Orchard Hotel

[bcrystal]

Hi everyone

we are considering Orchard Hotel as a venue for our wedding next year

Wondering if anyone has been there and if there any feedbacks I can get abt the food, service and bridal suite there?

Most appreciated. Thks

 

[ding dong]

I had my wedding recep there in Mar this year. Loved teh ambience. Service is fine. But mine was a tea recep and food was ok. Dunno about dinner.

I got a junior suite. It was newly renovated so kinda liked it. My brother who helped with a fren's wedding told me that the bridal suite is much better.

 

[zyek]

Hi Min & mac,

Sorry for the very very late reply pp

Actually is MCIL (if I din remember wrongly again). You get S$18 or S$15 off every table and every 10 tables U get the 11th table is FOC. I am not sure if this offer is still available anot.

In short, if u book more tables, the more savings you have for each table.

I hope this help...

 

[min]

Hi, Zyek

Txs. Spoke to Orchard Hotel. I didn't get the every 10th tables, 11th free. Quite disappointed. My coordinator told me the promotion starts April and ending soon and I signed up in March'03 before this promotion. Quite unhappy with them. Dun understand why they can't accomodate since wedding not over yet. Let their customers feel very unhappy. Cos we were told the package we signed is the best and dun know whether they will change and may increase price for tables in April onwards. So We feel assured when signed up and now,better prmotion comes. They told us they can;t accomodate to add in that. Let me feel as though we sign ordei, so we got no choice even got better promotion. We confirmed earlier yet lose out so much.

 

[same same]

Hi Min,

If i am not wrong, Orchard is not the only hotel that does this. In fact, most (if not all) the hotels will not let couples "switch plans" to enjoy new promotions that are launched after the couple has already signed up. That's why timing is impt. Dun feel so unhappy cos i believe all the other hotels are like tat also.

 

[min]

Same Same,

I agree but it's just a matter of one month difference and I dun see why there is no flexibility. Moreover, the costs for corkages so high and no free flow beer. I think it's a gesture of gd will to be a bit more flexible and think of customers' interest if it's not too difficult to accomodate. Moreover, wedding not over yet. I not asking them as though my wedding over, have to refund me. Deposit is placed to book the date, change of plan shouldn't affect too much. Just my 2cents worth. They seem to say no to everything we have asked for after signing up.

 

[same same]

Min,

The current offer has no free flow of beer either. it's only the 1st barrel free. and the corkage for duty paid hard liquior is waived totally but corkage for wines is only waived based on the no. of tables u have (eg 30 tables, 30 bottles waived). I guess it is possible to argue that the hotel could be more accomodating since times are bad now but they can also argue that if u extend the same thinking to something else like booking an air ticket, booking a car, there will also be no "refund" if u make a booking today and there is a promotion the next day. I think sometimes it's down to luck and timing. Look at the pple who used to queue for flats. Those who change their minds will get their deposits forfeited. But now there isn't such rules anymore! So those pple who "suffered" last time can only blame it on their luck!

 

[zuzu]

hi min

i agree with u. when we signed, they also say the $18 off per table will be over by March or April (cant rememeber) , and likelihood is they are going to increase the prices. but turn out the offer is so much better!

 

[min]

Zuzu,

They are so sure when they tell us at the time we sign,rt? they not accomodating to customers' needs after sign up. Not concerned.

 

[zuzu]

Hi Min, Zyek

Did the MCIL promotion start and end in the month of April only? Are there any exceptions like only on weekday and with a min nos of tables?

I think it's to counter the impact of SARS on their sales that they came up with this promotion.

 

[zyek]

Hi zuzu,

I can't really remember when the offer starts and ends....

For me, mine wedding will be on a sunday in December 2003 and I've placed a booking of min 36 tables.

Last heard, this offer has been extended to end of June.

Give them a ring, I'm sure they'll be glad to clear ur doubts....

To date, I am still very satisfied with OH, dunno why I juz feel very comfortable dealing wif them, & I hope they carry on doing so....

 

[min]

hi, Zyek,

You managed to have that promotion of every 10 tables, 1 free? I still wondering if they can let those who signed up have this promotion too since wedding not over.

 

[chan lai gwen]

Can anyone elaborate on the quality of the food? Am on the verge of booking them as they seem to more flexible than other hotels I have been to. But food is very important to me. Thanks!

PS: And what's the bridal suite like?

 

[zuzu]

hi min

dont think you can do that anymore cos when the contract is signed, it's signed.

 

[ahbui]

Hi all

we r oso holding our wedding dinner in Orchard hotel..n signed the contract wif them in Feb03 bt hv bn neg wif them since las yr..we din get the perks like free 1 table..

