In April 2025, I checked into the QT Balcony Suite at QT Singapore. Set along Robinson Road within the heart of Singapore’s central business district next to the iconic Lau Pa Sat food centre, the 134-room hotel is the very first QT hotel outside of Australia and New Zealand. Raffles Place, Downtown and Telok Ayer MRT Station are a short walk away, with nearby major attractions such as Marina Bay Sands, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, Amoy Street and Chinatown. Singapore Changi Airport is about 20 minutes away by car.
For the uninitiated, QT Hotels & Resorts is a subsidiary of the Sydney-based Event Hospitality and Entertainment which owns and operates brands in the entertainment, hospitality and leisure sectors, mainly within Australasia. There are QT hotels in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra as well as Wellington, Auckland and Queenstown in New Zealand.
Other notable hotels in the area include The Westin Singapore, The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, The Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore, Dao by Dorsett AMTD Singapore, The Clan Hotel, Singapore and Mandarin Oriental, Singapore.
The UTW (“Under Ten Words”): Stately, glamorous heritage chic next to Lau Pa Sat.
Must Dos: Relax in the stylish room, enjoy a la carte breakfast at Cygnet by Sean Connolly, enjoy promotional drinks and bites at Cygnet Bar, take a dip in the rooftop infinity pool.
QT SINGAPORE
QT Singapore occupies an elegant neo-classical 1927 conservation structure built by local architects Swan and Maclaren, the folks behind Goodwood Park Hotel, The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore as well as Raffles Hotel Singapore. The building originally housed the Eastern Extension Telegraph Company, the Telecommunications Authority of Singapore and more recently the now-defunct SO Sofitel Singapore. The hotel’s main entrance is situated along Robinson Road, although drop-offs and pick-ups are done at the discreet back entrance along Boon Tat Link. (Pro tip: drivers need to chart an alternative path to access the back entrance on weekends, as the usual route is closed for Lau Pa Sat’s Satay Street.)
En route to the check-in counter, you will pass by the buzzy Cygnet Bar, famed for its $10 drinks and bar bites during daily 4-7pm Cygnet Hour as well as $1 oysters on Wednesdays. At the reception counter, you are greeted by a soaring four-storey atrium flanked by tropical greenery and a sexy purple-pink hue which complements the Vanda Miss Joaquim-inspired maroon coats of the hotel’s team members (who are memorably monikered “Directors of Chaos”). The property’s aesthetic pairs QT Hotels’ signature brand of colour-bold, design-led quirkiness with local culture references and motifs – think geometric patterns, woven rattan and colour blocking. Each of the three guest elevators boast different city-themed artworks, a touch which reminds me of Artyzen Singapore and rightfully so – Nic Graham (founder of Australian design studio Nic Graham & Associates) designed both hotels.
In terms of wellness, the hotel offers a 24hr gym on the 2nd level and a geometrically-tiled and monochrome-styled rooftop pool next to bar concept Rooftop on QT on the 6th level. Aside from being a safe respite from the fast pace of the Central Business District, the pool is also a popular venue for vivacious and international-guested parties, including those organised by event promoters Manifest. The hotel’s location next to the iconic Lau Pa Sat and its famed outdoor satay street means the charcoal smoke and meat aromatics on selected nights occasionally wafts all the way up, giving the rooftop space a certain balmy, outdoor barbie vibe that was surprisingly charming.
QT BALCONY SUITE
Offering a spacious balcony facing Robinson Road, the 80sqm QT Balcony Suite is a stately, luxe-residential affair. This is no ordinary suite – symmetrical tall windows on both sides of the French doors, a whirring ceiling fan and warm accent lighting on the ceiling accentuate just how high the ceiling is. Stripped of the chic, contemporary stylings of the suite – think assertive ruby and olive shades, geometrical design flourishes, sexy curved couches – the space would befit tense, secret conversations between top political animals in a White House-based series by Shonda Rhimes. (I am reminded of the balcony suites at The Fullerton Hotel Singapore.)
iPad room controls allow you to control the blinds and lighting, while a wireless Bose speaker lets you bring on the atmospheric choons for your getaway. The pantry has Monogram tea and Nespresso coffee-making facilities (coffee pods are from Margaret River Roasting Co) and the Dyson hair dryer ensures you enjoy your nights out with a suitably fabulous do. The impressive minibar – stocked with a variety of crisps and snacks, NIO premixed cocktails, a baby bottle of Laurent-Perrier champagne and with full-sized bottles of Brass Lion gin, Husk rum, Bruichladdich whiskey, Belvedere vodka and luxurious barolos and Châteauneuf-du-Papes – offer the requisite liquid accompaniment options for moments of high drama.
Sliding glass doors reveal the oversized marble bathroom, which is seriously sexy. Light-up double vanities stand against a glossy, herringboned teal backdrop, while a separate dressing counter provides a larger mirror for you to reflect whatever you want. A free-standing bathtub comfortably fits two, while the cavernous rainfall is big enough for jumping pirouettes. Shower amenities are courtesy of Australian haircare brand Kevin Murphy, and intriguingly bring to mind olfactory memories of sweet snowskin mooncake. The lighting is expertly “ambient” – bright enough to make things look good, dark enough to make things look good.
