Merchant Court Swissotel

[oreocookie]

Hi

My coordinator is Jennifer. Any comments abt her? I can't seem to convince her to waive off my seats covers leh...sigh.

 

[neece]

hi!

anyone has booked MC for wedding dinner next year?
has they increased their prices after the NEL line?

 

[gakuseii]

Hi,

Can someone advise me regarding their lunch banquet? How's their food and service for lunch banquet?

Thank you.

 

[cheers]

hi oreocookie,

my coordinator is michael..why dun you try to convince jennifer to lower the seat cover costs since she can't waive the entire price.

hi neece,

doubt they increase the price due to NEL, cos i wasn;t told to pay extra. do check with them regarding ur preferred wedding date. hotels usually increase prices in aug/sept every yr.

hi gakuseii,

sorry..wun be able to help you regarding lunch. you may want to go thru all the previous messages abt the comments on the luncheon.

 

[amberlyn]

the food and svc are good for lunch banquet as well. don't think they will treat you differently juz bcos you are taking a lunch package. friends commented that they enjoy the food (i had a lunch banquet there in may)

 

[oreocookie]

Hi cheers,

thanks for your advice. I dun really know how to bargain leh...but i seriously tink MC is offering a rather reasonable package. Perhaps will need to check with her the corkage charge only.

Hope i can get the date i want. =)

 

[cheers]

hi oreocookie,

gd luck on ur bargaining session..

hi all MC brides,

pls advise on how many invitation cards to get...do we consider the 2 extra tables too?
what abt the food-tasting sessions, what are we suppose to take note of??

 

[gakuseii]

Hi cheers & amberlyn.....thanks!! I tried to call Martin to make an appointment with him to go down to view the hotels but couldn't get him. I left my contact no already but have not heard anything from them....so disappointed.

 

[bear_bear]

Hi All,

me had also booked MC for my wedding in Dec'04 and my coordinator is Michael Yong.

I m also quite disappointed that we have to pay for the seat cover for $2/chair. I had booked for 38 tables and he said he will waive the seat cover if we can increase to 42 tables.

My cosuin had recently held his wedding there, which I did not attend. But from my relatives' feedback, they said everything is ok except tat the waiters are all bagalesh and their service is TERRIBLE. They felt tat these waiters had spoiled their whole dinner.

Now I m getting worried cos i dun wish such things to happen during my wedding. Going to call them and check on dis.

 

[babysheep22]

Need help from all ex MC brides,

I'm seriously considering MC as a venue for my wedding next yr Oct 2004.

My tables around 43 or 44 tables. I need help -

1. How many barrels of beer did u all open? (apart from the complimentary 30 litre one)
2. How much hard liquor did you all bring in?
3. Any other "hidden" cost?

I really need help to compute the "true" cost per table. My hubby's colleagues are real beer drinkers.. and 30 litre will never last past the 1st or 2nd course.

Regards
Joyce

 

[cheers]

hi babysheep22,

same here..my hubby's frenz drink lotsa beer..but other than the complimentary beer barrel provided, i wun be getting a 2nd barrel. i intend to let my guests drink hard liquor (XO/whisky) instead, no corkage charge at all. for wines that we bring in, the 1st few bottles will be waived, then there'll be corkage charge for subsequent bottles.
other than what's stated in the contract..there aren't any hidden costs.

all ex-MC brides,
during reception, are there beer being served too? if so, is it taken frm the complimentary barrel??

 

[mich03]

Hi Cheers,
Yes, reception beer is taken frm the complimentary barrel. Thus, to save the beer, its best to advise MC not to serve beer during reception. To only serve soft drinks during reception. THis way, you can ensure that there shld be enough beer during the dinner itself.

Hope the above helps!

 

[cheers]

hi meixia,

thanks for ur advise.
btw, did you jus had ur wedding dinner on sat?

 

[kite~]

hi,

may i know how many ballrooms are there in merchant court hotel? what are the minimum tables requirements for the ballrooms on wkend? thx

 

[stitchstitch]

There is only one grand ballroom in SMC. Once the grand ballroom is booked for the night - they can't take in a 2nd wedding banquet.

i.e. having at your wedding dinner is exclusive, the one and only for the night - no confusion of multiple weddings at the same hotel.

