It used to be the Traders Hotel but has recently been refurbished and rebranded. I’ve never stayed here when it was the Traders so I don’t really know how different it was then. But I can tell you what “Jen” is like now.
Wait, just who is this “Jen”?
Well, Jen is actually a virtual persona, a professional hotelier, a lover of life, fun, adventure and discovery. The decor of the hotel fits this description nicely after a cool SGD45million makeover. The main lobby and reception area is very modern, edgy and definitely hipster. That means it’s photogenic and absolutely instagrammable. The reception desk is supported by a stack of suitcases, custom-built of course and that’s an interesting conversation piece. It also represents the traveller side of Jen.
There are some eye-catching bicycles too, some on the wall (a favourite prop for people to pose with!) and one guarding the entrance to the lobby cafe – Jen’s Kitchen-On-the-Go, so there’s a great sense of energy in this hotel.
The same energy was reflected in the brisk check-in process at the reception. The staff all seemed upbeat and they are all dressed in casual smarts – long pants and crisp shirts, a far cry from those super-formal black suits adopted in many hotels.
We got the orchid room. The orchid is one of the 4 Singaporean design themes of the locally-curated wallpaper in all 565 rooms of the hotel. The other 3 are bicycle, goldfish and shophouse – how quaint! While our room was small, it’s functional and complete with all the essentials like USB charger outlets, high-pressure shower, ironing board + iron, in-room coffee-making facilities, rack for hanging clothes and quality linen for the “floating” bed. I heard there’s even a SMEG fridge in the suites.
Do you like the “floating bed”? 😉
Our room didn’t have a minibar though. So if you must have your snacks, get them from the supermarket at Tanglin Mall next door – there’s even a linked walkway to the mall from the hotel.
Wifi is available everywhere in the hotel – it’s fast and easy to connect. That’s such a boon for us!
The Club Lounge
As we were on the executive floor, we had access to their vibrantly designed Club Lounge on the 17th floor. Having arrived on a late morning, we managed to grab some breakfast there. The spread may not be extensive but there’s a good variety, ranging from healthy cereals, salads, fruits to hot items, bacon included! In the evenings, we helped ourselves to canapés and cocktails there before dinner and took in the splendid view of the neighbouring residential hub with lots of greenery.
Breakfast with real bacon!
Canapes and drinks when the sun sets
View from the Club Lounge
Hotel Jen has a 24-hour gym and health club and right in front of that is a 30m long outdoor swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna, steam and treatments rooms and pool bar.
A well-equipped gym, 24-hours open!
There are two main eateries in the hotel, besides Jen’s Kitchen-On-the-Go. J65 is the all-day dining restaurant where a sumptuous breakfast buffet is served every day. We enjoyed the breakfast spread, especially since there’s Katong Laksa and even Hainanese Chicken Rice available! Yes, we had those at 8am!
All-day dining at J65
On Sundays, there’s a popular Sunday Brunch at J65. More of this in a separate post.
Ah Hoi’s Restaurant is another eatery in the hotel which is very well-known among Singaporeans. We had some awesome chilli crabs there – more of this later in an upcoming post.
While the hotel is not exactly located in the main shopping area of Orchard, Tanglin Mall is just next door with a very decent supermarket and several nice cafes. There’s even a food court there if you feel like having some local food. The hotel provides a free shuttle service to Orchard Road (it’s a 15-minute walk away if you are game!) as well as weekday morning shuttle service to the Central Business District.
From Changi International Airport, Hotel Jen Tanglin is a 25-minute drive and is accessible by taxi, bus, subway (MRT) and hotel limousine, of course.
HOTEL JEN TANGLIN
1A Cuscaden Road
Singapore 249716
Tel: +65-6831-4333
Hotel Jen Tanglin Singapore is open to guests and taking bookings through the website: hoteljen.com/tanglin
Or by email: [email protected]