First Vibe Hotel opens outside of Australia in Singapore – here’s what it’s like to stay there

The hospitality scene is bustling again and Vibe Hotel Singapore Orchard is one of the newest hotel to open in Singapore.

Officially opened on 3 November, this is the first Vibe Hotel to open outside of Australia and is managed by Far East Hospitality in Singapore.

Calling itself a “social space” for its guests, Vibe Singapore houses 256 rooms across five room categories – Superior, Deluxe, Premier, Family and suites (the latter will be available at a later date) and is located within the residential area of Orchard Road.

Vibe Hotel Singapore Orchard staycation review

Overall design

vibe hotel singapore orchard lobby

Vibe Singapore took over the spot where former The Elizabeth Hotel stood and managed to give its lobby a massive makeover.

The lobby now sports a contemporary design complete with warm lighting, comfortable seating, and a welcoming front desk.

Spaces are purposefully designed to offer “socialising” opportunities for guests.

vibe hotel singapore orchard lobby bar

The Lobby Bar, which features an island bar, stands right at the centre of the lobby. This is where you can socialise freely with fellow guests or invite a friend or two to hang out with you.

This transitions to ROOS, an all-day dining destination that’s named after the Australian slang for “kangaroos”.

vibe hotel singapore orchard roos

ROOS is designed with comfortable booth seating, long tables, all furnished with plush seats. I saw a few guests sitting in the diner at mid-day with a drink while they catch up with work – and I can see why that’s such a good idea.

The hotel has a small outdoor swimming pool that doubles up as a space for guests to outdoor barbecue in typical Australian fashion. A big screen is fixed at the Pool Bar so we can imagine them hosting watch parties here in the future.

Room

vibe hotel singapore orchard deluxe room queen

I checked into the Deluxe Room Queen that is tastefully designed and feels very homely.

If you usually sleep on a King bed at home, or want to be pampered with one on a staycation, I’ll recommend that you go for the Deluxe Room King instead. Personally, I kept wishing my bed was bigger during my stay, especially because there’s room for it.

The rooms are stocked with amenities from O&M, an Australian brand that’s most known for its haircare products. The brand is dedicated to replacing harsh chemicals with natural ingredients, including several that are native to Australia.

I’ve heard a lot about the brand but it’s the first time I’ve tried its products; I absolutely love them!

For its bathroom, it comes with a bathtub but no standing shower. In other words, you’ll be standing in the bathtub to have your shower. While I’m perfectly okay with it, I would imagine that this can be uncomfortable for those who prefer to have a larger space during shower or worried about children slipping in the bathtub.

Apart from these, the amenities are pretty standard: a 55-inch LED Smart TV, coffee and tea-making facilities, mini fridge, in-room safe… you get the drift.

However, what I thought was a small but very pleasant touch was how considerate the designers were when they placed the power points: next to the bed, in front of the work/dresser table, which shows that they definitely had user experience in mind. I never had a problem with awkwardly positioned sockets that disallowed me to use my equipment and devices at any point.

Food

vibe hotel singapore orchard roos 2

ROOS is a concept by lifestyle group Caerus Holding, which also runs popular F&B brands such as Lady M, Mr. Holmes Bakehouse, and Luke’s Lobster, so they’re definitely no ROOkie in the scene (pardon the pun).

This is where you’ll have Australian-inspored breakfast – served a la carte – such as Avocado Toast and Logs and Bagel – all served with free-range eggs.

roos breakfast vibe hotel singapore orchard

For those who prefer the familiar taste of local breakfast, there are also chicken congee and Nasi Lemak on the menu.

But don’t just visit ROOS during breakfast. I will highly recommend that you drop by for lunch or dinner (even if you’re not a hotel guest). The diner serves great fresh pasta that are handmade daily and I particularly enjoyed their Kombu Butter Tagliatelle.

Besides a wide selection of pasta, you can also look forward to burgers and sandwiches, grilled meats, and Asian noodles on its menu.