That's why couples who are keen on SMC book very early.

If I am not wrong, min no. for weekends is 38, weekday is 35.

 

[mich03]

Hi Cheers,
No Problem! No lar, me having my wedding there in Dec 04 mah ... so i know lor. keke

Hi Kite,
Sally is right. But i do have to warn you that MC is quite a popular choice for couples .. so you normally need to source for your date 1 year in advance .... So, in case you have a date in mind, just call them up to put a tentative date 1st.

 

[kite~]

hi,

i dont think i can meet the requirement. i got only 30 to 33 tables.

 

[mich03]

Hi Kite,
You planning on a weekend or weekday? Cos if weekday and u got 33 tables, you can have 2 spare tables. meaning 33+2=35 tables. Think if on a weekday, you can compromise with the co-ordinator as weekday weddings are not as "hot" as weekend weddings, so probabaly they can make allowances for it. Try and call and ask lor.
But i think if it is on a weekend, then you may need to fully meet their requirements.

 

[kite~]

Hi meixia,

i m planning on wkend leh. so since i hv 30 to 33 (including spare, maybe) tables, dont think they will allow us to book the ballroom right?

how abt urs? urs in Dec 2004. is Dec 2004 fully booked liao? who is ur co-ordinator and how much per table? is the ceiling high n of long aisle? thanks.

 

[kite~]

hi meixia,

if possible, can u send me the 2004 packages to me? thanks. btw when is ur exact dec date in 2004? how many tables u hv?

 

[mich03]

Hi Kite,

Yeah.. think 30-33 is not acceptable on a weekend. But, when is ur wedding? Can you not arrange for more tables either on ur hubby's side or your side?

I tell you ah, MC really hot leh... cos when i called on Sept, I was told that all dates are fully booked (saturdays) are fully booked till Sept 2004. Mine is on 4th Dec 2004. So, if u are really interested, you can give MC a call and go down for a look and make a tentative booking 1st. Mostly, couples who are interested in MC will normally book 1 yr in advance.

MC's ceiling is high and the aisle is fairly acceptable. My parents and bf were quite impressed with the ballroom as it was quite grand when u stepped in lor. Its a nice feeling that the ballroom gave you. Its bright and welcoming.
Some more, MC food is nice too and the package price is also competitive enough. You should give MC a thought for ur wedding.

Sure i can email u the package, why dun u drop me a note @ [email protected] and we can exchange emails and i can send the MC package to you?

 

[mr_bean]

Hi,

Would like to find out about the food in Merchant. Is it good? plan to hold a wedding lunch there, but am concerned on the food. Have also heard that they are a bit inflexible on negotiations. Anybody got bad experience?

 

[byeee]

Hi,

Can anyone recommend me coordinator when i call them up dis wk? Who will be more easy to bargain n friendly n good wif service?

Thanks

 

[mr_bean]

Hi Angeline,

Looks like u r in most of the thread, looking for coordinator.

You want to contact Michael. He is really a nice guy. You will feel cosy with him

 

[mich03]

Hi Mr Bean,

Most pple choose MC cos of the good quality of food served there. Although, there are some reviews going ard that the standard had dropped, but i really dun agree wif them. I find that its still good.
If you are planning a wedding lunch there, i think the perks they give you should be more flexible. Is it on a weekend? Try negotiating with the co-ordinator, I believe they are more flexible in lunches.
But if you are trying for dinner, then they are not as flexible.
Good Luck!

 

[mr_bean]

Thanks Meixia. Am still trying to negotiate with the coordinator. Trying to get a weekday menu for my weekend lunch.

By the way, just heard that Marriott having a promotion of 488nett for weekend lunch... going down this weekend to have a look. Any review about Marriott so far?

