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REVIEW: DoubleTree Northbridge Perth City, Twin Guest Room

Published by Shane

Perth, as the only major city on the western shores of Australia, suffer more so given it’s relatively low population base.

Hotels in Perth are pretty sparse, with many of the bigger names, including Crowne Plaza and Hilton, built more than two decades ago and hardly refurbished. As such, it was pretty refreshing to see a new infusion of hotels into the city, including DoubleTree by Hilton and Westin as part of Tourism Western Australia’s push to revitalise the state as a preferred destination.

The hotel I stayed in this time round is the DoubleTree Northbridge in Perth. Those familiar with the DoubleTree brand will know it’s by Hilton and have been popping up rapidly around the world in the last half decade or so.

The hotel

DoubleTree Northbridge opened in September 2018. Decked out with 206 rooms over 15 floors, the hotel offers 4 room types: Regular guest rooms, regular guest rooms with panoramic view, executive rooms and deluxe executive rooms. Each of these room types come with either a King-sized bed or twin beds.

The layout on each floor is pretty simple, with a single, long corridor and rooms flanked on both sides.

*Rooms on both sides of the corridor in the hotel*

Check-in was a fairly efficient and straightforward affair. Upon checking in, the agent offered one of the signature DoubleTree chocolate cookie, which was a great treat given that I didn’t have time for lunch before checking in.

DoubleTree Northbridge also boasts an executive lounge, which I didn’t have access to for this trip as I wasn’t planning to spend a lot of time in the hotel. If you are staying in an executive room, or are a Hilton Honors diamond member, you will have access to the lounge.

Note that the hotel doesn’t offer any secured parking, so if you are driving, you are pretty much limited to streetside parking, which can be rather challenging to find in the evenings.

The room

For my stay today, I booked myself the cheapest room available, which was a twin guest room. For some reason, king rooms in Australia are consistently more expensive than twin rooms, and I’ve always find myself booking a twin room to save $10 or more per night.

At 30 square metres, the room is pretty spacious, although not overly generous for an Australian room. Being a very new hotel, the fixtures are still in an excellent state.

The bathroom comes with only a shower stall (there’s a rain shower) for all room types, and bathtubs are only available in the executive deluxe king room. So if that’s a must for you, you will have to pay a premium for it.

There are still the usual bath amenities, including hotel-grade bath towels and a bathrobe that are available in the room. DoubleTree Northbridge uses Crabtree and Evelyn toiletries, consistent with many other Hilton properties around the world.

The wardrobe is designed rather interestingly, accessible from both the bedroom as well as the bathroom. Having said that, I had some trouble trying to shove my suitcase onto the luggage rack within the wardrobe, so that was one area of weakness if you ask me.

*Tiny walk-in wardrobe with the luggage rack within*

Twin beds in Australia are pretty much two singles, unlike some Asian hotels (such as in Bangkok) where the twin beds are larger in size, and four people could easily share the two beds. So if you are planning to hold more than two persons in the room, you might want to think again.

There is a small round table with two swivel chairs right in front of the wall-mounted television, which can serve as a makeshift desk if you need to get some work done in the room.

*Multi-use table with chairs, and wall-mounted television*

There is also a fully stocked minibar within the room, complete with complimentary coffee and tea making facilities. Unfortunately, there is no coffee machine within the room, you will have to settle for freeze-dried instant coffee, although I’d very much prefer to head down to the cafe in the lobby for a flat white.

There is complimentary wifi in the room for Hilton Honors members, which works pretty well for me when I was there. Note that the hotel claims that the wifi is for basic usage only, but I had no problems streaming shows from Netflix when I was there.

The facilities

Despite being a pretty compact property, DoubleTree Northbridge still packs a punch in terms of facilities. On the third floor of the hotel, there is an outdoor swimming pool with ample number of deck chairs, as well as a 24-hour fitness centre.

*Outdoor swimming lap pool (photo credit: DoubleTree Northbridge)*

The fitness centre has two treadmills, as well as a cable machine and a generous rack of dumbbells, which was sufficient for a very decent workout. As I was staying there in August, it was too cold to use the pool given it was not heated.

