Merchant Court Swissotel


flowee

New Member
elmo2109

think there's some other ger usin the same nick elmo...
i muz hv mixed u gers up...
so sorie... :p
 

elmo2109

New Member
hi all,
I'm helping out my fren, melissa to inform you gals that MC is still available on 20/10/02.

---cut from her posting in weddingfair.com----
Just wan to inform all of u that 20 Oct 02, wedding dinner at Merchant Court is open for booking. Due to some reasons, i have postponed my wedding till Feb. So if anyone is interested, pls email me at [email protected] or call any banquet sales coordinator at Merchant Court hotel
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Thanks..
 

mew

New Member
hi all,
Hmm....any idea if MC accept 25 tables for bookings? Reading thru the postings, seems like the min is 30 tables.....my FH and I quite like MC and have been hearing good comments from frens. But our target number of tables is around 25 lor...anyone??

thanks!!
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nite gal

Guest
Hi Mew

I've just confirmed my booking with MC next year. From the package, i understand that the min no of tables is 35 for weekday and 38 for weekend. Menus are priced at 530/560 per table for weekdays and 620/650 per table for weekends. Of cos this does not include +++ , namely 10% (svc charge) + 1% (cess) + GST (5%) next yr. Hv to oso look out for additional costs such as wine corkage charges, seat covers (normally $2 a piece, but can bargain until $1 a piece).

The place is really nice... for my FH and I, the exclusivity of having only 1 ballroom and hence only 1 wedding per nite + ok px (for a 5 star hotel with MRT rite at the doorstep next yr) are our persuasive factors. Go see see and decide.. this hotel very popular leh...

Good luck in your searching!
 

mew

New Member
Dear Mousie and Nite gal,

thanx for your comments....will tok to FH and see how...will be back again if we finally decide to book...
 

aigee

New Member
HI,

Anybody attended wedding at Merchant Court recently or had seen their ballroom fully set-up? i am currently considering Merchant Court for my wedding next year.. would appreciate for some comments. THANKS...
 
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yi

Guest
hi aigee,

me never attended wedding at merchant court b4 but my wedding in Jan 03 will be there. MIL and FIL said the food is nice coz they attended weddings there b4.

i have seen the ballroom fully decorated though and tatz wat i fell in love with at first sight. itz so beautiful and warm and best of all, only 1 wedding any day coz only 1 ballroom!
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tatz privacy!
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you already booked with them?
 
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twice

Guest
went to MC for wedding dinner twice recently. the decor is nice: ice carving and flowers on stage, a few pots of lilies along aisle, some nice bird cages. i dunno how many themes have they got, maybe u can choose other themes. on the food quality, depends on the menu u choose, but good. portions were sufficient. i tried 9 and 8 course, think the 8-course is nicer. i'm not sure of the price range, so can't say whether it is actually good value or not. service is reasonable, no complaints.
 

aigee

New Member
Hi Yi,

No, i have not booked with them, i am still considering. In fact, i am deciding between MC, Hyatt or Amara. Amara is becoz of it's attarctive price & the new ballroom/deco. Coz MC doesn't incld seat cover, hence after adding in the seat cover, the price is comparable with Hyatt, that;s why still deciding between these 3 . Any comment anyone?
 

vous

New Member
reason we didn't choose amara was that it was a little off location wise... had wedding dinner there once and service needed improvement.

a friend of mine mentioned that she didn't take hyatt cos she didn't want to come out the next day right smack in the middle of town!

merchant court is nice cos it has a relaxed feel, is exclusive and the ballroom has the warm feeling that i like... :D

think you should already have all the practical angles covered. try thinking of the emotional reasons? :D
 
Y

yi

Guest
hi aigee,

just went for a wedding dinner at amara last friday. the ballroom was fabulous but the service is real poor lah! after reno, the ballroom and setup was gorgeous but the waiter doesn't seem to understand what the guests asked for. frustrated! hehehe

i fell in love wif merchant court at 1st sight coz of its warm setup and only 1 ballroom and a large cocktail area.
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Like what vous said, itz up to individual. we did not chose town coz of the price and parking too! scare of jam lah!
happy.gif
 

mousie

New Member
Hi,

I just had my wedding at Merchant Court on 21 Sep. It was a wedding luncheon. (I saw a lot of couples viewing the ballroom that day.. might be one of you!
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)

I must say that the experience with Merchant Court has been one of the best. I have worked with many hotels organising events and such for work and I must say I am very very pleased with the level of service that MC has provided.

