 

[jazz]

As far as I know from what i discussed with Conrad, they only do the dance thingy if the couple wants it and they are trying to discourage it. Maybe your colleague wants the dance thingy. But food wise I am surprised that they din do well.

 

[elis]

hi all - i am contemplating whether to use conrad. anyone have got any experience or advise to share? many thanks

 

[cherryale]

I had my wedding in conrad and I truly enjoyed it as a bride!! Service was good, the presidential suite was great, food was ok (not fantastic). I am attending my friend's wedding at Conrad soon, so will feedback in this forum my opinion of Conrad from a guest's perspective : )

 

[elis]

cherryale - thanx!

hows the floral arrangements like? i viewed some hotel wedding set ups and i must say that i am truely disappointed with the floral arrangements. some looks so sparse that I am wondering if sars had killed flowers too???

 

[elle]

Hi! elis

Besides conrad, what other hotels have you shortlisted? Do you have many tables to hold? Is it a dinner or tea reception kind of event?

Am in the same situation as you and also thinks that the flower arrangements at conrad is a little too simple and sparse for such a high class hotel.

 

[elis]

hey elle - i have not viewed conrad yet. viewing coming sat. so, i don't really know their how sparse their floral arrangements is like. but i am certainly having high expectations from them!

i am expecting about 300guests. for myself, its either conrad, pan pac or intercon in order of appearance

hahahhaha

what about you?

 

[sweets]

hi elis/elle,
I'm a conrad B2b, wedding is in 10 days time. I agree that the table settings is a bit sparse, but the nice thing about Conrad, is that they are very accomodating. I've been working with them to DIY my own decor to save costs and to create the mood that I will like...and they have kindly offered to help a lot with the arrangements and even suggested things they can provide for to help meet my expectations.

I guess it helps to pop by Conrad when they have functions to check out the variety if you are truly interested. They are fully booked for every weekend for weddings...else can always call Catering / Banquet services for more help

Cheers!

 

[elle]

Hi! Elis

I am only expecting abt 250 - 300 guests at the maximum. I have shortlisted Fullerton, Shangri La Sentosa, Shertaton and Conrad for the event. Have been to all but Sheraton. I have gone to pan pac and hotel intercon...and trust me if you are not so conscious abt $$, you will fall in love with Conrad in first sight.

I must agree with Sweets that Conrad's service is superb...but am considering their offer as their quotation is very close to that of what Fullerton has offered us. I must admit that fulleron is more grand and sophiscated than conrad but service wise...still feel that conrad's better.

The service at Shangri la sensota is also very good ... but the distance ... think I need not go further .. hehehe

Will be visiting Sheraton soon.

Happy hotel shopping to all!

 

[ethan]

Hi all,

I personally feel that since Conrad had gotten the Hotel of the Year award, they've been less accomodating to a certain aspect. The award have been a great booster to the hotel, & since then, they have been using an upmarket strategy of selling themselves. This means that any form of bargaining will be hard to achieve, as upmarket hotels like to use the 'take it, or leave it cos I'm not short of customers' approach.They'll be very good at service, but when the service requires some additional overheads & costs to the hotel, they won't be as accomodating as before. They'll usually offer some other alternative, but other than the effort, the additional costs will still be the same as if u were to look for your own solutions.

As conrad's pricing is already quite 'high-class', it's important for couples to know that additional costs may be incurred. The sparse floral arrangement will be hard to ignore, especially when the rest of the setting is classy. This usually mean that most couples can easily incur more $ adding flowers alone. Conrad have always had feedback on this issue, but it seems that their version of 'service' is to reccommend their in-house florist to u at a 'discounted' rate.

 

[elle]

Hi! Ethan

I too feel this way too...but I have to disagree with you on the statement on "take it or leave it" kinda of attitude for Conrad. Instead..it was Fullerton which I feel give me this take it or leave it attitude... But then again....I think the services provided by the hotels vary from one individuals to another. Sometime one needs a little bit of good luck to be able to meet a sales reps who is both nice and accommodating.

