Mandarin Orchard Singapore

[fiona koh]

Hi sunflower

A May bride from another thread attended a wedding at Mandarin Court last Saturday and she was saying that the service is abit bad.

I quote her "Food was ok as in the quality and serving size but all of us gave bad reviews for service. No one filled up our teacups even after multiple attempts to ask for it. Also the food was not warm. One server to 3 tables and the server was not expereince so took a long while. In the end, while half the banquet was leaving already, we were still waiting for our dessert."

Hmm, seems like we need to remind Joe (is he your coordinator?) about the service quality.

 

[felicia]

Hi cher,

Thanks for the info. I am looking at 35-38 tables. so any recommendation on which ballroom is better?
My hubby is currently liasing with the sales co-ordinator (Angie) and we r arranging to go down to take a look at the ballroom next week.
Any advise or bargaining skills u would like to impart.

Thanks

 

[cher]

Hi felicia,

30-38 tables I tink you'll b getting Mandarin Court, it definitely looked much nicer after the reno early this yr. Nevertheless, it has pillars.

Bargaining skills?? Errmmm...I tink they r having promo now..free flow of beer, which is quite good. Besides this, maybe ask for more cards & car park tickets, day use room.

 

[felicia]

Hi cher,

Thanks for the advise. Understand from u that Joe Lee is rather good and helpful. Do u mind if u give me his contact so that i can arrange with him for the discussion.

Thanks

 

[cher]

Hi felicia,

Sure you can reach him at Tel: 68316059.

 

[felicia]

cher, thanks for yr prompt response. really appreciate it.

 

[marie]

Hi all
had gone to Mandarin to take a look @ the ballrooms.

Has anyone been under the service of Malcom before? Possible to share with me your experiences with him?

The theme i saw @ Mandarin Court is a sea of white table cloths and seat covers with no sashes for the all the guest tables and they are top with blue napkin. While it looks
fine to me..i am worried about older folks seeing white and blue combi as inauspicious colours as in like attending funeral.
Are there any other themes available or we are allowed to so call mixed and match the ballroom deco?

 

[sunflower]

Hi Fiona,

Oh dear, really? I thought I read somewhere that said that their service was q good... Hmmm... now it gets me a little worried. I'm going there for a wedding end of this year actually. Will get to experience it for myself then.

Hi Marie,

My coordinator's Malcolm too. So far he's quite OK. Talks v fast right? Haha... Haven't requested for v much yet, so can't comment much on his service. But he was q accommodating when I wanted to change my venue from Belvedere to Mandarin Court. So that's a relief. And they have a few themes I think for you to choose.

Hi Felicia,

Just to add on to what Cher has said, although Mandarin Court has pillars, but Belvedere has as well. Mandarin Court's ones are at least more spaced out, so if you have 35-40 tables, it will definitely not be blocking your guests. That's what Malcolm said. Not sure abt the other ballrooms though.

 

[hwey]

Malcom Hew still around?

He was my coordinator when I got married this Feb. My hubby and I are very pleased with him. After our wedding, we wrote him a thank you note and sent one note to the management to give good feedback about him.

 

[fiona koh]

hi sunflower

I think there were 2 weddings going on that night, in Belvedere and Mandarin Court. Maybe (Hopefully!!!) that explains the for the bad service!?

 

[marie]

Hi Hwey

care to share with us your wedding experience in Mandarin? Which ballroom did you and yr hubby choose?

Thanks!

 

[marie]

Hi Hwey

opps! forgot to ask about this. Can elaborate more about Malcom's svcs? My hubby finds him a perfectionist and felt that he would take care of everything. Do u share the same sentiments?
=) Many thanks in advance for the feedback!

 

[hwey]

Firstly, when we booked, it was with another banquet manager. Near our date of wedding, we learnt that he had left and Malcom took over.

So, the first time we met Malcom was during our food tasting. He came to check with us what were our requirements, would we be expecting guests with special diets, etc

Then on a separate day, he met us again to go through details. Whatever changes we wanted, we just emailed to him and he would confirm with us very fast. He also recommended that we don't serve wine as it could lead to escalating cost and suggested how to cut cost for beer.

During our wedding, he stayed around till after my second march-in and yam seng, to supervise that everything was fine. Before he left, he came over to congratulate us.

As I had overseas guests, he also helped me contact my guests to confirm their stay here.

Overall, a very accomodating person, and he gave his opinion, based on experience.

 

[marie]

Hi Hwey

thanks for the info. Now i feel more assured of having Malcom as my coordinator.

Thanks!

 

[marie]

Hi Sunflower

yah..agrees that Malcom talks very fast..and sometimes end up mumbling..so its quite difficult to "catch" what he says.

Met him only once so far but had a positive impression of him.

So far i have not decided which hotel/ballroom yet...scouting ard actually...=)

 

[sunflower]

Hi Fiona,

Didn't really get you. What do you mean there are two wedding dinners going on that night? I haven't attended a wedding dinner at Mandarin yet. Will be going end of this year for one of my girlfriend's.

