Mandarin Oriental Singapore

[starmed]

hi Bug
my AD's over...just for your info...I managed to get free waiver for corkage for my red wine...cos their house pour wine category dun have our fave wine.. thus we sourced from outside and our coordinator gladly waived my corkage charges without we asking from her... but my coordinator didn't work there anymore... also have u signed the contract? if u haven, try to bargain more n listed them in the contract.... for me, we managed to squeeze out
1)a nite deluxe room stay for helper/parents(wif breakfast)
2)free food tasting for 10 pax
3)2 nite stay in bridal suite(include breakfasts for 2 days)
4)one 30L barrel of beer

all the above, we got our coodinator to list down in the contract... so it's all stated clearly.

BUT on my AD itself, we got a few nice surprises from her.... these are what we got:
1) we got $80 worth of credits to use on food during our 2 nite stay in suite.
2) free waiver of corkage for red wine(even though it's not stated in contract...)
3) a weekend nite stay in the hotel for our one year anniversary wif a $80 dinner voucher to be used at the poolside Italian restaurant during the stay.
4) another 30 L barrel of beer for dinner.

our coordiantor is really very nice... too bad she left... dun know abt Michelle...think she's the new gal taking over my coordinator... maybe u try to bargain more BEFORE signing... cos after signing abit difficult unless your coordinator is really very helpful and "suay bian"...

all my 60L of beer finished.... none left..;p keke... anyway no regrets choosing Oriental... my guests all gave thumbs up for the food... n for the sharksfin..u really can see the fins...;p worth the $$ spent... esp I managed to secured the before reno rates...;p

 

[bugslife]

hi starstar,

looks like u had a great wedding with Oriental.. making me look fwd to mine already..

most of the stuff u listed are in what was offered to us already, except for waiver for wine & free beer..

how many tables did u had? 60L beer all consumed... thats alot... im having abt 40 tables.. if no free beer... quite shiong...

anyway thanks for the information.. will take note..

 

[de_luxe]

Hi bug
I've met up with someone else called Liping... only managed to squeeze out waiver of corkage for 12 bottles of wine. M hoping she could give way on
things like food tasting, complete waiver on corkage

 

[de_luxe]

guess have to be more thick skinned...

 

[bugslife]

hi de_luxe,

when is ur AD?

there is also no waiver for hard liqour as well... but she say can discuss further...

i haven sign the contract though... dunno can drag how long...

 

[jessann]

Hi de_luxe

I think it's easier to bargain if you have more than 30 tables, if it's less than that she's not likely to give you free food tasting. I bargained so hard for it and still no go for me. =|

 

[starmed]

bug
I confirmed 32 tables when signing but on the day itself..I got 35 tables...

yup..great wedding..the ops manager very nice n helpful...

 

[bugslife]

thanks gals for the info...

mmm.. now i feel more confident to bargain liao.. hehe.. cos we may be having abt 40 tables and counting... =P

 

[audreysu]

hi bugs.....the ballroom can only take 50 tables max, I had 42 tables for my wedding & I already find it quite tight cos I had "L-shape" march-in, a mega-top for 17 pax & a couple of 12 seater tables

 

[bugslife]

hi winniepooh,

yeah i know the max is 50.. thats y i hope the old folks wont keep adding...

i think i know which layout u talking abt... im also interested in the L-shape march in..

ok keep in mind that 42 tables pretty squeezy already... **good excuse to stop the old folks from adding tables** hiaks hiaks hiaks

 

[audreysu]

hi bug

the last time Agnes (she left Oriental) told me if I wan to take my "L-shape" march-in, 42 tables is the max I can have, if not I'll have to march-in from the center which I find it way too short

 

[de_luxe]

hi bug

My AD is 8 jul 06...

How long have they been holding ur booking? I was told that it's only 7 days and that was last Friday.. but since no one called to follow-up, shhhh

Dun think I'll be bringing in any hard liquor so I'm not worried abt the corkage. Just wanted complete waiver for wine corkage - I think i'll only need 24 bottles cuz my guests are more of beer drinkers (prob will need 2 x 30litres). Really think corkage is an unnecessary expense n easy money for the hotels

 

[de_luxe]

hi jessann

How many pax do u have? When's ur AD?

 

[bugslife]

hi de_luxe

same thing.. she told me she can only hold the tentative booking for me for 7 days... im suppose to give a reply this sat....

 

[jessann]

de_luxe

I had initially confirmed 25. But reconfirmed 30 tables again and bugged her to give me some more perks, but still didn't manage to get free food tasting. =\

 

[bugslife]

just wanna share something with u gals...

im soo happy that the co-ordinator fullfilled all my wishes... am looking fwd to sign the contract with her and hold my wedding at the oriental..