The hotel also has a full service bar and kitchen, James St Bar & Kitchen, which was also accessible by non-staying guests. On weeknights, the restaurant offers a daily special for A$25, with featured a different dish every day of the week, plus a glass of wine.

Having been out the entire day, I decided to stay in for dinner at the hotel. I went for the daily special, which featured a seafood squid ink paella for the day. When it came, I must say that it was beyond my expectation both in terms of serving size and taste.

If you would like something more substantial, or for sharing amongst larger groups, they also offer a wide-ranging menu, with tapas and share plates starting from A$6. Pastas and main meals ranges between A$20 to A$60, so there are definitely options for everyone.

The restaurant space was also rather well appointed and spacious, although I do think it’s a little too well-lit for my liking, particularly for dinner.

One thing I love about Australian hotels is that the hotel bars are usually quite comfortable for an evening drink, whether you are alone or with friends. The bar area of the restaurant was no exception, and given that it opens out to the main road, it was perfect for people watching as you sip on your favourite glass of chardonnay or a schooner of local beer.

Final thoughts

Let’s be very honest here: Australia’s hotels are usually nothing to shout about. Many of the hotels, particularly in the smaller cities, are often misses, given that tourism infrastructure spending is not a priority.

Fortunately, Perth is on a resurgence in the last couple of years, and many new hotels have sprouted up as a result.

DoubleTree Northbridge is a solid offering in a good part of the city. If you haven’t been to Perth, most parts of the city centre is incredibly walkable, so this is also a good place to base yourself at, whether for business or pleasure. If the hotel restaurant gets a little too boring, there are plenty of restaurants on the same street and you

While not the top end of what the city’s lodgings can offer, the hotel itself is relatively self-sufficient and perfect for the business traveller who needs everything under one roof.

Singapore Airlines to take over Silkair’s Singapore-Busan services

Published by Shane

The daily A330-300 service will see an increase of 76% in seat capacity between the two cities.

Singapore Airlines will operate an A330-300 service between Singapore and Busan, taking over the existing SilkAir service from 28 October 2019. The transfer will enable Singapore Airlines to increase seat capacity on the route by 76% to meet the growing travel demand.

SIA will operate flights to Busan four times per week, maintaining SilkAir’s current flight frequency. The revised schedule will be as follow:

Route	Flight	Departure	Arrival	Flight time	Days	Aircraft
SIN-PUS	SQ616	2310	0635(+1)	6h 45m	Mon, Fri, Sat	Airbus A330-300
SIN-PUS	SQ616	2310	0630(+1)	6h 40m	Wed	Airbus A330-300
PUS-SIN	SQ615	0800	1325	6h 25m	Tue, Thu, Sat	Airbus A330-300
PUS-SIN	SQ615	0810	1325	6h 15m	Sun	Airbus A330-300

The route will be served with the A330-300 aircraft with 285 seats, consisting 30 Business Class and 255 Economy Class seats. The A330s can accommodate up to 123 more passengers per flight than SilkAir’s 162-seat Boeing 737-800s which currently serve the Singapore-Busan route.

If you are familiar with SIA’s A330, you will know that these are the old 2009 regional business class seats in a 2-2-2 layout, which features angled beds.

Boeing 737 MAX 8

Silkair announced Busan as a new destination back in February 2019 which was supposed to be operated by the ill-fated Boeing 737 MAX 8s. However, the grounding of the fleet since March 2019 meant that the service was operated by the older Boeing 737-800s instead.

Given the range of a typical Boeing 737-800 is about 6+ hours, the Singapore-Busan sector is clearly within the upper limits of the range. Depending on the cargo loads for the flight and other factors such as weather, there may be load restrictions on the flight, which will definitely hamper commercial viability.

With Singapore Airlines taking over the service with the A330 (which is due for retirement by 2020), the move will free up some Boeing 737-800s for SilkAir to use for the upcoming year end Northern Winter peak.

PSA: 10 days to use your Qantas Points before the new chart kicks in

Published by Shane

Back in June 2019, Qantas made a big announcement on how the Qantas Frequent Flyer programme was going to be ‘enhanced’, unlocking ‘more benefits’ for members.