The coordinator had been very helpful right from the beginning. They tried their best to accomodate the requests that we have and when they are not able to, they offered alternatives that work best. Many a times, I am pleasantly surprised when they provided me with more than what was stated in the contract. For instance, the number of cards stipulated on contract was 60% but they gave us 70%. I called them on the day before the wedding, requesting for a wheelchair and he made sure that one was booked and ready for use by my guest throughout the lunch. I made a request for a simple set up in one of the smaller function room for tea ceremony and was pleased that he arranged the room nicely with chairs that have seat covers and relatives were full of praise of the cosy effect of the room.

The banquet manager that day was experienced and calmed me and my hubby down, coaching us on when to walk in and how fast/slow we should walk. He also helped with timing music with my emcee, so that we could walk in at the fav part of the song.

All my guests loved the food served. Many of my guests attended another wedding at Raffles two or three days before my wedding and commented that the MC food was much better.

It does make a difference when the people at the hotel are accomodating and friendly. The atmosphere/mood of the ballroom can probably be created by most hotels but if the people working with you on it are not friendly, then it really spoils it all.

MC is great value for money. You probably would not regret it
 
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poki2412

Guest
Hi mousie

I ve shortlisted MC. Can share who is the coordinator?

Thanks.
 

joni

New Member
Hi,

I agree with mousie too. Of all the services (church tea reception, bridal boutique, hotel dinner, etc) that I had to engage during the course of my wedding, MC was the best. The were very accomodating throughout the entire process. Martin was the first person we talked to, and he was great! Wonderful service, accomodating to most, or in fact all our requests (free seat covers, 25 instead of 36 table, discounted rates, etc). Later, we were passed on to Dominic. Even though Martin did not serve us throughout, there was no unhappiness because Dominic did a great job for us too. Simple things like additional number of cards, additional carpark coupons were not charged. The restaurant manager was like wat mousie mentioned... he helped us to feel really comfortable and relaxed. I must say I am really glad I chose MC.
MC is very professional in their service. I had wanted to write a letter of commendation for the rest Manager and Dominic but .... hee hee... after the wedding, got too lazy. :p Well...well... I am just glad that I chose them.
happy.gif
 

aigee

New Member
Hi all,

wow.. after reading all these fantastic remarks abt MC really give me much assurance esp from mousie & joni, really thank you for sharing your first hand experience.

I know Amara is out of location but cost wise it is really much cheaper only $588 vs MC's $670 ( weekday, after adding the $2 seat cover). But most of u mentioned that the seat cover is negotiable, is it really so? Mousie, can i know who is ur corordinator? i have actually spoken to Michael, he sounded very nice but doesn't seem to be willing to give discount leh...anyone has any experience w him? best if he can give me some discount.. even if it's just on the seat cover, i am also happy...

frankly, my boyfren also fall in love w MC after he view the ballroom w the birdcage theme... but we have already sign up for the Hyatt bridal show on this 20 Oct, so will attend the show b4 we decide... hmmm... seems like Amara is out though... quite a waste coz their new ballroom really quite nice given the low rate...
 
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corie

Guest
Hi Aigee,

I am with MC too. Will be having my wedding end of this year. My coordinator is also Michael. He is a really nice guy. Very helpful and very detailed. With him, I also face the same thing like no neg with regards to seat covers, discount, extra car pass with no charges, etc. However, the cards he will try his best to give more than what is stated in the contract lor.

I went to many hotels, think almost all the big hotels in singapore before finally settle with MC. Like its decor, and relax feel. The coordinator also plays a part too in making us comfortable and valued customers of the hotel.

Went to Pan Pac too. The Coordinator treated us like very bo chap lor. She was late, then serve us like take it or leave it. Let us run through the package ourselves instead of running through with us. Then when her next couple came for their appointment, she just tell us that she got to go then walk off......very unprofessional........
 

strawberry

New Member
Hi, mousie

thanks for giving your feedbacks on MC. It has really put so much more assurance to ppl like us who is with MC for our coming wedding!
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By the way, who was your banquet manager for that day? He seems to be very experienced leh !
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Hi, Joni

was your wedding dinner on a weekday or weekend?
hmm ... when you mentioned that they have given you some discount rates, mind to share what are the perks they have given you ? My wedding dinner will be on a weekend, thus MC wanted me to have a minimum of 38 tables, but at the moment I could only fulfill 34 tables. That's why when you mentioned that they allowed you to have 25 instead of 36 tables, I'm very surprise.
 

mousie

New Member
Hi all,

my coordinator is Dominic. And the banquet manager for the day is Ignatius.

I did write to Dominic to thank him as well. They really really deserve it!

Mousie
 
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poki2412

Guest
Hi Joni

I heard MC is very rigid and not accommodating... very surprised to hear that they give seat covers & discounts... can share wat is the discount rate??