=P

 

[lynna]

hello ladies,

just wondering how you managed to squeeze things from the coordinators... esp free beer. how about parking? did you ask for complimentary parking at marina square?

 

[de_luxe]

lynna hi there¡K so far haven¡¦t been able to squeeze a drop of beer out of them¡K
I mentioned that I¡¦m not so comfortable abt the comp valet parking.. but my contact keeps saying it would not be a problem to standby some comp parking for marina sq. Wat I do know is that a couple of years back, the max the Marina Sq hotels could give for comp parking is 25% to 30%, though the standard was 20% - however that is without the comp valet parking that¡¦s in Oriental¡¦s package now.

 

[lynna]

hi de_luxe,

thanks for the info. i also haven been able to squeeze any drop of beer from them. kindda disappointing. seems that most hotels offer at least a 30l barrel. care to share the perks you got from them? anyway, have you signed the contract with them?

 

[bugslife]

hi ladies,

i manage to get a 30L barrel of beer... as we are having 40 tables.. guess more bargaining power..

i haven sign the contract though.. going to tmrw.. but notice that there are few items NOT included... like the name backdrop for stage, red carpet and dry ice... these items are consider pretty essential too leh.. will try my luck to bargain for them as well tmrw... else.. will be disappointing loh...

 

[jessann]

Hi Bug,

I think you will not be able to get those cos I was told it's not their practise to have those stuff. They do have rose petals though.

 

[audreysu]

Hi bug

there's no red carpet when I march-in, but there's dry ice. I personally feel tat if u put ur name at the backdrop it'll not be nice anymore

 

[jessann]

sorry but does anyone know if the rose petals are complimentary?

 

[lynna]

hi bug,
did you have to exchange any perks to get that 30l of beer?

hi jessann,
if you are referring to the rose petals as the confetti for the flower gals, it's complimentary upon request i think.

 

[de_luxe]

Hi Bugs have you signed the contract yet? Red carpet and dry ice should be inclusive no matter what cuz the hotel definitely has equipment for this. As for the names backdrop and all, best that you check cuz their florist is in-house and may have limited props. However, I think most people don¡¦t have their names on the backdrop nowadays.

Is anyone here dealing with Liping? How do you find her service? I¡¦m a little frustrated cuz she¡¦s not very forth-coming and doesn¡¦t really answer my questions.

Jessann Think the rose petals are complimentary unless you are using lots and lots of them. (¡§,)

Hi Lynna Sorry for the late response. I¡¦ve not signed the contract yet. I¡¦m still negotiating with them. As mentioned earlier, I¡¦m not too happy with Liping¡¦s service so things are moving very slowly. I have only abt 150 pax so my perks are quite standard except that I¡¦m getting 12 bottles of wine corkage waived. That¡¦s why I¡¦m trying to squeeze more other stuff like free food tasting and other 12 bottles of corkage waiver. I¡¦m having a special menu (not Chinese food) and they¡¦ve been quite accommodating with the menu so far. I¡¦m supposed to pay $2 more per pax for the menu but I think Liping made a mistake when she sent me the quote cuz it was the normal price. But of cuz I kept quiet lah *shhh!*

Usually hotels don¡¦t offer free beer unless you have the volume because beverage is their big money maker. Otherwise, they may be desperate for biz so they go all out (not a good sign lah..). As Oriental is newly renovated, I think their demand is quite high so they don¡¦t feel the need to fight for business.

 

[bugslife]

hi de_luxe,

i have signed the contract with them already.. =P

after consulting frens for opinions.. think backdrop names nowadays seems "orbit"... haha.. so we have decided to take that out...

Oriental will be providing the dry ice for us.. but not the red carpet.. cos according to her explaination, they follow trends, and seems like having red carpet is not necessary... with the candles and flower stands... shd be able to create a path for the couple march in... which sounds reasonable to us... so we just requested for dry ice...

overall... we felt comfortable with the planner... she give us a good impression that things will be turn out nice.. and can always work things out type...

hopefully... really NICE loh...

 

[starmed]

bug
the names as backdrop is not necessary... I agree lor..looks "orbit"... mine dun have red carpet too... no woories.. the flower stand and candles are enough to 'create' a path for u to walk in... we also had dry ice only..n wat's more.. I had a military wedding.. the sword bearers were able to slow march in..should not be a problem..u can rest assure u are in good hands..

 

[lynna]

De_luxe,

I haven sign the contract either. is liping a new co-ordinator? i'm not working with her so i dunno wat makes her tick. if you cant get along with her, why dun you ask for a change in co-ordinator?

Ladies,

when are your AD? anyone has contacts for bridal car rental?

 

[qinping]

Dear ladies, i will be having my wedding at the Oriental next year Sept. The perks are really not that attractive. i had to change my anniversay suite stay for the 30L barrel of beer. My co-ord is michele, anyone had her as well?