Hi Hwey,

Thanks for telling us your experience. Yeah, I spoke to Malcolm recently as well. Think he's service is pretty good. Think we can feel safe that we're under him.

 

[piggy]

Hi everyone,

Just wondering if Mandrain Singapore has smaller ballroom for abt 15 tables? If there is a smaller function, are there pillars thats blocking views?

Just check their web site, it says min 25 tables!

Appreicate your help!

Cheers,
piggy

 

[jazz]

Hi,

Was wondering if anyone had Francis as their coordinator? My coordinator Vincent had left (sigh...) and we're being assigned to Francis. Care to share y

Hi Piggy,
I think they have a smaller room by the name called Act 1. But duno what's the min and max capacity.

 

[passerby]

Hi Piggy

Suggest you call up cos internet only show the standard pricing.

They do have pkg for Minimum 15 tables.
Act 1 view is very nice. You can go for any site inspection. If i remember collectly, it's max capacity is 18 tables.

 

[daisy]

Hi piggy

U can cal Banquet Manager Joe Lee at 68316059. He's veri helpful. He may b able to help u.

 

[jojok]

Hi,

Anyone had Mr Zainal Kassim as your Banquet Mgr? Any feedback? Apparently, my earlier banquet mgr, Ms Bonnie Lin, had either resigned or assigned another task thus was allocated Mr Zainal.

In the event if I m not satisfied w Zainal's service, u think its possible 4 me to request 4 a change of Banquet mgr to someone else like Malcolm?

 

[moomoo]

Dear all,

when i visited the website of Mandarin,

They stated " Prices are nett per table of 10 tables "

yet, further down the page, it states " fr 689 +++
per table of 10 persons "

For the yr 2003, Weekend, is the price of 689
inclusive of the taxes?

Kindly advise.

 

[daisy]

Hi moomoo,

the price for yr 2003 shd be $689+++. $689 is exclude taxes...

Y not u cal their banquet sales to chk to hv a better picture. U can cal the Banquet Manager, Joe Lee at 68316059. He's veri helpful.

 

[???]

Hi Jojok

From what i know, Mr Zainal is the new manager.

 

[jojok]

Hi,

Thanks, guess as much. Hopefully, he is good. Apparently, he is not responsive to email, had to call him instead.

Do u encounter that with the other co-ordinators?

 

[moomoo]

Tks Daisy,

called Joe today n got him to block out the date i wanted. He was really patient n helpful.
got 2 decide by end of wk whether to bk Mandarin.
Muz say am impressed by the whole package

 

[daisy]

Hi Moomoo,

Mandarin offer quite attractive pkg indeed...& most impt of all joe realli veri helpful & patient...All the best to u....

 

[fiona koh]

Hi sunflower

Sorry, haven't been visiting this website for a while coz I was busy and at the same time, my home PC crashed!!!

I meant that there was a wedding at Belvedere and a wedding at Mandarin Court on the same night. Maybe that's why the service not as good as before?

 

[moomoo]

Morning Daisy!

)

FH & I have decided on Mandarin. Will call Joe later to confirm. Will go down personally to Mandarin to pay the deposit on Sat as FH works till After 8pm everyday.
FH kept saying 'take mandarin take mandarin' when i asked if we shd consider other hotels. Guess its either he loves the place too much or is too lazy to go ard sourcing anymore

U're rite on the account that Joe is extremely helpful. I have been trying to call them at extension 82/83/84 on Monday but cld never get any1 fr the Sales team. So I called the general line & was transferred to their Sales Director!
Spoke to him & found him very helpful too. Later in the day, I managed to get a lady fr their sales team. She was shocked when i said i spoke to their director. She kept saying to come to them 1st b4 calling him. Well, its not my fault since they're not at their desk the whole day.

Can i liase with Joe all the way ? I think he's more responsible/ patient.

 

[kpo]

Hi i am not siding with any of them there, but put yourself in their shoes...they are from the sales team, they don't just sit down at their desk to wait for phone calls. For their job nature, i believe they need to do site inspection with guests, meet up with guest for discussion, etc, all these requires time. Plus if the guest is fussy or ask alot of questions, it takes more time. Am i right?

Furthermore, they don't do wedding alone, they also have other function like meeting, Convention, D&D,etc. They need to attend to these group of guest too.

Thus, please be fair to them. When you can't get them at the phone, you can leave them voicemail or drop them email if you have. I believe they will get back to you immediately in their spare time.

I know i sounded very KPO and if i offended anyone, my apology.

 

[cher]

Hi MooMoo!

Dun worry, you are in the safe hands of Joe. If you cannot get him on the phone, do leave a voicemail, he will definitely return your call.

I hv signed up wif Mandarin in Apr, at that time it was another coordinator. She has left and Joe took over. I must say he's very attentive and responsive as compared to the rest. Bet you, I have spoken to a couple of them there...Joe is the best so far.

Just met up wif him earlier this evening to finalize all the details. He's very accommodative and gave lotsa of suggestions and assurance.