DINING
Breakfast is served at Cygnet by Sean Connolly, an Australian-style steakhouse concept on the ground level. The breakfast experience is entirely a la carte, with orders taken and food served right at your table, making it a delightfully stress-free experience. Each guest enjoys one main course and two beverages, with fresh juices and mixed juice blends available alongside Gryphon tea and coffee by Margaret River Roasting Co. The menu showcases a variety of egg-centric dishes, from the very Aussie QT Smashed Avocado On Toast (poached egg, pistachio dukkha), Signature Breakfast (bacon, pork chipolata, roast tomato, hash brown, beans) and Egg White Omelette (tomato, ricotta, onion, basil, lemon zest) to Eggs Benedict (smoked salmon or leg ham, spinach) and the Macca’s breakfast-esque Bacon & Egg Roll. Non-egg options include Congee (onion flakes, soy sauce, hardboiled egg, chilli) and Green Buddha Bowl (avocado, spinach, soba noodles, green goddess).
My favourites were the scrumptious Mee Goreng (prawns, bean sprouts, egg and, curiously, potato chunks), which I had customised to ramp up the spice factor to balance the noodle dish’s inherent sweetness, as well as the luxurious Stockbrokers Omelette with Crab which dispensed with soggy crab lumps in favour of an abundance of discrete, substantial red-skinned chunks. This may well be one of the best Singapore hotel breakfasts I have had in the post-COVID era.
During my stay, I also had dinner at Cygnet. Entrée selections included the comforting Bread with Fennel and Vegemite Butter (the latter sure teased the mouth with its saucy oompf), Raw Tuna (pink pamplemousse, fennel pollen, capers), Prawn Cocktail (fennel, pink blush mayo) and Pacific Green Mussels (white wine, parsley); mains included Cygnet New York Burger (200gm Wagyu patty, cheddar, pickles, shoestring), Ricotta Gnocchi (orgy of mushrooms), Steak Frites 200gm Portoro, NSW, AU, grain fed (shoestring, peppercorn sauce) and Black Cod with Leek and Clam Chowder; the meat library comprised options such as Short Rib 200g USDA, Tokyo Strip 100gm A4 Wagyu and T-Bone Black Angus USDA Prime; and dessert selections included Strawberry Romanoff (brandy yoghurt gelato, strawberry consommé) and Crème Caramel (chantilly cream). The team is also equipped to advise on wine pairings – I had glasses of Champagne Philippe Gonet Signature Blanc de Blancs Brut NV as well as the 2022 no Prōterō Aromatico.
My favourite from the evening was the luscious, umami supernova that was the Crab Linguini with Salmon and Chilli (salmon roe, lemon, butter) – seldom do things hit the spot quite so efficiently.
Public service announcement: one of Cygnet’s most popular orders is their $1 Oysters (!) which is available from 5-7pm with any order of a main course. The same platter is also available at Cygnet Bar on Wednesdays.
Speaking of Cygnet Bar, the cosy, Manhattan-tinged space serves as both bar and lobby lounge for the hotel. Their cocktail menu draws literary inspirations from New York – the Widges gin-based The Devil Wears Prada is as fruity as its source material, while smoky rye cocktail Up In The Old Hotel is as serious as its namesake 707-page Joseph Mitchell valentine to a forgotten New York. A viral marketing campaign has drawn much attention to the bar’s daily Cygnet Hour (even on weekends!), during which selected drinks and bar bites are $10 each.
Much more than your typical poolside bar, Rooftop at QT offers Mexican-style agave cocktails such as Paloma Rosa (los arcos destilado de agave, grapefruit, rose wine, lychee, citrus, soda) and Pepino (los arcos destilado de agave, mina real mezcal, fino sherry, citrus, green poblano chilli, cucumber, dill, jalapeño) alongside refreshing beachy tipples such as Pandan Colada (Planteray 3 Stars Rum, pandan, coconut cream, gula melaka) and Shiso Smash (Widges gin, shiso, cherry tomato, yuzu, citrus, aér). Amidst the CBD high-rises and with the smoky buzz of Lau Pa Sat floors below, the tropical poolside venue was drenched in vibey atmospheric feels.
The bar also offers a sunset spritz menu of selected $12 beverages such as Floral Spritz (Aperol, elderflower, rosemary, citrus, bubbles) and Ancho Spritz (Aperol, Poblano chilli, grapefruit, bubbles).
CONCLUSION
The former SO Sofitel Singapore played it more kitschy with its brand of French chic, but QT Singapore is seriously designer sexy. The F&B concepts (in particular Cygnet Bar) are now destinations in their own right as opposed to being incidental to the hotel’s purposes, and the guest experience is now a lot more luxurious and pleasant, from service touch points to in-room offerings. QT deserves to be more than just Australasia’s secret – get on board, mate.
QT Singapore
5 Robinson Road
Singapore 068876
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