 

[qinping]

Just to check if anyone had their wedding in the Atrium Suite, do you have any pics to share? =)

 

[lynna]

hi pinkie, they offered me the same trade-in for a 30l too!! i'll be having mine at the atrium suite. dun exactly know how it looks like in its wedding banquet garb too. however, will find out from the co-ordinator the dates when there will be a wedding banquet and go down to take a look. nothing beats seeing the setting for yourself right?!

 

[boobootootoo]

Hi Oriental Bs & B2Bs! I'm very seriously considering Oriental too! I've been offered pretty much the same things you gals' been offered. Also missing that barrel of beer which I hope to get FOC without trading off the better perks!

I was wondering if it is necessary to stay 2 nights in the hotel for the wedding? I thought most couples would be dying to get to their new home to rest and unpack & so on right after the wedding? or some would head straight for Honeymoon? Coz I'm thinking maybe I should trade the 2nd night for something else if it is not essential.

By the way one of the thing about Oriental that I was attracted to most is the Powder room right next to Grand Ballroom. It's so clever & convenient I wonder why the other hotels don't do the same.

 

[bugslife]

hi booboos,

my opinion is... keep the 2nd nite bridal suite stay... for me.. i find it impt.. cos i believe my hubby will be dead drunk on wedding nite.. having the 2nd nite stay... we can enjoy the luxury of the suite.. i guess NOT many ppl will wanna book a suite and stay during leisure loh.. cos its soo expensive... so we wanna grab the opportunity to enjoy the luxury of the suite for our wedding...

perhaps u may wanna see wat other things to give up loh... oriental is quite nice.. can discuss kind... so far like read good comments abt this hotel loh... i hope my wedding will be just as wonderful..

 

[starmed]

Boo boo
agree wif Bug... the second nite stay is a MUST man... cos on your wedding nite..your hubby can be drunk... also to book a suite during normal time is ex... since it's your wedding..n u can get to stay in a suite..why not make full use right? u won't regret one...

bug
no worries..on the day itself.. my dinner only minor hiccups but was rectify very fast by the banquet staffs..very friendly.. one incident that happen was one waiter spills some red wine onto my uncle's shirt n the staff immediately provide another shirt for him n offered to clean his shirt for him n sent it to his house!!! FOC!! they are rather proactive.. so u dun have to worry too much on your wedding dinner..

 

[bugslife]

hi starstar,

wow.. thats excellent service by Oriental... im impressed... hehe...

am looking fwd to mine.... though its more expensive then some other hotels that i have considered.. but i hope i have no regrets choosing Oriental...

 

[starmed]

Bug
no worries.. the staffs there are proactive n know how to react to situations one...;p btw when's your dinner? n which r the hotels u previously considered?

 

[bugslife]

hi starstar,

we had previously considered hilton and orchard hotel... we were too impressed with the newly renovated Oriental, that we are willing to pay more for the dinner then to chose the other 2.. hehe..

 

[boobootootoo]

Hi Bug & Starstar

Thanks for the advice! I think you're both right! I just found out that off-the-rack price for a delux room at Oriental Hotel is S$390+++ can't imagine how much the Suite will cost! It'll be a shame to swap that away coz I don't think we'd ever be able to afford that kind of luxury next time!

Btw, I tried very hard to get free beer but still failed. Michelle the coordinator whom I spoke to drives a hard bargain. Nothing has started and she's already made a big big time booboo! But I shan't comment any further because generally she's been quite ok and perhaps this mistake is going to be a one-time thing. Anyway fingers crossed, if anything goes wrong again I'm dropping Oriental even if its the lovliest hotel...

 

[starmed]

booboos
glad u are planning to keep the suite...

wise choice... gee.. I dun know abt Michelle... that time my coordiantor was Agnes... she crossed over to Raffles Hotel liao.... we simply have no complaints abt her.. very nice n easy to tok to... I didn't have free beer also but managed to squeeze 60 L of beer free from her..;p

 

[boobootootoo]

yes..I see a lot of good reviews about Agnes in the archived postings here...too bad she's no longer with Oriental....

Woah, you must be a real good negotiator to get 60L free beer! I can't even squeeze an ounce off Michelle!...and to think I have to suffer her big booboo already... 20L of beer for us to "xia-xia-huo" (reduce heatiness ie. cool down our unhappiness) is not too much to ask right?

So starstar, which Suite did u pick in the end, City, Ocean or Harbour View? I heard the Ocean one has a fantastic view but its the smallest.. can't decide leh..

 

[joy_june]

hello ladies, I am in the mid of deciding to sign up with Oriental or Regent. what your opinion?

 

[ah_yoshi]

heylo ladies..

me too... deciding btw marriott and oriental... duno which is better? I am a little concern on the beer portion which Marriott is offering free flow... but Oriental is not..... your advice pls..