 

[yam]

Hi, all

Anyone went for food tasting already? Care to share what is good and nice?

 

[foc]

Hi

Just want to find out if any one here has utilised their anniversary stay from their wedding? If so, did they provide you with FOC breakfast??

Thanks

 

[mookie]

Hi, pls advise whether Orchard is a 4 or 5 star hotel? Did anybody happen to compare Orchard Hotel with Marina Mandarin?

 

[febby]

hi mookie,i was deciding between Orchard and marina mandarin. i think orchard is 4 star. not sure about marina mandarin.but their prices are not too different. both have good reputation for good food. but i personally think the orchard ballrooms are much nicer than the marina mandarin ones. ceilings are higher and decor more elegant. esp if u can't have the big ballrm in Marina Mandarin, the small ballrm really cannot compare with Orchard Hotel's.

 

[mookie]

hi febby, i agree with you, even though I've not seen the ballroom set ups. I've attended a corporate dinner at OH - it's a little old but still elegant altho food was so so. If I recall correctly, service was also so so. Hope they have improved. i can only wait till month end before i can take a peek at wedding set-ups. OH brides, more comments on food & Ballroom 3?

I've not been to marina mandarin but i can only consider the room @ 5th level, which i've read has low ceiling & looks rather plain.

i would love to hold the dinner somewhere nice (with good food) but FH would rather not spend too much & risk losing too much $. Guess everyone goes through this problem - how to prioritise & compromise on ambience, food & budget.

 

[febby]

Hi mookie,

i am having mine at OH ballrm 3. the ballrm setup is the same for ballrm 1+2 and ballrm 3. only diff is the shape of the ballrm. 1+2 is more "horizontal" while 3 is more "longish". if u r comparing against MM grand ballrm, maybe still can fight. but if u considering the small ballrm at MM, then it's really cannot fight at all. the OH food is supposed to be award-winning. i had a few frens who held their weddings there and the guests generally gave good remarks. in terms of service of the waiters, i guess they are just average. if u are concerned about cost, then must keep a lookout for the promotions. can save quite a bit. think this is not a good time to "splurge" on weddings since ang paos might be shrinking with all the CPF cuts, housing loan rate increases, etc.

 

[mookie]

spot on! i thought OH should score pretty well overall with the high ceiling, decor and reputation of Hua Ting as compared to other smaller hotel ballrms.
I'm seriously considering OH and hope I will be convinced after viweing and talking to the sales manager, whom I've worked with b4 and promised to offer some perks.
That was until I saw PanPac's Ocean Room Promo, which is really good value for money at $638 nett. Although the ceiling is low and I read complaints about its lighting, I thought it ought to be considered as the hotel projects a higher "class" and it would definitely be easier to break even or make $ in times of thinning pockets.

 

[febby]

hi mookie, PanPac is having a promo? $638 nett really sounds very attractive. if the package/dishes are comparable to OH's, i wld be attracted too! if i remember correctly, PanPac harges $700+ when i last did my research.

 

[tsp]

pan pac 638 nett applies only for Ocean ballroom on wkdays., which is localted at 3nd level and max pax is 380.

for that price, u can try oriental or meritus at slightly lower or on par.. ;P

 

[iii]

oriental pricing is higher than pan pac of $638 fyi.but can consider given they hv good reputation for food.

 

[celyw]

Hi, I will be holding my wedding banquet at OH this coming Nov too.

Any OH brides can comment about the service and food?

Very worry becoz my hubby's bosses and colleagues are mostly expatriates so dun want to "lose face"....

Please help with your frank comments. Thank you so much.

 

[brides08]

Hi Celine

I also having my wedding there in Nov. When is your date?

Have you printed ur cards? Will be going for food tasting either this month or next. Will feedback once completed. How abt u? Gone for ur tasting?

Should not be tat bad cos the chinese restaurant food is still good. But dun expect too high as on tat day is mass production so the quality shld be lower than on the day when u went for tasting.

BTW who is ur banquet mgr?

Enjoy ur weekend....

 

[celyw]

hi brides08,

my date is 27th, yours?

nope i have not print my cards nor go for my food tasting yet. you printed your cards already? you are faster then me!

my banquet mgr is evelyn so far find her not bad but dunno she will keep to that standard or not...

 

[febby]

hi celine and brides08, i m hving my dinner at OH too. but mine is in Feb next year. my banquet mgr is vincent. quite a nice chap so far but dunno if the standard will be maintained till next year. he was telling me some time ago that they are coming up with new designs for the ballrm and wedding favors. anyone seen them?

