Shangri-la Hotel

[dancewei]

Hi Ladies,

Am new in this thread. I intend to hold my wedding in Dec 2008. Any idea if Shang has small ballroom for 20 tables and do they have lunch banquets?
Any one of you has photos and package pricing to share? Pls email to [email protected]
Thanks a million

 

[nectarine]

Hi Joanna

I think Shang has smaller function rooms to cater to 20 tables or less. But not too sure, you might want to call them up or just drop them a mail to check.

Will send the package to your email. =)

 

[namie1234]

thanks u gals for clearing some of my doubts.

so which package do u all go for? silver , gold or platinum?

also, how do u all erm usually open up to them for more perks?

is the deposit amt 20%?

[email protected]

 

[googleme]

I went for the Gold Package... But thats so long ago, wonder wats the price that they charge now.

 

[tulips02]

Hi jac, I just fully paid my dinner for dec based on Silver package. I think the silver package is good enought. But my in law might wan to upgrade to gold later. So it depend on them now.

 

[namie1234]

thanks for replying. i think the main difference now besides silver and gold package is the type of room for the night stay.

i was originally supposed to meet mel last sat (b4 GST hike!). however, FH had a meeting so having to postpone now. guess the GST hike is inevitable now

 

[nectarine]

Hi Jac, yeah...I don't think it's possible for us to avoid the GST hike.

Even when I went to meet melanie in May this year, it is already stated in the package that the cost is subject to prevailing GST rate.=((

 

[misssunshine]

hi ladies,

i'm about to sign up with shangri la too. holding my Ad in march 2008.

any comments about the coordinators? also i'm just wondering, do the coordinators handle the wedding on the actual day as well? or will it be just the floor manager ?Thanks

 

[namie1234]

hi sunn, how many tables are u looking at? i first met lynette and have spoken to melanie over the phone. lynette's really nice and melanie sounds nice. update u after meeting mel on 21st jul!

 

[misssunshine]

hi jac, i'm looking at 35 tables. more or less confirm with shangrila , i will be meeting melanie on the 22nd : ) when is your big day ?

 

[namie1234]

hi sunn, i will b meeting her jus 1 day before! shld be confirmin then also. hehe

mine's next nov. hw abt u? u lookin at tower ballroom? which package?

 

[misssunshine]

hi jac, mine's next march : ) good that you are confirming early .. : ) update u after i meet mel.

 

[namie1234]

dear sunn, u wanna plan together? my email's [email protected] are u doing ur rom there? =)

 

[jasmini]

dear nectarine,
mind sharing your package with me?
what did you negotiated for?
my email's [email protected]


dear ladies,

any of you have started negotiating with the florists? my co-ord says usually we'll need to top up to get decent floral, i wonder how much is the top-up usually

any one also used a real wedding cake or change dessert to something interesting instead of the usual?

 

[wedding_girl]

hi jas,
i'm doing away with the wedding cake, cos a real one would cost too much, and i think the fake one's just tacky.
i asked about dessert, but they don't seem to have much choices. i was initially thinking of individually plated ones like cakes, but it requires a top-up, so i decided to stick with the boring desserts.

 

[namie1234]

hi all, i met up with melanie already! i must stay she's the best wedding planner i've met so far!

 

[jasmini]

Hi wed girl,

Yup! i tot cutting a fake cake is kinda tacky too! So i was thinking of getting married on my bday instead, which then brings a whole new meaning for me to cut a REAL cake =))

but too bad my MIL has other preferred dates...

Do you know how much roughly the dessert top-up is? Can we exchange a dish for a more interesting dessert?


Hi Jac,

Can share why you say Mel's the best planner?
I'm currently liaising with Jean

 

[tulips02]

Mel is good. She never say no to any of my request so far. I have yet to go see the florist and the printers.
Think will start in sept.

 

[mycelestial]

Hi ladies,

I will be taking the Island Ballroom for my AD in Nov 08. Will be meeting Melanie for the 1st time this Thurs. According to her, their bridal show is by invitation only. Anyone attended b4? Is there more perks when sign up during the show?
Also, i was told that the deposit is 20% of total cost of tables ie ard $11K. Is this the same as yours?
Lastly, can anyone share with me yr wedding pics @ Island ballrm? my email is [email protected]

Thanks!

 

[namie1234]

hi Mycelestial. My actual day is in Nov 08 too. may i ask which date are u looking at?

I will be attending the bridal show by invite. think it's on 29th sept. as far as i know, there are no perks signing up at the show.

i tink the industry norm is 20% but can any ladies share if they have paid lesser amounts?

 

[namie1234]

hi jas! fyi my rom is one day after my bday and my actual day is the same month as my rom and bday!

who's ur wedding planner? i suppose u can exchange anything on the menu. as long as it's reasonable. i was told that i could exchange dishes across packages. for example, silver menu swap to gold menu.

Melanie is really wonderful compared to the other planner i have for fullerton.

without me asking for any extra perks, it was all offered to me and more!

i have spoken to jean once over the phone, i must say she wasnt very polite in my opinion.