When did u sign up with them? i mean how many mths before ur wedding...
 
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nite gal

Guest
Hello Mousie and Joni!!

So glad to hear such good comments about MC.. Me and hubby signed up with them in July for our wedding next July.. aiyoh.. the place is very hot.. lucky we made tentative booking earlier, otherwise cannot get our date liao. Was also seriously considering Grand Hyatt but had to think of Sat jams along Scotts road.. heh.. also liked the idea that we will be the ONLY wedding couple that nite..
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My wedding coordinator is Lena. Sweet lady - but we only managed to negotiate $1 for each seat covers as we made min booking of 38 tables. oh well.

In the end, did you guys have to "lugi" a lot of $$? We are trying to do a rough budget for the banquet next year..
 

mousie

New Member
Hi Nite gal,

mine was a wedding lunch, so price is cheaper. Also, minimum is 20 tables but we had 34 tables in the end. Seat covers free cos I guess they can factor the fact that there are two weddings that day.

The ang paos we receive exceed the amount we needed for the banquet. In the end, there were enough to cover the honeymoon in Hokkaido and part of the photography! :D guess we were lucky!

The other advise re choosing MC is that if you have overseas guests, it might be better to give very precise driving instructions,as many tend to miss the turning to the hotel. Perhaps, this problem will go away after the MRT starts operating.

Mousie
 

joni

New Member
Hi all,

Erm... actualy, I'm not sure if I should share this coz might be making things difficult for MC. Well, maybe I got so much perks from MC becoz my wedding was during the 7th month period... not sure if tat's the reason though. Anyway, my wedding was on a Sat.... so weekend charge 620+++ .

Initially, my hubby and I did not expect too many guests so we requested for 25 tables instead of the 38 tables. We also requested for free seats cover. Martin very kindly worked out the proposal and gave us what we requested for. But of course he changed one of our menu item from Udon to Ee-fu mee which was wat we actually wanted too. Later when Dominic took over, he also gave us extra cards and car park coupons. They were very helpful and accomodating throughout our whole wedding.
But in the end, we had 38 tables and the whole wedding was wonderful.... like a dream come true.
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I am realy very happy with their service. I did have a little discount but I promised to keep it a secret... so can't tell...
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Nonetheless, i dare say, even without the discounts, I would still choose MC.
 

aigee

New Member
Hi Corie,

Thanks for sharing ur experience w Michael. Yar.. he is very nice & helpful.. but really will be better if he can throw in some perks.. i will have immediately booked w him if so.. now will depend on w/t Hyatt will offer any attractive perks.. but chances are i may take MC.

Hi, anyone know w/t MC has other themes beside the one with lily & birdcage? I like something with some candlelight.. not sure w/t MC can cater or w/ there's any other charges...
 
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twice

Guest
as far as i remember, the bircages along the aisle have a tealight each in them. The table arrangement is a small flower arrangement which will be removed after the dishes arrive. U can ask them to show you the birdcages or pop down to view an event. When's your wedding date, because hotels do change their theme after sometime. Or if buget allows, can engage florist to customize your theme.
 
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yi

Guest
hi gals,

me also very scared of lugi $ i.e. angbaos not enuf to cover banquet costs.
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my 2 colleagues who wed recently lugi quite abit leh.
die lah, scully end up no $ to go for my london/paris honeymoon.
plus there is 5% GST next year, hiaz really must cross my fingers liao.

what you gals think?
 

fernleaf

New Member
Hi gals,

I will be having my wedding dinner with MC this dec. I was wondering whether MC charges corkage charges for red wine?? my co-ordinator is Jennifer.

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doodbug

New Member
Hi Fern!

Which day is your wedding? Mine's also in Dec. My co-ordinator told me that the corkage charge is $35 per bottle! Very expensive hor! ARe you intending to serve wine?

BTW, when will you be having your food tasting?
 

fernleaf

New Member
Hi doodbug,

My wedding is on the 27th dec. I will be having my food tasting on 16 nov. How abt you ??

I have called my co-ordinator yesterday regarding abt the red wine corkage charge. She said they will charge $20 per bottle. I was so shocked as the corkage charge is more expensive than the wine itself. As i have only 12 bottles, she said that she will waive it for me. She also mention that there's no corkage charge for hard liqour.

Are you excited? I am......
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Can't wait for the day to come.

Regards
 
J

jl

Guest
Hi Everyone,

I also booked MC for my wedding on 6th sept 03...

We fall in love with the ballroom but no very happy with the package they offered... however, we still manage to get something out of it...

Did anyone manage to get another nite of hotel room free?