 

[mookie22]

Hi febby,
I visited OH over the weekend. The foyer & the ballrooms looked decently elegant although a tad old. But I was a little disappointed that the partitions in BR 3 looked old & dirty. Hence, they tuned down the lighting so that the blemishes are not so obvious. Did you notice it?
And although the march-in is long, the ballroom is rather narrow. Guess it is ok, but I will look around to compare.

 

[febby]

hi mookie, i saw the ballrm quite a while ago so i can't really remember. but hv u seen the ballrm when it is done up (ie during an actual wedding dinner)? think it is more impt to see the ballrm after it is decorated and even if it is a bit dim, it is ok becos that will be how it looks like on the actual day. unless u are going to turn all the lights on during the dinner, doesn't really matter how obvious the blemishes are when lighted up. i saw the ballrm when it was decorated and i really liked the decor. and i like the high ceiling and the fact that there are not pillars. chose OH over hilton, orchard mandarin and marina mandarin.

 

[brides08]

Hi Celine

Mine on 15th. had juz got back the invites from printer. Wanted to start early so tat we can send out early & then relax nearer to the date.

Mite be going food tasting sometime this mth or next. U? they called u aly?

Hi febby

I have yet to see the new favours. But Ernie(my banquet mgr) was telling me a few mths back that they may be having new ballroom decor. Will keep u posted when I meet up wif them.

I also felt in love wif OH ballroom when I stepped into it as its very grand & longish(can have longer march-in) & most impt no pillars....

 

[mookie22]

Hi Febby,
I saw the ballroom just before a wedding dinner last Sunday. So, I compared the set-up in BR1&2 with BR3. The blemishes are obvious if you look around as the partition stretches the length of the ballroom.

I'm finding it quite difficult to evaluate the various hotels. I like OH becos of the high ceiling, long march-in and chandeliers, but it doesn't feel as classy becos it looks old compared to Orchard Mandarin & MM. Deco @ OH is quite nice but I liked the deco @ MM more. But for MM, I can only consider LO ballroom which has a low ceiling & I'm a bit worried abt how dim the area is.

Do you know how OH & MM compare in terms of food & service?

 

[febby]

hi mookie, in terms of food, i think OH and MM are comparable. i am not too sure about service though. shouldn't be too bad for both.

for me, i ruled out orchard mandarin cos i think it is too "cheena". hv u seen the decor on the ceiling? there are a few big red hisbiscus stuck on the ceiling! totally clashes with the wedding decor. and becos i dun hv that many tables, i can only qualify for the small ballrm with the pillars. i dun like the idea of pillars. and the shape of the ballrm is weird. there is a small corridor after the door before your guests see you so when the doors open and the music start, you guests can't see you march in until a while later. dun like the idea of that.

in the end it was a tough choice between MM and OH. MM is definitely nicer as a hotel but the small ballrm is not too ideal with its super low ceiling. and if i am not wrong, the doors are glass doors so when are standing behind the doors to prepare for the march-in, your guests can already see you!

brides08, must share with u wat i discovered abt long march-ins. I attended a wedding dinner last week. there was a long march-in too cos the ballrm is longish. the couple had 3 flower gals forming a row in front of them so the speed of the walk-in was very much slowed down by the 3 gals. i was sitting at the tables behind and i realised that by the time the couple reached the middle of the ballrm, all the clapping has already stopped cos they were just taking too long time to march in. the tables in front also stopped clapping cos it is just too long and everyone was getting a bit sian liao. so it was a bit awkward towards the end when the couple was still walking slowly but everybody else already sian liao. so brides08, while the bride will definitely want a long march-in to prolong and enjoy the attention, remember not to walk too slowly and over-drag the whole process.

 

[mookie22]

hi febby, i observed the same flaws as u did. i can tolerate the hibiscus ceiling of belverdere at orchard mandarin altho it is a little ugly, but didn't like the pillars and layout. I was peeping in during a couple's dinner reception & couldn't get a decent view of the room & stage.

Didn't like the glass door & low ceiling at MM too but liked the cosy & romantic deco. Just concerned that OH isn't as posh as MM.

 

[febby]

well mookie, it was a tough decision for us then as well. i think u will hv to ask yourself which factor carries more weight. for me, the march-in is very impt becos it is going to be the part which i feel most about. as for the rest of the decor, it is more for the guests to see rather than for me to feel since most of the time the couple won't be free to look at the decor. so since it is MY wedding, i will focus on what i feel most about. so we chose OH.