It was a particularly interesting announcement insofar as the award charts are concerned: while the premium cabins (premium economy, business and first) redemption requirements are going up between 12.9% and 15% from 18 September 2019, those for economy have actually been reduced immediately since the announcement by up to 10%.

Of course, the increase comes with a slight decrease in the charges and fees you have to pay on top of the points, although it’s nowhere as low as what Krisflyer charges in terms of fees.

I want to fly business or first class. Is it worth redeeming now or later?

If you have plans to travel within the next year, it’s definitely better to redeem them now, even though the fees associated are higher now.

*Qantas A380 first class suite (photo credit: Qantas)*

For Singapore to any Australian destinations on the east (Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney) on Qantas or Emirates, you will need to fork out 8,400 more points in return for a $100 savings in fees. So is that a better deal?

Generally, Qantas Points are valued at a significantly lower level than other frequent flyer programmes, given that you need more Qantas points than other frequent flyer programme points in general to redeem for a similar route and product. Given this, one Qantas point can be conservative valued at about 1.5 Singapore cent per point.

So 8,400 points will equate to about S$126, which is more than the S$100 that you will save in fees. Given that points are tougher to accrue, you are better off saving those points. And of course, Emirates business class is always an excellent option if you are headed to Australia, so I won’t think twice about using my Qantas points on them.

If you are flying on oneworld and other partner airlines, note that the points required are also going up by between 5 to 15%, so it’s also high time to make your award bookings before 18 September 2019.

What are Qantas Points good for then?

One of the most unique propositions of Qantas Frequent Flyer is the ability to earn points, status credits, as well as redeem flights on Jetstar. Redemptions on Jetstar services are even sweeter: the points required are lower, and you get free checked baggage allowances with it.

While redemptions on budget carriers are a strict no-no for some, this can be a sweet option if you are exploring a quick hop to some nearby destinations. For instance, a one-way Singapore to Bangkok itinerary will only set you back by 9,600 points each way. Plus, if you have Qantas frequent flyer gold or platinum, that affords you lounge access as well. That’s cheaper than the 12,500 Krisflyer miles you will need for Singapore Airlines economy class, each way.

*Jetstar classic award redemption chart (source: Qantas.com)*

The cancellation fees are also pretty competitive. For a classic flight reward, the refund fee is 6,000 points, while change fees are at 5,000 points. Given the most conservative valuation of Qantas points, they will equate to about S$90 and S$75 respectively. Comparatively, Singapore Airlines charges USD25 (S$35) for changes and a whopping USD75 ($105) for redepositing of miles if you decide not to use the ticket.

OCBC launches new miles card: OCBC 90°N Card

Published by Shane

Earn up to 8mpd for hotel bookings and 4mpd for flight bookings

OCBC is the latest to jump on the miles card launches, unveiling yet another miles earning card for the Singapore market.

A glance at the headline earning figures will sound pretty attractive: up to 8mpd for hotel bookings, and 4mpd for flight bookings.

So what are the key perks of the card?

An overview of the card:

Income requirement: S$30,000 p.a. for Singapore citizens and PRs, S$45,000 for foreigners
Annual fee: S$192.60 for principal cardmembers, waived for the first year; S$96.30 for supplementary cards, waived for the first year
Annual fee gift: 10,000 miles (in the form of 10,000 Travel$)
Earn rates: 1.2 mile per dollar spent (mpd) locally; 2.1 mpd overseas; see promotions below for special launch promotion earn rates
Foreign currency transaction fee: 3.0%
Most importantly, miles don’t expire.

The base earn rates are pretty average: BOC Elite Miles give you 1.5mpd for local spend, and 3mpd for overseas spend. Plus, there are an assortment of other cards that give you up to 4mpd for specialised spending, so 1.2mpd is nothing to write home about.

So why do you want to use this card? There are no conversion fees for converting your Travel$ (the card rewards currency) to Krisflyer miles. What’s even better is that you can transfer in blocks of 1,000 miles, which means you don’t have to chalk up a great deal of spend before redeeming them.

Another minor but pretty significant point is the definition of ‘overseas spend’. For this card, OCBC has decided that all foreign currency spend, regardless of where it’s processed, are counted as foreign spend earning a rate of 2.1mpd, so that will make calculating miles earned much easier.