 

[mich03]

$488 nett for Marriott??? That's a steal! How long is this promotion going to be?
Review frm my mum who just went for a wedding dinner there said that although the ballroom is huge, however, the food was quite lousy and the service there was not so good. However, this is just her comments -- think you will really have to go down there and take a look lor.
Also, maybe you want to find out if there needs to be a minimum no of tables b4 you can enjoy the $488 deal.
Haiyah.... actually i wanted a lunch also, BUT my parents and future Parents-In-Laws do not want it. Say lunches not appropriate ... <sigh> bo-bian lor ....
Do let me know abt your Marriott deal, okie? Good Luck!

 

[mr_bean]

ok.. going down to the wedding show for a look this weekend. I think the min table for lunch is 22 tables, which is fine with me.

Thanks for the comment from your mum. I guess everybody taste is different. Heard that the chef is from the Wan Hao restaurant, so shouldnt be too far away.

ya.. my parents and parents-in-law say the same thing too. Say that people not used to having wedding lunch, and not many people will turn up. Anyway, told them that it's ex to hold at night cos there is min number of table to meet and cost is high. So unless they want to hold it on weekday or else got no choice

Ok.. will keep u posted on the deal.

 

[mich03]

Hi Mr Bean,

I realised that i do have the wedding lunch package that Marriott had sent me. Its at the $488 price that you mentioned. Also, i do have other hotels wedding lunches package. If you r interested, you can drop me a mail at [email protected] and i shall fwd these packages to you.

 

[mr_bean]

Hi Meixia,

Thanks. I do have the wedding packages of some of the hotels that I have shortlisted. Thanks for the offer anyway.

 

[berser]

Hi Hi

I'm new here. I also booked my dinner with MCH.

 

[mich03]

Hi Berser,

Congrats to you! When is your wedding dinner? And your co-ordinator -- who attended to you?
Have you decided on the final no of tables or waiting to nearer the date then confirm?

Mine is on Dec 04.

 

[mr_bean]

Hi Meixia,

Could i check with you whether did you ever considered sheraton towers?

 

[mich03]

Hi Mr Bean,

Sheraton Towers? Nope ... cos i dun think its very the convienent but from the pics i saw from the bridal magazines, i gather that its quite grand. Why do you ask? You interested?

How's the Marriot Hotel thing going? Like it?

 

[iluydia]

Hi!

Sheraton is not inconvenient at all. It is right outside Newton MRT. Just that not many pple know about it.

In fact if you talked about food, the standard at ST is much better than MC. And of cos it is slightly more expensive too so it really depends on what you want.

MC is really hot as the price is not as expensive compared to other hotels and the food is pretty good. Standards at Merchant have dropped slightly though but you can't really tell unless you go there pretty often.

I didn't want to have mine there as I have been to too many weddings at MC. Can't imagine having my wedding at the very same hotel.

Just some thoughts!

You can go to the Sheraton thread or another thread where they list the top 3 hotels in terms of food. Sheraton was mentioned in every posting!

 

[mr_bean]

Hi Meixia,

I like the Ballroom at Marriott but the food menu doesnt look very great. Very concern as food is one of my top priority.

Yap. I am definitely looking at ST. Like the ambience and the food. Although the ballroom is L-shape but it do look quite grand. iluydia is right about the cost, but i find that the dinner package is quite comparable to some of the hotels.

Thus, I have shortlisted MC and ST... still deciding between them. In terms of accessibility, MC is the best between both of them. So still think hard!!

 

[mich03]

Hi Mr Bean,

Ya.. some reviews i get is that the food at ST is not bad ... So, i truly can understand your headache!

When is ur wedding date? Think you better start doing tentative booking with MC and ST since you have shortlisted them. Why dun you go down to both hotels and take a look? At least you will have a better idea of the whole environment.... Maybe this will help in you shortlisting the hotel.

Good Luck!

 

[mr_bean]

Hi Meixia,

Thanks for the suggestion. Yap.. I did go down to both hotels to take a look. Actually, the diff is the ballroom lay out. need to see whether i prefer a L-shape one or a rectangle one. Guess ultimately is what i want...