 

[mookie22]

yes, i would love to have a few more seconds of glamour too! that's why i'm still trying to decide which factors are more impt to me. FH is leaving everything to me cos he's not fussy or into such things ... dunno whether i'm lucky or not.

maybe i will try to visit OH again and hang around longer cos when i was there, candles had not been lighted yet. maybe it looks better after that. i've got short memory, confused already after seeing a few places ... wish i have a digicam

btw, with candle themes going on around so many hotels, are ballrooms usually dimly lit during the dinner then?

 

[febby]

frankly speaking, i also can't really remember. i think the longer you take to decide, the more indecisive and confused u will be. and anyway, most pple dun really remember about other pple's weddings. so what's impt is what u like.

as for the lighting, if i am not wrong, u can instruct them to adjust the lighting according to the brightness you want. it is not completely relying only on candlelights. there can be some dim lights along the way or at the corners, etc.

 

[celyw]

hi ladies,

i booked BR1&2 for OH i nvr see that room wif decor before. You girls see the ballroom decored before can give me your comment?

bride08, i have not do anything yet now you really make me panic...maybe will go to the printer this weekend.

 

[brides08]

Hi Celine

Dun panic. I was juz being fast tats all. But I thik its also abt time tat you go n print your cards as they require abt 2 or 3 wks to complete everything.

Wanted to start early so tat can relax mah.

Seen the decor b4. Nice to me lor (if not will not chose OH) hehehe....

 

[min_minnie]

Hi, gals,

Anyone can comment on the food in the wedding Banquet by OH. What dish is nice and what is not? What is their popular dish? I need some suggestion.

 

[celyw]

Hi,

just went for my food tasting was very good but expected lah coz they sure cook super when we go food tasting but on the actual day due to mass production maybe quality might drop...

what is popular i dunno, but i tried their cold plate very nice, steamed fish, sharkfin not bad too.

may i know beside the standard ones like mango pudding, honeydew pudding, sweetened red bean paste and boiled snow fungus?? seems to me these desserts i eat during my food tasting so boring!

 

[celyw]

Hi Brides08, have you settle your ballroom decor and wedding favors with OH yet? care to tell me more about it??

 

[brides08]

Hi Celine

Have not seen u ard for a long time.

Had my tasting quite some time ago. Food as wat u said is super N quality is there but then on actual day shld be more inferior cos of the mass production.

U tried the different type of desserts? How come i only get to try the one on the menu only?

Well have more or less settled on the deco. Would be going fot the softer & garden kind of themes. u? have u chosen the favours tat u want? they have quite a no. to choose fr & all looks so nice. I chose the bear & candles.

 

[min_minnie]

Hi, Brides08 and Celine,

How come so different? I had my food tasting but dun find it as good as expected, Care to share what dish is good? Maybe the dishes I chose doesn't taste good, Maybe the ones you all choose is good. Then I can takje as reference and maybe change some of my dishes.

 

[celyw]

Hi Brides08,

no lah i din try different type i just said that the various type stated in the available menu sounds so boring and common dun they have special ones?

We oso more or less settle on the decor going for the soft romantic theme too but with candles.

I choose wedding bell as our wedding favor.

 

[brides08]

Hi min

Ur wedding on wkday or wkend? Cos the food tat i chose everyone present was saying its gd & then the shark fins is really can se th fins kind of quality lor. The abalone also quite thick leh.

Hi celine
Oops read wrgly ur msg. But for wedding its kinda common to have lotus seed & the lily bud lor as it stands for "bai nen hao he" kinda meaning.

Is ur stage wif the marquee or the gate kind of deco? cos mine also have candles.

 

[min_minnie]

Brides08,

When is your wedding? Yours is the Sat menu? Mine on weekend. How many tables you having? I dun have abalone. The cold dish and shark fin fine. Dun like the way the vege is cooked. My family says Groupa(fish) a bit tough. Overall still ok, we maybe going to replace some dishes. How many types of deco do OH have? and the favors? Are you playing slides for you guest?

 

[sdyna]

Hi,
how's the decor like? just went down to discuss the wedding packages with the sales people today. They mentioned that the decor can be customized, and arranged with their appointed florists. But we were unable to see any picture.

Are the decor good? anyone have any pictures to share? (it'll be greatly appreciated). We do not want to end up paying extras for additional requests on the flowers...

Also, anyone else got the 11th table free for every 10 tables? we're offered only 1 table free for every 20. we're quite upset to hear that just 3 months ago, there was actually this offer.

Would like to check any other special things we can look out for?

Heard also that the lighting has some problem. Seems that the lighting flicker during some dinners. Any OH couple had that problem?

Thanks!! =)

 

[celyw]

Hi Brides, yours even got abalone ar? mine dun have think maybe mine is on a weekday.

our ballroom decor got candles one, the OH decor is either bubble glass with candles or garden theme with flower right??