Hi Everyone
I would like to share my recent wedding experience at M Hotel Singapore. To be very frank, it wasn’t a happy one at all, up till end of the wedding.
Its a long post but I do hope it will be helpful if there are couples intending to hold your wedding there.
We went for a wedding showcase at M Hotel in December 2019 and signed a package for XXX amount/ table after understanding their package. Package includes 8 course lunch, free flow beer and wine, full wedding deco, food tasting for 10 pax, 2 night stay in M Hotel Bridal Suite, 1 night each for 2 helpers room. We were pleased with the what we hear about the hotel and the ballroom so we decided to place a $5000 deposit to secure our date on Oct 2020. With the signed addendum received, sales rep team replied to share what are the plans ahead: 3 mths before wedding- settle wedding cards, 2 mths before- food tasting, 1 mth before- finalization on wedding themes, favors, wedding program, etc. They also assure a smooth transition is top priority.
Covid came and the sales rep team reach out to us in March 2020 and ask if we wanted to consider postponing our wedding, giving us an open date till June 2021. In this email to us they state that the contract details will remain the same unless we change any of the following points:
- Change from lunch to dinner,
-Postponement date falls under auspicious dates,
-weekday booking to weekend booking,
-change of ballroom, from smaller room to a bigger one,
-Additional cost that is not mentioned in contract.
We decided to postpone till 1st week of March 2021 and did not make any changes to the above mentioned. Hence the team replied with an addendum on 20th April 2020, for the change of date. In the addendum, it clearly states ‘”Other arrangement details remains the same as the previous signed agreement”
We waited patiently but heard nothing, not even 3 months before our wedding. So I emailed the sales rep team on 14th Dec 2020 to ask for updates on the wedding. There was no reply so I emailed again on 27th Dec 2020 with still no reply or bounced email. We panicked and I even text the sales rep and the Director whom I signed the 1st contract with but neither of the messages went through. After enough time waiting, I reached out to Millennium group to search for the right personnel to speak to. I was diverted to around 5 pax before I called the sales manager at M Hotel named Mr G. Upon my call to Mr G, he said he was ‘about to reach out to me’. But no emails or missed calls and messages was received on either me or my husband’s end, so where was his attempt to reach out? He requested to meet the following week to share the changes due to covid that have affected our wedding.
Upon the meet up, Mr G explained that the sales reps attending to us previously has resigned or retrenched. When asked why no one bother to reach out to us or set automated email replies for these personnel who left, Mr G explained there was a lack of manpower. Mr G continued to explain the changes to our package: No- free flow beer and wine, no- full wedding deco, no- food tasting for 10 pax, no- 2 night stay in M Hotel Bridal Suite, no- 1 night each for 2 helpers room. Instead, he will offer us a return bridal suite voucher after they have been lifted from hosting SHN. And with almost all the perks removed, the price per pax remains the same! We ask for a sister hotel stay but not possible cause ‘the previous couples has requested for the same but the management says no’ was the answer given to us. We asked for food tasting at least for 6 pax but Mr G said the restaurant is on the other side of the hotel which is cornered of for SHN so not possible either and also of cost incurred. The reason why we have no free flow beer and wine and no wedding deco (other than white backdrop and fairy lights on stage) is because of cost incurred. And it was because we changed our package from 170 pax to 100 pax. I told Mr G it was the government's regulations, not my choice. However, as I reduced my pax, they do not have enough profit to support the terms in my contract. So at the end of the day, we as the wedding couple is the only one suffering.
We were rather shocked with the drastic changes and how no one bothered to inform us earlier or at least 3 months to our wedding date which will allowed us ample time to think about whether this was the wedding we wanted or whether we could accept these terms. We tried to explain that we signed our contract before covid so our case should be viewed differently. I also presented to Mr G on the signed addendum on 20th April 2020 that states nothing would change but it was of no use apparently. I started to feel that this isnt what I signed up for hence I told Mr G I would like to cancel my booking and get a refund for my deposit. Reason being the hotel failed to reach out to me way before I reached out to them, to share the changes and seek my opinions on accepting such massive changes. But instead, the hotel expects us to accept it even when we signed our wedding contract before covid. The hotel did not even view us as a case by case appeal. After a call with Mr G to share how upset and disappointed I feel, he replied with an email to state 3 options: 1) allow postponement till Dec 2021, 2) allow a sister hotel stay on wedding day and open to discuss terms or 3) proceed with cancellation and forfeit our deposit paid and pay a cancellation fee of $17,046++ as per the 1st contract signed for 170pax.
At this point in time, we have lost trust in him and had enough of his explanation so we request to speak to the higher management. And worried that the hotel will be dragging our time as they had dragged with their replies, we went to CASE to file a report to ask for our deposit back. We also wrote in to the new Director of Sales, Mr E, in hopes that he will address this situation professionally and with all fairness. Mr E reached out to us and apologized for not reaching out to us earlier as the team dimensions changed. I explained that we wanted our deposit back as the hotel has failed to fulfil the SOP they said they would do to follow up, and everything changed in our contract even when the signed addendum said it would remain the same. There was nothing in the contract that worked to our favour and everything was canceled due to cost incurred. Even the artificial wedding deco which was not available due to ‘cost incurred’ was ridiculous. Sadly, Mr E explained that the fact that if we cancel within 3 months to the wedding, there is a cancellation fee and deposit to be forfeited, was state in the contract. However, the fact that the sales rep team was suppose to followup with us and reach out to us, was NOT in the signed contract. In short I guess it meant there was no way we could fight this?
We decided to see what terms they would agree to if we were to discuss now and they then allowed the following: free flow beer and 1 bottle of wine for every table, full stage wedding deco, food tasting for 8 pax, 1 night stay at sister hotel with shuttle over and a return stay bridal suite at M Hotel after SHN has been lifted. We took the deal if not we would have to incur the cancellation cost. Mr E assured me he had a good reputation and none of his wedding couples left the hotel unhappy.
Mr E liaise with us regarding our wedding. He needed frequent reminders to reply my email or whatsapps and I had to chase him for things such as choosing wedding themes, food tasting dates, sister hotel availability, etc. I felt like I was the one working at the hotel instead of him. By the time I took the initiative to create the group chat to discuss our wedding, it was already 1 mth and 6 days to our wedding date and no new addendum has been signed to put things into place. We had to chase him time and again to followup and get back to us. And while waiting for the addendum to firm things up, we could not send out any invites to our guest afraid that the hotel might play us out and change their terms again.
Thankfully our wedding day turned out fine with no major screw ups. One particular incident on the wedding day occur when there was no key to the changing room (which was on the same level as the ballroom but it was not within sight from the ballroom). So my sisters ask Mr E what if our belongings left in the changing room or even the safe that was in the changing room went missing. Mr E replied that the hotel will take responsibility for it. My sister then question how would the hotel know how much to cover for when we do not know how much was in each angbao given? Mr E said there was a CCTV installed so they will be able to trace who had access to the safe or rooms. I wonder how the hotel will take responsibility if I said my angbao was worth 1 million?
But prior to the wedding day, it was just a disappointing and torturous experience with M Hotel. The team that did their job well were the ones that has handled our wedding up until they left the hotel. But the team that took over did not make me feel important as a wedding couple and instead made me feel like they are doing me ‘a favour’ by assisting in my wedding planning. I hope no one has to go through we did with M Hotel or any other hotels. Hope this information will be useful for future couples!
FYI: I did not enjoy the experience there and I left unhappy!