If I am going to be shortlisting either Fullerton and Conrad at the end of my shopping, my decision factors

will based on either the service factor of the hotel or the price factor.


Hi! Elis

Do let us know how you feel abt conrad after your meeting this week!

 

[sweets]

Hi Elle/Elis,
Maybe one thing to note is the feeling of the ballroom from Fullerton vs Conrad. Our determining factor (more like our families') was that Conrad's ballroom is more proper, while Fullerton's ballroom is unique but leaves many in the crowd out of "the realm of participation". Its definitely a personal choice though

All the best to both of u

Ethan, so far, I've have nothing less than over the top service from Conrad. They've gone out of their way to make things simple for my FH and I.

Any additional services or needs we have requested so far have been well-met and the hotel even gives us tips on how to get more value out of it. But maybe it just boils down to individual experiences

 

[yvonne]

Hi Elle,

What are the prices for Conrad packages on weekdays and weekends for 2004? What is the number of minimum tables that I must have?

 

[ethan]

Hi,

How accommodating the hotel is greatly depends on the coordinator involved. From what I understand, Fullerton used to have a coordinator who was especially unaccomodating prior to his resignation from the hotel. It's highly likely that some of u may have met up with him. We dun feel that Fullerton are unaccomodating probably bec. we met up with the new coordinator.

As for Conrad, if the service does not incur overheads to the hotel, I'm quite sure most of the staff will offer their assistance. Unfortunately, there's very few things in life that's free. Perhaps some people regard 'service' as simply just the working attitude of staff, but I regard service as an entire package. It means once the contract have been signed, the customer's event should be regarded as top priority, instead of focussing on small issues here & there because they incur additional costs.

 

[elis]

yvonne - just call them up and ask them email you. think not much diff

i am only looking at weekend package so din bother to check out weekday package.

ethan - agree that should consider from the entire perspective. cos i feel that if i am willing to pay extra to have my wedding with your hotel, than you should also 'close 1 eye' and don't whine and calculate on some teeny weeny details. i really gotta look closely at what they are offering before signing the package with them then. thanx for your advise.

sweets - how wonderful! you have great experience with them! hopefully, i will have a great experience should i choose them over the rest. actually i am rather easy to please. just give me whatsoever thats printed in the agreed package and if they were to give me anything extras, its just a favour from them

oh yah, before i forgot! CONGRATS ON YOUR FORTHCOMING WEDDING! having the wedding jitters now??? do share your experience with me after you are done with the whole thingie okie?

elle- sure will inform you after viewing the room. hopefully floral not sparse like you say.... room decor is extremely impt to me. cannot accept sub-standard decor

 

[poox]

just happen to pop by this thread.

Conrad was also one of my choice hotel. However, i chose Fullerton in the end bec i find it more exclusive. I personally feel the cocktail area for conrad is a little too open

coordinator i met from both hotels were great.
Conrad lady was very nice and keep calling me to check if i've made my decision. Fullerton on the hand though accomodating but not so "desperate" (can't think of a better word). We communicated quite frequently when I first enquired then they left me alone to make my decision, which was what i like... not presuured

At the end of the day, just go for the one you feel most comfortable

cheers!

 

[sweets]

Elis, maybe u can go down and view their weddings from setup to observe ?

wedding jitters not yet...still buried in the midst of planning

All the best on hotel research

 

[ethan]

Hi elis,

Unfortunately, it's rather difficult to anticipate everything u will need for your wedding. A couple of items will only crop up as the wedding date draws near & u start making choices & decisions. These items may not be stated in your contract, & therefore u may then need to top up cash if u want everything to be perfect. If u read enough postings in this forum, it's almost certain that most couples would rather pay more than to have anything imperfect to ruin their wedding.

Trust matters more than a contract with the hotel. They trust u to keep to the minimum attendance, & u trust them to deliver what they promised. Even if u can list down all the items in the contract, u can't possibly list down the exact detail of each item. For instance, u can list down no. of floral stands, but u can't list down no. of roses, no. of candles, etc. It's therefore up to the hotel or the coordinator to deliver the best for the couple.