Launch promotions

OCBC has unveiled several launch promotions in conjunction with the card:

1. Sign up bonus of $50 and 7,000 Travel$ for new-to-OCBC customers

If you have not held any OCBC cards in the last six months, you will receive $50 credit when your card is approved, and 7,000 Travel$ (equivalent to 7,000 miles) if you spend at least $5,000 in the first three months of your card approval.

*Sign up bonuses for both new and existing customers*

If you are an existing OCBC cardholder, your only bonus will be 3,000 Travel$ if you spend at least $5,000 on the card within the first three months.

2. Earn 4 mpd on select airlines including SQ; 8 mpd on Airbnb and some OTAs

From now until 29 February 2020, cardmembers will earn 4mpd and 8mpd respectively for select flight and OTAs bookings.

*Earn accelerated miles on special categories*

Eligible airlines and hotel booking sites include:

Airlines:

Singapore Airlines Group (including SIA, Scoot, SilkAir)
AirAsia
Jetstar

OTAs & accommodation providers:

Agoda, via www.agoda.com/ocbc90n
Airbnb
Expedia, via www.expedia.com.sg/ocbc90n
Millennium Hotels & Resorts
Mr. & Mrs. Smith

For accommodation, the fee must be prepaid, so if you select to pay at the hotel, you will not earn the bonus miles. Note that for Agoda, your hotel booking needs to be made between 26 Aug 2019 and 29 Feb 2020, for stays between 26 Aug 2019 and 30 Sep 2020.

Expedia is a little more complicated as you will earn 8mpd for both hotels and eligible airline flight bookings. The full list of participating airlines can be found here.

On top of the above, you will also get 4mpd for duty-free shopping at DFS and Shilla Duty Free, as well as Netflix and Spotify.

3. Overseas spend will earn a flat 4mpd until 29 Feb 2020

To provide a boost for the newly launch card, OCBC will be offering a bonus 1.9mpd on top of the existing 2.1mpd for all overseas spend until 29 February 2020.

Unlike other banks that will post the extra miles or points after the promotion period, OCBC will post all Travel$ as soon as the transactions are posted, so you will be able to tally your miles rather easily.

So what’s lacking from the card?

Of course, this card is not without its cons. For a start, it’s fairly strange for a travel card to not accord any lounge privileges at all, however token.

Beyond that, there isn’t very much else that the card offer in terms of perks, which may be a good thing for some cardholders who prefer a no-frills card with lower fees.

Final thoughts

The card may not take the local miles-chasing scene by storm, but the card is as good as it says, with a fairly decent launch promotion: 4mpd on overseas and up to 8mpd on some specialised spending for a fairly long period of time.

Also, the sign-up bonus may not be as great as the Standard Chartered X Card, but I’m pretty sure at least they won’t have to suspend card applications.

After the initial promotion phase, the key plus side of the card will probably be the smaller blocks required for conversion of miles to your FFP, as well as the lack of a conversion fee – these alone are good reasons to have this card handy in your wallet.

REVIEW: Crowne Plaza Singapore Changi Airport, King Suite

Published by Shane

An extended long weekend in Singapore usually means that the city will be half empty, with plenty of folks heading out to nearby destinations for the four-day break.

Given that I was not planning to jet off, I decided to check out Crowne Plaza Changi Airport for a holiday at home.

The hotel

Opened in May 2008, Crowne Plaza Changi Airport is Changi Airport’s first full service hotel, with direct access to Terminal 3. The hotel first opened with 320 rooms, and a second extension was built in 2016, adding another 243 rooms to the hotel for a total of 563 rooms and suites. Crowne Plaza Changi Airport is owned by OUE Hospitality Trust.

The hotel is touted as a five-star hotel, complete with two restaurants, a sports bar, lobby lounge, meeting and banquet facilities. Recreational facilities include an outdoor pool, a 24-hour fitness centre, as well as an on-property spa. The hotel also offers a club lounge.

In recent years, the hotel has consistently won Skytrax’s best airport hotel award, having won the award five times in a row from 2015 to 2019.

