Singapore 2: Scarlet Hotel

27 April -- Scarlet Hotel is on Erskine Road (a road that not too many taxi drivers are familiar with, but it's the next street over from the more widely-known Ann Siang Hill), within walking distance of New Majestic. Scarlet's design inspiration is lush bordello and makes me think of Jacques Garcia's hotels such as Hotel Costes and Hotel Bourg Tibourg. However, although the public areas are a bold scarlet, black, gold and crystal colour scheme, the rooms are a rich neutral tone.



Scarlet has been open for a while now. Service was as one would expect. It has 84 rooms and I booked online for a Executive double room at SGD200+++ (US$127/per night). The room was compact, but comfortable with desk, bed, tv, dvd player. The bathroom didn't meet the JR luxury hotel test though -- no bathtub. While there was no in-room wifi (there is wifi in the lobby and public areas), they did have free, in-room high-speed broadband access and supplied a cable long enough to allow you to move the laptop around the room.

Overall, I enjoyed my stay at Scarlet. It was comfortable and efficient -- speedy delivery of broadband cable, internet (no problems whatsoever connecting), laundry -- and drama-free. It's location is very convenient for shopping (there are a few nice shops just downstairs), eating and late-night drinks. Ann Siang Hill (a really cool shop is Asylum, which sells lots of art and design books and other knick-knacks) is the street behind, which leads to Club Street.