Especially for expensive hotels, their focus should be on service & integrity. They should close one eye on small stuff here & there, since they've already earned a decent amount of $ from u by their higher pricing. Their priority should be to maintain a good reputation.

 

[sue]

Hi all, like Cherryale, I had my wedding at Conrad last mth. Everything was perfect. The ambassdor suite was very very nice & it earns the 'ooh & ahh' of my relatives & friends when they came in becos it is sooo big!

Service is definitely excellent & they are very detailed. That's the comments from some of my 'helpers' during the banquet.

No regrets choosing Conrad! My hubby was so happy with their service that he dropped by to give them a cake as appreciation.

 

[cherryale]

Hi all,

as promised,I am back to give my feedback of Conrad as a guest.

1) Floral Arrangement
For the benefit of those who have not seen the floral arrangement in Conrad, I will try to describe it here. The standard decoration includes decoration using white roses/lillies on the stage (there is a black stand and the roses/lillies are tied onto this stand)You will have the 5 -6 tier wedding cake and the champagne glasses on the right (assuming you are standing at the entrance). There will be two - four individual stands lining the walkway. This will be lit with long candles and decorated with white roses. The table arrangement for all tables will be three white gerberras with tea lights in a green wide glass bowl. The table arrangement for the VIP tables will be one thick white candles with flowers surrounding it. As a bride, I found the decor too sparse, but I didnt top up in the end as I decided that it was acceptable. When I attended the my friend's wedding on sat, I was glad I made the right choice! Most guests really do not notice the floral decoration at all! Some of them even got the hotel staff to remove the stands along the walkway because its blocking their view of the stage. I guess, as brides, we tend to want everything to be perfect, hence we take things very critically. But for the guests, perhaps what is really important is the service of the hotel staff and the food.

2) Food
To be frank, I never think Conrad food is very good even when I was a bride. But luckily my guests did not complain except for the vermicelli dish.They thought it was very badly done and most only ate one or two mouthful. But it tasted quite well during my foodtasting. My friend had the rice dish instead for her wedding and it was good. Some things for the Conrad brides to take note- there are many many veg dishes, so best to change the sequence. For the sat menu, after the sharkfins, you have celery with scallop, then fish, then prawns with veg followed by abalone with spinach..so to guests, it will seem like they kept eating vegetables. For my wedding, I switched the sequence by putting the chicken dish after the prawns to break the veg after veg sequence. Also, I upgraded the prawns to King Prawns. For my friend's wedding, some guests complained that the abalone doesnt taste like abalone, so something for bride-to-be to take note. Actually I am not sure if Conrad has changed the chef, my favourite dessert, Chilled cream of pomela and mango doesnt seem to taste the same at my friend's wedding too.

3) Service
Conrad has full marks for service, both pre-sales, on the actual day and after-sales (after your wedding). They really made you feel like you are worth a million dollar when you are the bride and are also very attentive to guests' needs. Drinks are re-filled each time its empty etc..

In case some of you do not know the history of fullerton ballroom. Before it was used by IRAS and General Post Office, it was a prison cell during the Jap occupation. I worked in IRAS for 6 months and during the time of IRAS, the basement was used as a filing bay. It was a scary place to be in it as you can still see the structure of the older days like cell-like windows etc. Hence, with that memory, I really didnt want to have my wedding there. But of course, it looked very very grand now and some of my friends have got married there. So, its up to individual preference, I guess. Sorry for this very very long posting, hopes it helps.

 

[eggie]

Hi all,

I actually feel everything is nice about Conrad except for the flowers. The thing is only one colour to choose if you don't want to top-up. I'm not so particular about the food but I wonder if it's really that bad?

 

[eggie]

Hi cherryale,

How did you manage to get presidential suit? DId you need to top up? For how many nites? I'm new here and still looking for a place for my wedding banquet.