 

[cactus_79]

Bridal show is on 23rd Sept, not 29th Sept. Details are not confirmed yet so no publicised. It should be out in August. Good luck ladies!

 

[mycelestial]

Hi Jacqueline,

My AD is on 22 Nov 08. What abt yrs? I heard from my friend the Island ballrm is pretty big. So was wondering if it'll look empty if i only got 55 tables.

 

[cactus_79]

Hi Mycelestial,

I'm attended wedding at Island with only 58 tables. Not empty at all. In fact, I think Island is good for less than 65 tables. Too many tables, and it looks to overwhelming!

 

[namie1234]

mine's on 1st November.. mel told me 29th. she must have got it mixed up then.

 

[cactus_79]

Mel's not in office today. I checked with Lynette, her assistant this morning. 29th Sept is a very hot date for weddings. I believe both ballrooms have been booked for weddings on that date.

 

[cactus_79]

Hi gal81, I received your pm. My coordinator is Melanie. She's been great. I've not worked with Jean before.

Just to share, I had my engagement dinner at Fullerton. Our coordinator was criticised in the forum here, Diana Lee, but we stuck on with her and she was a dear. She was very professional and when she was unable to give in to our requests for exchange of certain things we didn't need (we used the wedding package but cos it was an engagemnet we obviously didn['t need things like the wedding cake and some other stuff like march in pedastal flowers), she very professionally explained to my parents why we couldn't have them.

Perhaps, I'm easy to please. I stick by what is given to me in the package and I don't insist on freebies. And when I don't need certain things, I will ask for an exchange but I am prepared to "suffer a loss" when I do request for such exchange (ie. if I dun need a wedding cake which I know costs $80 in value, I will ask for more parking passes up to say $50 in value) because I understand that that it is a favour to me.

Maybe it is because of this attitude of mine, I didn't run into problems with Diana at Fullerton.

I believe different people have different expectations. I don't think coordinators can be faulted if they are not keen to give out freebies or exchanges of items in the wedding package, but they are supposed to be professional and responsible to the wedding couple to ensure as few hitches as possible.

 

[cactus_79]

To ensure that Shangri-la delivers on its promises, do have everything in writing, whether on the contact or through email. That's what we do with Melanie anyway... cos we never know if Melanie will leave Shangrila before our AD... (Diana from FUllerton left Fullerton almost immediately after our engagement dinner and I have friends who were left high and dry when their coordinators left MArriot and Pan Pac and they were given other coordinators who didn't know what previous coordinators promised them).

Having everything (to the smallest detail) in writing is the best thing you can do to assure that your wedding goes as planned.

 

[cactus_79]

Gal81, just to add, I'm organizing my parents' anniversary celebrations at Raffles Hotel in Sept this year. The coordinator sounded very impolite over the phone and took ages to reply to my emails. I actually signed the contract with Raffles Hotel and paid the deposit without even meeting her!! I had to go see the Hotel myself, no chit chat session, nothing. ALl were email correspondence and over the phone. But I stuck with this coordinator. The package that I went for is $1088+++/table! Not cheap at all. I stuck with her cos I didn't want bad relationship between her and her colleagues and to be honest, she was ok. Although she was very stiff with perks (in exchange for stuff cos again, I took up wedding package for wedding anniversary stuff - therefore no need for pedestal flowers for march in, etc), she didn't go against her words for anything and when she said she would do something, she did it.

I met her for the 1st time during the trial run for the anniversary dinner. Then I realised why she was impolite, and cold and took so long to respond to my emails. She was a very busy woman. She personally checked on the ballroom set up during weddings and I could see her sincerity in wanting to do the best for my parents on their special day when I spoke with her.

I dare not say that Jean is without problems - I've never dealt with her. But I'm glad I gave Diana from Fullerton a chance cos my engagement dinner was fantastic and guests had only praises for the hotel. I'm also glad I didnt ask for a change in coordinator (Raffles hotel). I believe my parents' special day will go through very well.

 

[gal81]

Hi Cactus,

Thanks for sharing with me your thoughts and for highlighting certain points for me to take note. I really appreciate that.

 

[cactus_79]

Hi gal81,

I hope things go well for you. Remember to have as much put down in black and white. It will be only to your advantage in the event the coordinator leaves.. if she leaves. In the case of a dispute, black and white is obviously the best way to go too.

Packaging doesn't matter much to me... I mean..service doesn't matter that much to me. I dun need happy cheerful voices and smiley faces over the phone or several meetings to decide on matters. But I expect coordinators to meet me on time especially if I make the effort to be there for appointment early, and I expect coordinators to know their work (like, what colour set ups are available, what dishes are offered for the package that I've signed up, etc).

 

[cactus_79]

I feel singapore has a long way to go in terms of service standards. I have absolutely no complaints about melanie, but there are some coordinators I've spoken with over the phone from other hotels... sound really curt and rude. I can imagine people being "put off" by their telephone ettiquette. In my company, junior staff are actually graded on their phone ettiquette in year end bonuses/increments!