I hope that they are really that good as you all had mentioned... cos mine was quite bad at the beginning and only later then we manage to get something that we want....

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yi

Guest
hi flowee,

they lugi abt S$9k and S$4k respectively. ;p

hi fernleaf,

oh, they charges corkage at S$20 per bottle
ya tatz more exp than the wine itself!
o, so hard liquor no corkage charges?
my coordinator oso jennifer leh.
my wedding is on 24 jan 03, a month after urs!
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doodbug

New Member
Hi All!

I think MC in general is not very negotiable about alot of things, unless your wedding is in 7th month. But we can't judge the quality of service based on whether we get freebies or not. What really matters is how they handle our actual day I suppose!

I must be very lousy at bargaining, I didn't ask for anything extra. Well, I don't think I can extract anything from them coz I signed on the dotted line liao hehehe.

So far I have no complaints
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Are you girls all serving wine? I may not as the corkage charge is very expensive.
 

elmo2109

New Member
hi all,
I got married on 21/09, same day as mousie (she got the afternoon lunch and I got the evening dinner). I also received excellent service from MC. I'm a very particular person and always follow "invoice". But frankly speaking,MC gave me a lot more than what it was written on the invoice. Not in terms of perks but their 5-star services. From the moment I stepped into MC till the moment I checked out, they have handled it well. Basically nothing to complain abt.They may seem a bit rigid before you signed up with them but they are providing you the best service in return.My manager and manager-on-duty are different from mousie but both of us got the same std of service. MC is really value for money eventhough I lost a few k, I have no regret.
 

newbie

New Member
Hi elmo and all, am considering MC for wedding next year after looking at comments. Is MC really 5-star hotel, cos I got diff answers fr diff ppl. Elmo, how many tables do you have? Did you lugi a lot? Lugi more from relatives or friends? What's the min no. of table, cos again it seems diff no. for diff ppl. sorry so lor sor
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thks!!
 
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jl

Guest
Hi newbie,

Wat I understand that a 5-star hotel usually have a shopping centre in the hotel then is consider as 5 star.

Anyway, I had signed with them and now hope that we will have a wonderful wedding next year.

Anyone got comments on their wedding cards?
 

strawberry

New Member
Hi JL,

MC wedding cards are sweet & simple. They have 2 type, one is the traditional red colour & the other is the western light milky colour. You may wish to get some of each type, coz old folks wld prefer the red, whereas young ppl like us wld find the western type more trendy.

Hi newbie,

i happened to across this magazine called TG Travel tt provides some writeup on MC. According to this magazine, MC's ratings is a 5 star hotel.
Hope this info helps.
 
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corie

Guest
Hi JL,

You can also go to the website,

http://www.swissotel.com and search for swissotel merchant court. It is rated as 5-star internationally too.

Strawberry - you are not the same one as the one in Dec Bride thread are you? Are you holding your banquet at MC too?
 

strawberry

New Member
Hi Corie : no, i'm not the one in Dec Bride thread. I'm a Feb-to-be bride
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Yep, i will be holding my banquet at MC. hmm .... how good has Michael been so far ? Mine is also handle by him, but he havent been able to leave a good impression to me yet. Have you had your food tasting liao ?
 
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corie

Guest
Hi Strawberry,

My food tasting is this sat. Why hasn't MIchael been able to leave a good impression to you yet?
What happened to make you feel that way? He is pretty ok. In fact, he is more like a friend to us. Our meeting with him always last for hours and always end up talking about other things other than the wedding lor........So, maybe it really depends how well you can clinque with the person.
 

elmo2109

New Member
5 star or 4 star doesn't matter to me as long as they provide good service and food.
I have 38 tables.
I requested for the cream cards,received a lot of compliment.
The food portion for food tasting is alot, make sure you go with emply stomach.Actual day too!
 

strawberry

New Member
Hi elmo2109,

which menu package did u select for your banquet ?
so, what are your comments for the food in MC? Did you request for any changes to the cooking style after the food tasting?
 
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corie

Guest
HI Strawberry,

i have yet to receive your mail leh. What about u? Which menu will you be taking?
 

elmo2109

New Member
hi strawberry,
I took the normal package, but I've changed the sharkfin soup to abalone. The food is superb, no change after food tasting.
 
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corie

Guest
Hi Elmo2109,

Which menu did you take? There are two menu. Which one is the normal one? $620 or $650?? How much extra do you have to top up for abalone?
 


strawberry

New Member
Hi, Corie : i have sent you an email few days ago liao. u mean u did not receive my email ??
I have taken the $650 package.

Hi Elmo2109 : Thot i remember that there is a dish that serves vege with abalone slices ??
 

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