 

[cherryale]

Hi Eggie,
there's no need to top up for the presidential suite. They will give to you subject to availability. We stayed for 1 nite cos we flew off for our honeymoon the next day. But my friend has two nites stay. Food is not really that bad, just not fantastic, not the Li Bai's standard, for SURE!

 

[eggie]

Hi cherryale,
it's so nice to stay at the presidential suite? I hope I can stay for 2 nites too. How many tables you have? I will most probably have 20 only, wonder if they want to give me.

Just to check with you, the flowers is only white and no other choice rite? I went there once and the flowers don't look fresh. Is that so for your case?

 

[sue]

Hi Eggie, I got a two night stay with Conrad. My wedding was in May. I think that's the presidential suite because they told me that I was being upgraded. The name outside the suite is "Ambassador Suite". It is really big & very nice. My flowers were very fresh & I remember at the end of my wedding, my friends took some of the flowers home.

 

[cherryale]

Hi Eggie,
I have the max tables on sat, same for my friend. I am not sure if they will let you have Presidential Suite if you have lesser tables. But no harm asking them, like I say, I think its really subject to availability. THe suite is really really very big and nice and I was told there are only two such suite in Conrad. Mine had Presidential Suite written outside. Perhaps the other "presidential suite" is called "Ambassador Suite"?

Actually there is a choice for the colour of flowers but I preferred white flowers and that is their usual recommendation too. The flowers looked fresh to me. In fact, I was looking at my photos the other day, realized that they used some white orchids on the stage too. I didnt notice that at all!! I was told they would use lilies..but then again, it really didnt matter. For the table arrangement, the reason why they used gerberras is also cos it floats better than other flowers, think you can choose the colour of the gerberras. But then, if you are using the gold theme, its best to choose white/cream flowers.

 

[eggie]

Hi sue/cherryale,

Wow! I really hope I'll be upgraded too. I'll ask them and see what they say. Will be good to feel like a princess for a day or two.

I had not signed up but I had went to see the place.

Maybe it just happen that the flower dun look fresh on that nite that I sneak in and take a look. Actually I just ask them last month about the choice of colour n they told me it's white. Other colours have to top up $500. When did you sign up?

I seen the decor with the gold theme. It's really romantic n beautiful.

 

[blithe]

hi....just wanted to drop a note complimenting Conrad....i had my church wedding in Conrad last year and because of the busy schedule, i didn't get a chance to eat anything altho all my friends commented that the food was good. (tea reception)

This year, my husband wanted to give me a surprise on our wedding anniversary and booked a suite (normal) and a candlelight dinner, but at the last minute, he wrote an email to Conrad to cancel the candlelight dinner due to a change in his plans,

When we checked in, Conrad told us that our room booking was cancelled. They realised it was their staff's mistake and immediately upgraded us to the Ambassador's suite..the other suites were all taken up...it was a very pleasant surprise and when they realised it was our wedding anniversary, they brought in a cheesecake and a bottle of champagne....it is amazing service recovery...

they made my wedding so memorable last year and this year, made it even better....

 

[mariesoh]

Hi all

understand that the 2 printers that conrad recommend are Jasvy and Tdragon.

Any comments abt the 2 printers? Anyone uses printers other than the above 2?

Many thanks in advance!

 

[poupie]

Hi,
I am just kpo-ing here..

i just recieved a wedding invitation from a friend and the card is so cute! checked it and it is from tdragon. the printing is also very nice...

 

[bebee]

hi, i'm planning my reception at conrad too..
wondering if anyone has attended a High Tea set up for Wedding instead of Dinner.. my hubby n i wan somethin different.. any comments or advise?

or any other nice place to suggest, I will be viewing conrad this week. Thanks

 

[mariesoh]

hullo!

i'll be having my food tasting soon..anyone has any comments on the items on the menus and which items are a must have and what to take note of?

Thanks!

 

[blessedbride]

Hi everyone! I'm new here and has booked Conrad for my wedding dinner..any ex-bride who just had her banquet there recently? Please give some comments.. Thanks in advance.