 

[rine]

My wedding is going to be held at Merchant Court soon. i am quite disappointed with their services. I had 3 change of coordinators so far. They are all very inflexible. I felt that the hotel is so 'money-faced' as everything was chargable. Things such as seat covers ($2 each), projector ($250+++), wine corkage ($30+++ per bottle), extra invitation cards ($2 each). They only gave 60% cards while other hotels such as M Hotel gives 80%. It is quite disappointing as there is alot of extra cost. Beer wasn't free flow. Only 1 barrel of 30l is free while additional are chargeable. Well, since many are queuing for this hotel, they kind of compromise on service. I advise all to think twice as this is a place you will find hard to control your cost since there is so much extra charges to pay. Also, food tasting is only 6 dishes (not full course) and for 6 people. Quite sad.

 

[mr_bean]

Hi jane,

Are you having your wedding on weekday or weekend? How many tables are you looking at? Would it be possible that your number of tables are less thus makes the negotiation more difficult.

 

[cheers]

hi jane and everyone else,

i jus had my wedding held at MC last weekend. they truly deserve thumbs-up, cos everyone was full of praises for the food, service, and everything.
i confirmed 39+2 reserve, but ended up didn't open the 2 reserves at all. each table has got its individual waiter/waitress, and they were very attentive and prompt in their service.
those that had individual sets (vegetarian/muslim) said that the food was very good and portion was very generous.
however, it can't be helped that we've to fork out wine corkage although we brought in our own wines, and they only gave 1 complimentary 30L beer barrel. initially, i thought the cards they provided were definitely insufficient, but after distributing, i've still got abt 40+ left over.

the banquet manager was always within sight and was always ard when we or my coordinators need him, he guided us b4 the 2 march-in, cleared the path to the hotel lobby, kept us informed on what was going on when we went to change gowns, reminded us to calm down and smile, etc..
at the end of the dinner, he served tea and gave paperbags to those drunkards and explained to us and my coordinators the breakdown of the entire dinner (ie. additional beer barrels, vegetarian/muslim sets, wine corkage, deduction of deposit), ensured that supper and hangover tea was brought to our suite.
nonetheless, since we've to fork out xtra beers and wine corkage, everyone enjoyed themselves, so its worthwhile too.

btw, all along my coordinator was michael yong, but it so happened that he jus returned frm his leave on my wedding day, and it was this excellent malay coordinator/manager that was in-charge, but michael turned up to congratulate us and ensured that we'll be in good hands.

 

[mich03]

Hi Jane,
I had also booked MC for my dinner next year.
In the begining, i was also put off by the fact that we had to be charged for almost all the extras and no freebies were thrown in too. However, after thinking it throughly, (i signed up on my 3rd visit), i find that the terms are quite ok. You can go check thru the rest of the hotels in town area-- most ofthem in fact do not give complimentary food-tasting -- even if they do, you still have to fork out 50% of the stated table price.
As for the seat covers, i was also quite upset that they cannot throw in complimentary. But, i understand that if you reach a minimum no of tables, they will throw in free seat covers for you. If you cannot reach the minimum no of tables, why not you consider what are the items that you can do w/o and exchange or offset the amt for the seat covers? I believe all these thing are flexible ... just that you have to let go of some things to exchange for others. Do talk to ur co-ordinator abt it.
If u do not wish to use their projector, u can consider to rent 1 from outside. I think the cost is ard $100-$150. Check out the thread under in SB. There are some offers on renting of projectors.
Most of the hotels are also charging wine corkages. This is quite a standard procedure. Why not u consider having hard liquor instead of wine? Hard liquor corkage is free, so u need not have to worry abt this.
How many extra cards do u need? If the amt is small (ard 10plus), i'm sure the co-ordinator can do something for you. But if the extras are too much, then, maybe its a problem. But,mostly the cards are suppossed to be enough for all on ur expected attendance. Remember that you need not give cards to everyone -- if they are in the same family, then you need to only give 1 card for that family.
Do calm down and think thru all these things all over again. Remember -- you must be a happy bride on your special day!

Hope my advice helps ......