*Bruno Cristol, Crowne Plaza Changi Airport* *General Manager* *receiving the Skytrax Award for Best Airport Hotel Asia in 2019 (photo credit: AsiaTravelTips.com)*

If you haven’t been to the room floors of the hotel, don’t let the dark interiors of the lower floors mislead you. Once up on level three, the floors are mostly open concept, with plenty of water flowing along side the corridors and ample greenery. I was very impressed at how the hotel manage to create a feel of an oasis through the use of natural light and greenery, and also make the entire property feel pretty cooling despite being in a naturally hot airport precinct.

*Crowne Plaza Changi Airport – Swimming pool*

Check-in

My experience with other Crowne Plaza properties around the world has always been quite good. I’m not sure if this is an airport hotel occurence or a long weekend effect, but the check-in process at Crowne Plaza Changi Airport turned out to be quite a nightmare.

When I got there at about 2pm, there were at least 10 people waiting to check in. At first glance, the queue situation was rather haphazard, with no clear signages where to queue, nor someone actively managing the lines. As I was an IHG Rewards Club elite member, I was queuing at the IHG priority check in queue, until a staff came and asked me to join the general queue. After I’ve moved, he told me that I could join the elite queue if I wanted to, but he would have to move another guest in front of me from the general queue. Obviously I wasn’t pleased. Eventually an agent attended to me about 20 minutes after I arrived.

To be fair, the check-in agent, Grazel, was efficient and friendly. She was also very apologetic for the long wait. Despite this, I was told that my room was only going to be ready at 3pm. As I had booked myself into a club room, Grazel then invited me to rest at the lounge first while I wait for my room, and that another staff Raymond will inform me when the room was ready.

So off to the lounge I went. Raymond, a staff from the lounge, was excellent. At 3pm when I checked in with him, he regretfully told me that my room was still not ready, and he will check on what he could do as soon as possible. In less than 10 minutes, he managed to get my room sorted, and even got me an upgrade to a suite. I was soon on my way to check out the room.

The room

*Seating area for Suite rooms, with an extra bed that I didn’t ask for.*

I have originally booked myself into the King Club room, essentially an entry-level king bed room with club lounge privileges. I was later upgraded to a suite as a goodwill gesture by the hotel for the delay in the availability of my room.

Even then when I got into the room, I found an extra bed in the suite, that I didn’t request for. I went back to the lounge and asked Raymond to help remove it. He was visibly embarrassed and very helpful in quickly arranging for it to be taken away.

Crowne Plaza has adorned their room with plenty of light oak and earthy coloured carpets, which hides its age well despite it being over a decade old.

*Crowne Plaza Changi Airport King Suite – Bedroom*

The 72 square-metre room is a full suite, with a separate living and bedroom. In the living room, there’s a large work desk, a full-sized couch that seats three, and a long bench that runs alongside the full-length windows. On the workstation, there is also a Bose Wave music system, a rare touch for a hotel room.

There is also a small refreshment corner tucked away by the side of the living area, with the minibar, as well as coffee and tea facilities. Nespresso fans will be disappointed that there is no such machine within the room, as the choice of coffee maker was Caffe Cagliari, a Brazilian coffee brand, along with its own coffee pods.

The bedroom was separated by a sliding door, with a king-sized bed amid a spacious room. There was another flat-screen television in the bedroom, as well as a walk-in wardrobe.

Adjacent to the bedroom was a spacious bathroom featuring a double vanity, perfect for couples travelling together. Along the window was a generous bathtub, as well as separate shower and toilet stalls. Thankfully or otherwise, the bathtub was next to a frosted window.

*Spacious bathroom with bathtub and double vanity*

Crowne Plaza Changi Airport uses ThisWorks amenities, a UK skincare brand that is probably most well known for its pillow mists, among a huge range of other products it carries. Founded by yoga teacher Kathy Phillips (go google her), it is touted as a range of products that “offers sleep aids and energizers power-packed with natural ingredients, botanicals and therapeutic essential oils that perform as promised and deliver noticeable, long-lasting results.”

What do I think about it? The scent is pleasant, but yet not overpowering. It does its job pretty well, and lather up rather easily. When I’m done, it didn’t leave my skin feeling too dry, which was good for me.