 

[moomoo]

Hi KPO,

no worries , you're juz speaking yr mind. Actually after i couldn't get them on the 3 extensions, I called the general line the next time round, asking to speak to any1 fr the Sales team. Who knows I was i transferred to their director?
anyway at Cher & Daisy's recommendations, I will try to get Joe as my banquet manager

Nice day to u KPO (

)

 

[moomoo]

Morning Cher,

how's yr preparatins coming along ? when is ur big day ?

(

)

 

[cher]

Hi Moomoo,

Everything seems to be in place now, except videographer & emcee. Now is the headache part, Invites & RSVPs....

My tea ceremony is on 16 Nov & dinner on 17 Nov. A few weeks' time!

How abt yours? Any luck in contacting joe?

 

[moomoo]

Afternoon Cher (

)

Yr wedding date is pretty near, so muz find the videographer quick lest the
1 u had in mind has been booked.

Wow u muz been feeling very excited now that the date is drawing near!

Mine's in Aug 31st ...... long way moreeeeeeeeeee

 

[moomoo]

Hiii Cher (

)

went down today , met up wif Joe, & finally paid the deposit for banquet. Yayyyy! at least the major part of preparation has been settled.

U're rite bt Joe. Very professional, patient &
1 wif great taste. He showed us pix of the decorations & provided his views. Muz say am very impressed after meeting up wif him.


Wif him in charge, I know we're in gd hands.


Nitey Nite!


ZZZzzzzzzzzz

 

[cher]

Hi Moomoo!

Glad that u hv met joe & cfrm the htl! WHich venue did u book for?

 

[moomoo]

Rise N Shine Good Morning Cher ! (

)


I booked the Belvedere rm. Heard fr Joe tt there will be 3 weddings ( myself included ) on Aug 31st! Arghhhhh .... hope my guests do not wander
into somebody else's wedding by mistake
Joe assured me that there will be pple stationed
at the lift to ensure guests get to the right wedding. After hearing this i went like " Phew ".

Initially Joe wanted to show us the bridal suite ( which was renovated 4 mths ago ), but it was occupied *darn*

 

[atnca]

Hi,

Anyone has tried to reduce the price of the package by giving up some of the perks? Any suggestion how we can reduce to below $800 nett without reducing the dishes?

thanks in advance

 

[moomoo]

To all the mandarin brides out there,

Joe mentioned that mandarin engaged 2 florists.
Any1 here happen to know which florist?

 

[cher]

Hi MooMoo!

It's Gnomes & Greenacres.

 

[babylove]

Hi Atnca,
I've tried to lower the prices by taking a 8 course menu. But havent tried by taking some things.
Did u also book Mandarin? When's ur wedding? I booked in Belverdere

 

[atnca]

Hi Babylove,

Am thinking of booking with Mandarin but i want to keep my budget to below $800 nett. My wedding is Oct 03, when is yours?

 

[babylove]

Hi ,
My wedding is Sep03. If u take out a course in the menu, the nett price will be lower than $800.
Which ball room are u taking? Who's ur coordinator?

 

[moomoo]

Tks 4 the quick response Cher (

)

btw which ballrm did u bk? When i met up wif Joe,
he showed me pix of the floral decoration. Muz say the draping bouquet looks wonderful on stage.
When i mentioned this to my frd ( who is holding her coming wedding in Dec in Shangri-La) ,
she said the description does seem to fit what Shangri-La has to offer. Hence she asked me to check out the names of the florist.
(Hmmm, dats juz 4 interest sake )


Hi ATnCA,

Babylove is right, try negotiating 4 8 course. Its $30 cheaper.

 

[babylove]

Hi MooMoo

How many tables do u have for Belvedere?
We're going to sign the contract soon and I'm still wrecking my brains to have a prelim guest list. Understand that you've to commit as least 25 tables?

Mandarin brides, are there any other ways to reduce the prices other than menu? I'm curious to know also

 

[atnca]

Hi Babylove & MooMoo,

I am booking the mandarin court and my coordinator is Zainal. Who is yours? Anyone has heard any comments abt him?

The nett price 4 8 course will be $773 rite? Guests usually come with expectation that Sat should be a 9 course, will reducing one be very "pai seh"?

 

[babylove]

Hi,
I dont think 8 course will be pai seh....cos still a decent dinner in a decent place right?
Anyway, it's better to stick to your budget. I'm intending to do away with the duck. Dont need both chicken and duck.
My coodinator is Francis. I've also not seen any comments on him. Just keep my fingers crossed.
U're right, the nett price is $770. Guess there's no other way to lower the cost.

 

[atnca]

Is your wedding on weekend? Do you have the dinner at the Top of the M and the Canapes? u can try to check with Francis whether the price can be reduced further by giving up the dinner and canapes, think this can be done

 

[babylove]

Hi Atnca,
My wedding's on a weekend. So what u just mentioned are in the package. U're right. Maybe I can see what I can do to lower my costs

Does anyone know is Mandarin offers wedding concierge service in their package?