 

[bugslife]

hi booboos,

did michelle showed u ard the suites? she showed us the Ocean and the Harbour view suite.... my opinion... since its a FREE nite stay... dun pick Ocean.. its is INDEED small.. haha... harbour one still not bad.... theres a door to seperate the bed and the hall... i haven seen the city one, but according to michelle.. it was much much bigger... we may be considering the city one.. hehe

hi ah_yoshi,

wow, i din know Marriott gave free flow.. thats quite a good bargain..

one thing abt Oriental is they dun give beer... other than that.. they are really a catch that cannot miss... lucky i have more tables... manage to bargain for one free 30L barrel...

in my opioion.. most imptly must be able to communicate well with the co-ordinator... if u dun even feel comfy talking and discussing the contract.. then quite hard for the wedding...

 

[boobootootoo]

Hi bugs

No I didn't see the rooms. I heard they are real nice. I'm also undecided now because of the free flow beer and other minor stuff. If only Agnes is still around. Maybe I should look for her over at Raffles!

Btw Ah-Yoshi,
one other good thing about Marriot is that you can chalk up Marriot points to exchange for free stay in their chain of hotels. Also their food is prepared by the same chefs as their famous Chinese restaurant. I'm very tempted but they don't have my date. sob

 

[starmed]

booboos
I dun know if mine was harbour view... facing the esplanade one... Agnes told me the harbour view is the best out of the three views.... cos I told her I let her choose the suites for me, she told me she will give me the best one..keke..dun know if it's true...haha..

agnes told me the customers in raffles is so different from the ones in Oriental..keke...

Joy Joy
if u pick Oriental. u won't regret.. food's good n service superb!!!

ah yoshi
it'll depends on the settings... which one has the ballroom u love n also which coordinator u can tok to better....

Bugs
haha... my shortlisted hotels were M Hotel, Carlton Hotel, Marina mandarin . Actually also shortlisted Raffles Marina but due to the distance...dropped it eventually. Didn't choose M hotel cos of the ballroom quite small.. n becos of the number of tables we r having, we can only use the function rooms....hubby dun like the idea. Carlton hotel was dropped becos the reception area is very open... no privacy.. Marina Mandarin was dropped cos the coordinator sux n we can't get to use the bigger ballroom.

Hahaha..me also wanted Fullerton but been to a friend's wedding..the food so so only... n it's too ex! Ritz also too ex... so there goes my ideal dream wedding place... but Oriental Hotel really makes up for all the "loss".. I really have no regrets...

 

[ah_yoshi]

Hi Bug,
Ya Marriott offer free flow - only if we sign up during the coming wedding show... Hmm personally i feel Marriott's coordinator is more pro-active but however, they are quite "sticky" with the other perks.

Hi Booboos,
Any idea how many points entitle for one more nite in Marriott Singapore? Duno how the system works

Hi Starstar,
Ballroom... I think Marriott is nicer... I think I will visit them again this weekend.. keke c if they allow me c their bridal suite as well keke...

 

[starmed]

ah yoshi
yup..u should go see see... come to think of it..u must feel comfortable with your choice... the coordinator, the feel of the ballroom, n of course the budget...keke.. Marriott has a good ballroom...but I didn't short list it cos I've got bad comments abt the food from relatives n friends who had attended weddings there... service wise, they are fine...it's the food that's putting me off... it's good to ask around...

 

[qinping]

ACtually i am not very comfy with my co-ord, michele. she seemed abit 'aloof' and rigid.

Booboo,
care to share what happened , u may wish to email me at [email protected]

Btw, what else can i try to squeeze fr the hotel? seem that other then corkage, there's nothing else

 

[jessann]

I had encounter both Liping and Michele and I too felt they were very stiff and just lacked that personal feel. It was really difficult to squeeze any beer out of them, like squeezing water from tree bark.

My banquet didn't go as smoothly as I hoped but their banquet ops team were amazing. They were extremely helpful and went the extra mile for us.

My guests all said that the food was the best they have ever tasted in any banquet anywhere, so food wise you girls can be reassured. Portions are big and very filling. Some of my guests said they couldn't even eat their breakfast the next day.

The suite I had was really beautiful. A lot nicer than some of the other suites I had checked out and me and my husband didn't really felt like checking out of the hotel! Overall, I think Oriental is quite worth it's price.

 

[starmed]

jessann
glad u enjoyed your dinner..

ya man..the food is the best...I've got many good comments about the food from relatives and friends...big portions and delicious... also agree wif u that their banquet ops team was a great bunch of pple to work wif... on my wedding dinner itself, my coord has to shuffle bet the ballroom n atrium(got a poolside wedding beng held too by another couple)... the banquet team leader took the reins n ensure everything is good to go...