 

[rine]

Hi all,

Thanks for your precious advice. Well, my wedding is on a weekday. I know the min no. of tables i need to commit is 35. However, as time goes by, i had more and so went there to get more cards from them. Was abit sad that they say they will charge if i didn't reach the no. of tables i added. Anyway, i managed to get seat covers waived as i exceeded 44 tables which is what they require. I find the negotiations really depend on coordinators. I have a friend who booked with them and got 70% cards instead. As for wine corkage, it will be $15+++ instead but i still find it very expensive compared to other hotels. The corkage itself is like the cost of the wine. But anyway, i try not to serve but my MIL insisted she wants to serve. sigh... also no projector for me as i am trying hard to cut cost. The reason why i needed so many cards is also because we are inviting about 250 friends and colleagues. As such, we need to give them a card each since most are coming alone.

Hi mich03, i will take your advice to be a happy bride and smile. : )

Thanks cheers for sharing your experience. It helps alot. i was worried cos one of my friends who attended the wedding at MC in May 03 told me that the service was bad and the food sucks! i was shocked as i chose MC also because i heard their food is real good. But as time goes by, heard also that the standard dropped. Anyway, it can't be that bad right? Thanks for assuring me your guests feedback that food and service are good.

 

[stitchstitch]

Hi Jane,

If you are taking cards based on 44 tables i/o of 35 which you booked, SMC have to let you know the extra charge per card if ultimately you don't hit 44 tables right?

You were the same situation as a friend of mine - she initially expected 38 tables (weekend) but it went up to 46 (I think) and she had to ask for more cards, SMC informed her of the extra charge but in the end they didn't charge her because she didn't take any "extras" after final count of tables. She end up with a lof of extras herself instead!

SMC won't charge you upfront for the cards if you explained to them that you are expecting more tables ...

As for the seat covers, they took this out as optional cost thereby lowing the tables cost, other hotels provide free but bear in mind it's already factored into the cost .... nothing is "free" lah ....

As for the food - they are still one of the better ones around ....

 

[mr_bean]

Hi Cheers, Sally &amp; Meixia,

Thanks for sharing. Cheers, could I check with you how is the decor of the room like? Did u choose the swans or the fountains?

 

[stitchstitch]

Hi Mr. Bean,

My friend took the fountain because it is less "common". I think there's only garden theme for the ballroom. Flowers, leaves, bird cages etc ...

Actually didn't bother much about the ballroom decor when I am a guest .... but having a pillarless ballroom with high ceiling is great.

Most important is the food and the service of the banquet staff for a guest like me.

 

[rine]

Hi all,

thanks for sharing. i think for ice-carving, they only have kissing doves or 'xi' lettering. The other alternative is the fountain on stage. As for the whole ballroom, i think you get to choose birdcage or light on tables. Light will look more cosy and romantic when the ballroom is dim.

As for flowers, they usually use white lilies which are fine. Can i check how is the first dish music? is it scottish music? nice???

 

[stitchstitch]

Hi Jane,

I tot usually we supply our own music???

 

[mich03]

Hi Jane,
No worries! I know how stressed you are now with only 1 week more *gasp* ... Every bride need to be reassured that she is doing the right thing.

Huh? Ur MIL is a wine-drinker ah? Like that bo-bian lor ... Just an advice to you -- Instruct ur coordinator not to serve wine during the cocktail reception.... this is the period where pple consume the most wine b4 dinner. Tell him to only serve wine only after dinner starts. At least, you can save quite a bit here.

Anyway, i also tot the music is also provided by us one? Maybe u can try asking ur coordinator abt this?

Here's wishing you a happy and memorable wedding! Do share with us ur experiences!

 

[mr_bean]

Hi Jane,

Yap.. i thnk although MC do provide a selection of music, but I suspect you could provide your own too. I agree with Meixia... dont serve wine or beer during the cocktail.. do it only during dinner.

Dont worry too much and enjoy your wedding, Jane. I believe the food is up to standard in MC, and the service would not be far off. Dont forget that MC being part of Swissotel has a reputation to stay lor. So, enjoy your big day!

Wish you a happy and memorable wedding too...