I've long come to realise that good service is really frills. I tend to frequent restaurants with good service even though food is average and especially if I'm with a group of friends and if I'm hosting the meal.... it makes no sense to bring friends to a place where service is bad but food is fantastic. I love it when a restaurant recognises me by name and face. But few restaurants can do this.

 

[wedding_girl]

jas,
sorry, haven't been to this thread for a long time. i'm not sure how much it would cost for the individual desserts. all jean (my coordinator) told me was that i'd need to top up if i wanted that, so i didn't go for it.

actually regarding all this coordinator issues, i haven't had any problems with jean while negotiating the contract etc. in fact, i had so many requests for menu changes etc because of my MIL, but she helped me check all those things with the chef, and got back to me with what i needed. she isn't smiley or anything, but she was professional and efficient. PE, do you mind sharing with me what happened? can PM me?

 

[lysha]

Hello Gals,

Anyone of you had your wedding in Pavillion? Can you share with me your experience? Just PM me. It's kinda pricey for the package and they don't offer alot of things, I suspect it's because we are only asking for ard 8 tables. They mentioned that flower decorations (like flower stand and stage decor), I will need to pay $800 additional. ( it;s not included in the private collection package).

Also, I counted the number of dish under Private Collection, it's only 7 dishes,which includes 2 desserts and 1 appertizer, this means that main dishes are only 4. I would think it's rather pricey for that kind of price they charged. Please share your feeback.

Thanks

 

[waxie24]

hi ladies

can anyone send me the 2008 packages for shangri-la?
i tried emailing them.. but have yet received their replies..

Thanks a lot

 

[cactus_79]

Does anyone know how much the 2008 packages for Shang is ?

 

[namie1234]

hi

sorry for the late reply. was on vacation with no internet access.

silver is $988++ on weekends for my wedding in 2008. email me at [email protected] if u want the details.

just so u know. i just tailored my ROM dress and it's smashing great for one third of the price!

Regards

 

[jasmini]

Hi ladies,
sorry haven't been to this forum for long time too. so no worries, wed girl

I've met up with Jean once and found her alright. She's not exceedingly friendly or amiable, but was professional and pleasant enough most negotiations are done by my BF so i'm ignorant of her attitude, if any.

PE,
care to share what did she do to screw up the wedding? that would be helpful for me to make a decision on whether to switch or not.

Jacq,
wow, Mel offered you perks and more! Can share what kinda perks? She allows you to swop some dishes from silver to gold at no cost?

I'm quite sad we couldn't get the Sat we wanted for the Island ballroom, so have to wed on Sun instead. As such, we'll have a 2-day wedding, which is quite troublesome.

Otherwise i'll have to find another hotel

 

[namie1234]

hi Jas, yup at no cost for certain dishes only though.

She gave those extra night stay, more parking blah blah.. didn't have to ask..

when are u looking at holding your wedding? this year?

 

[jasmini]

hi jacq,

that's nice of her to offer you extra perks. i didn't ask for any except for more parking which i think they are very accommodating

my wedding will be held next year. unfortunately the preferred dates are booked

 

[verad]

hi,

for extra nites are we charge? anyone extend their nites at valley wing? I am thinking of doing dat but anyone has gotten any discounted rate? How much for extension per nite at Horizon & valley?

can email me their package? [email protected]

 

[mthm]

hi,

can send the 2008 package to me? [email protected]

thanks.

 

[jasmini]

hi ladies,

can i know what is the minimum payment required as the deposit? what's the %?

thanks

 

[namie1234]

hello jas

the minimum deposit is about 20%.

regards

 

[piglet08]

Hi btb, my friend gave me a $800 wedding planner voucher and I have no use for it. Anyone who wants it, jus PM me.

 

[jasmini]

Thanks Jacq

Ya no wonder the contract quoted so much

And it seemed that there's some progressive payment too. Are all these standard and common in the industry?

 

[cactus_79]

Hi Jas,

Yup.. there is progressive payment. It is not common to have progressive payment but it is done in some hotels. I think Hyatt does it too.

As for the deposit, the norm is for hotels to accept between 20% to 30%.

 

[namie1234]

Hey Jas

I believe you can try to negotiate with your co-ordinators on the progress payments. I intend to pay with my plat as it will add to my credit card points.

Regards

 

[jasmini]

Hello ladies,

Thanks for your reply

I was just quite surprised at the payment and cancellation clauses.

Wonder if anyone of you actually negotiated any parts of the contract? should i make a trip down to discuss in person the contract? cos i was told they could just mail it to me.

if you had negotiated, what did you negotiated for?

 

[namie1234]

Hi Jas

I think you and your htb should not find a problem with the cancellation clauses since you have confirmed it. After paying the deposit, I think it's easier to negotiate settlement of the balance on the morning after your wedding?

What parts of the contract are you talking about negotiating about?

I paid 10% yesterday. I was there having tea with my htb and my sister. APparently, I had a pleasant surprise that my co-ord had settled our bill for us.

Thumbs up for her kind gesture and swift work.