Order wine when you’re there too. ROOS has collaborated with Penfolds, one of Australia’s leading winemakers, to offer an impressive line-up of red and white wines. Even if you are a teetotaller, you’ll still be impressed the walk-in cellar with floor-to-ceiling display of wines that accent the restaurant.

In fact, I like the ambience, concept, and food at ROOS so much, I would consider rounding up a few friends for dinner there even if I’m not staying at the hotel.

Besides ROOS, the hotel also has Vibe Pantry, a 24-hour self-service counter that offers snacks and candies at a supplement fee.

When I was at the hotel, the pantry stocked snacks such as cookies, nuts, brownie brittles, chocolates, and gummies. Beverages included chocolate oat milk, coconut water, soda, coke, and energy drinks.

Hospitality

vibe hotel singapore orchard lobby bar (1)

Staff were trained to offer the warmth of Australian hospitality to everyone who walks through the Vibe door and I can definitely feel it.

Prior to me staying at Vibe Singapore, I actually had an encounter with its front desk staff before the hotel’s official opening.

I had mistaken the Vibe lobby for Quincy Hotel‘s, where I was staying at and attempted to check in.

After realising that I’d made a mistake, all the Vibe staff who were there laughed it off in good humour and one of them even walked me to Quincy, which was located next to it.

And on the three days that I stayed in Vibe, I’ve always been greeted with a warm “Welcome back!” whenever I returned to the hotel.

On the day when my three-year-old boy came to look for me at the hotel, he was also treated with a lot of kindness; one of the staff even took the initiative to give him a box of oat milk when he saw him getting restless and complaining about feeling hungry when we were waiting for our ride.

vibe hotel singapore orchard pool

When I brought my son to the pool in the morning, a staff who walked past took the initiative and roped in another colleague to pump up a few floats so that he could use them.

Other points to note

My room looked out to some of the residential condominiums in the vicinity, and I would imagine this will be somewhat similar at all the rooms because of where the hotel is located.

While it isn’t able to give you a splendid view, it makes up for it with a relatively convenient location. It’s approximately a six-minute walk to Paragon Shopping Centre in one direction, and a seven-minute walk to Scotts Square if you walk the opposite direction from the hotel.

Unfortunately, I had an unpleasant incident of experiencing dirty water coming out from the bath tap when I wanted to soak in the bathtub. After running the tap for 15 minutes, it finally turned from brown to light yellow but black sediments started dispensing from the tap. I gave up but tried again the next day, and was glad that I finally got clear water then.

A staff from the front desk checked in on me after I shared my feedback and told me that this was probably because the floor I was at was only opened for operation the same day I checked in and usually this can be resolved if we let the tap run till the water is clear.

Well, I only wished there was foresight in this such that the taps were already run prior to guests checking in.

There were also an instance of miscommunication when we were told by a staff that bath towels were provided at the pool, only to find that there were none.

My verdict

vibe hotel singapore orchard driveway

I’ll recommend Vibe Hotel Singapore Orchard to those who are looking for a solo-staycation with a convenient spot or with a friend or partner who just wants to take things easy. I’d imagine it as a great spot for business travellers too, considering its proximity to Orchard Road and the spaces around the hotel that would make for great spots to work from.

vibe hotel singapore orchard family room
Family Room

Families are very likely not going to be very drawn to it, unless you intend to book its family room, which I understand is only available on third-party platforms at the moment.

Also, the issues that I faced, while posing slight inconveniences, didn’t ruin my stay. I still really appreciated the warm hospitality by the staff that I’ve met. I could tell their sincerity and love for the Vibe brand through every greeting and little gesture to make me feel welcomed and taken care of during my stay.

Moreover, I believe that teething problems and communication issues are part of the learning curve for any new establishment. Considering that Vibe Hotel Singapore Orchard is backed by a hospitality giant that’s very experienced in the arena, I’m pretty confident they will get these ironed out in no time.

Vibe Hotel Singapore Orchard is located at 24 Mount Elizabeth, Singapore 228518. Visit its website for more information.