The Club Lounge

Crowne Plaza Changi Airport offers a club lounge on the third floor for select guests, including guests booked into Club rooms as well as suites. The lounge seats about 70 guests, with a mix of dining tables as well as armchairs and coffee table options.

*Crowne Plaza Changi Airport Club Lounge*

Club lounge guests can enjoy complimentary continental breakfast at the lounge daily from 6.30am to 10am, as well as evening cocktails and snacks from 5.30pm to 8.30pm daily. Outside of these hours, the lounge offers all day non-alcoholic beverages, as well as a much smaller selection of snacks.

*Afternoon tea – sweet and savoury snacks, along with soft drinks, coffee or tea*

When I was there for evening cocktails, I was pretty impressed with the selection of food available. The lounge itself has a small kitchen next to it, which also serves the poolside bar as well.

Some of the food options available for the day included a salad bar, a caciaturie board, assorted cheeses and crackers, aglio olio, cheese croquette, samosas, spring rolls, roast beef, as well as an assortment of desserts. It’s a decent spread for a light dinner, if you so prefer. Unfortunately, I can’t say that the offering is delectable, not many of the items made me want to go back for seconds.

In the beverage department, the lounge offers up a selection of still wines, beer, spirits, soft drinks as well as coffee and tea. There was also a cocktail menu you can order off. I was slightly disappointed with the absence of a sparkling wine, but that’s a minor inconvenience if you are not particularly picky. The wines were of a decent standard, and at least you get a choice between a merlot or cabernet sauvignon.

The lounge began to fill up at about 6pm, with most of the tables being taken up by that time. With evening cocktails stretching till 8pm, the crowd starts to thin out from 7.30pm onwards, which was pretty much a good thing. Just before the end of the session, the staff came around to ask everyone for a last round of orders, which was a pretty nice touch on the service front.

The facilities

Crowne Plaza Changi Airport is a full service five star hotel, equipped with all the perks of a luxury hotel. Beyond a range of rooms (more about that later), the hotel is fully decked out on the recreation front, with a swimming pool, a 24-hour fitness centre and an in-house spa, all of which are located on level 3.

The swimming pool is opened up to 10pm daily, so an evening dip is always possible. Given the amount of greenery around the pool, unfortunately most of the pool is pretty much shaded, so the pool was cold most of the day, which might be unpalatable for some people. There are plenty of deck chairs around the pool with a good amount of sun, though.

For those who love a good steam bath, unfortunately there are none in the hotel. The spa is managed by an external provider, and doesn’t have any of the hydrotherapy facilities such as a jacuzzi or a steam room.

In the food and beverage department, there is a on-property bar, as well as two restaurants: Azur and Imperial Treasure. Breakfast for club room guests can be taken either in the lounge, or at Azur.

Personally I always prefer a bigger spread and I don’t mind the crowd, so I went to Azur for breakfast the next morning. If you mind the noise and crowd, you might be better off having breakfast at the lounge, which will be a lot quieter.

Given the high occupancy, the restaurant has actually set up some tables outside of the restaurant along the aisle, as well as the sports bar next door for guests. I definitely won’t be too happy if I had to eat along the corridor.

*Plenty of seats but the restaurant is almost always full at breakfast hour*

As an international cuisine restaurant, Azur serves up what I call a pretty standard affair of breakfast: your usual western breakfast offerings, along with a splattering of Asian fare, including a noodle station.

I went straight for the nasi lemak with condiments, as well as a bowl of noodles. I also hovered around the pastries and cake sections, and the only thing that stood out was the automatic pancake making station. Apart from that, the breakfast wasn’t memorable.

Final thoughts

The property is actually a pretty amazing one for a staycation right at the airport. The rooms are timeless, and pretty well maintained for a decade-old property. The decor remains relevant today, I loved the way the architect used natural light and greenery to create a resort feel in a single-building hotel.

The service is almost perfect, albeit the poor first impression. After the hiccup, the service recovery is impeccable, and every touchpoint has been excellent.

Having said that, I personally didn’t find the club lounge and breakfast to be overly impressive, given that you will now have plenty of affordable options within Jewel Changi Airport and the terminal buildings itself. So, if you were to have to pay a hefty amount to upgrade, I’ll advise to skip on the upgrade and head into the airport instead for your meal fixes.