Introduction

Welcome to the Pan Pacific Orchard Singapore, a newly built hotel designed by renowned architecture firm WOHA. A quick glance at this property and you’re in stunned in disbelief as the design of the hotel.

It’s like an oasis plopped itself right in the heart of Orchard Road district. WOHA’s newest green hotel is divided into a quartet of nature-zones: Forest, Garden, Cloud and Beach, each with massive open-air, cut-out-like voids allowing in air, light, nature and the abundant tropical rain that keeps – along with an elaborate reticulation system – all the vegetation green and growing organically around the hotel. Solar voltaic rooftop panels help power Pan Pacific Orchard while those massive foliage-wrapped columns exist not only for structural support but to also contain and conceal the hotel’s fire escape. It’s simply a force of nature and an architectural marvel.

I was here on a business trip and found myself at the Pan Pacific Orchard Singapore on a Sunday morning. Read on to find out about my impressions!

The Room | Pan Pacific Orchard Singapore

The Pan Pacific Orchard features several room categories, with the most popular ones being the rooms that come with a balcony. The size and layout are totally interchangeable with the Deluxe Room with Balcony and Premier Room with Balcony – the only difference is that the Pacific Club is in a higher floor. In contrast to the typical hotel room layout, the Deluxe Room with Balcony / Premier Room with Balcony / Pacific Club Room with Balcony comes in a squarish layout which allows for plenty of naturally light even in the far corners.

Because of certain events (Taylor Swift was in Singapore and everyone simply flew in to watch her perform) in Singapore during my stay, all the rooms were taken. During check-in, the staff apologized due to the fact that they had to make sure the turnover was on time. Nevertheless, I was given the deluxe room on the 6th floor and was quite happy with it.

As a new hotel, Pan Pacific’s tech-forward hard product was evident from the moment I entered the room -upon entry, everything is activated through motion sensor. The room is moderately sized towards the smaller end. To further increase guests’ impressions of the size, the sink is made to integrate seamlessly with the bedroom and utilizes creative doors to help shed more space. Those who prefer more privacy have nothing to fret as sliding doors across two corners can conveniently seal off the bathroom if desired. I found myself leaving them open though, as with the doors closed, the room can feel small quickly.

The complete set of toiletries were neatly stored away in a small drawer by the sink. Toiletries here are the dispensing type and come from Diptyque. The hotel does not provide bottled water in the room. Instead, a water dispenser is situated in the minibar area.

There’s also a Nespresso machine with 4 capsules provided, including decaf options. Tea comes from TWG. I thought this touch was incredibly well-thought out, as the reduction of bottled waters per room is a big impact on the environment. If you needed cold water, simply ask for a bucket of ice, and within minutes an attendant will come and deliver one to you.

Curtains are manually set up for privacy across the floor to ceiling windows and blocked out all the light. During the afternoons, I never really utilized it often as I enjoyed the natural light peering in. I didn’t face the terraces but rather the city skylines of Singapore, which was just as fine.

A good night’s rest is certain with the 400-thread count cotton bedding and the debut of Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts’ therapeutic Happy Sleepers programme at Pan Pacific Orchard. Besides a pillow menu for all sleeping styles, additional services will be rolled out subsequently, such as in-room meditation and yoga, curated dining options and luxury bath products. I swear, those pillows are so heavenly - I fell asleep immediately as it envelopes your head within seconds.

Other thoughtful in-room designs include the separate lavatory and waterfall shower (sadly no built-in bidet), ample USB and pin charging points, as well as a wide full-length sliding mirror to ensure your outfit is a perfect fit for work or an outdoor activity in Singapore. For the size of its space, the room make use of everything immaculately well.

If there was a minor negative, it’s probably the position of the thermostat. It’s built into the headboard of the twin bed, which made it slightly awkward to change temperatures at times. I think it would have been easier to simply latch it onto a wall instead. For business travelers, perhaps a more usable table for laptop work would also have been great, though given the space of the room, I could see how that’s probably not the case.

Amenities | Pan Pacific Orchard

The selling point of the hotel has to be its terraces. The unique design of this hotel has allowed it to create terraces - the hotel has 4 themed terraces and these terraces serve as activity / facility areas for the hotel. Let’s work our way from the top down:

On the 18th floor, this section is called the cloud terrace, and houses the hotel’s outdoor events space. I assume events planned here would be a blast with all their pre-existing infrastructure. Having a work party here would be a blast.

On the 11th floor is the garden terrace, which houses a wide grass patch, a sky garden, the hotel bar called Florette as well as the Pacific Club Lounge, which is accessible via the personal or public elevators. It’s a beautiful place to walk around and really enjoy the vibes - I found myself taking my calls at times over here, even if it was still humid and hot outside.

On the 5th floor is the beach terrace and this is where the swimming pool as well as the fitness center and spa are located. The swimming pool here aims to emulate itself as a resort kind of feel, complete with an irregular, wavy shape, beige tones surrounding the pool and a partially submerged bar. Customers that book the beach club lofts will have their very own lounge that has access to the pool, which is pretty cool. Overall, the pool is massive is entirely possible for guests to swim laps here if they wish. In fact, it’s probably the prettiest part of the hotel grounds and I found myself also frequenting here both in the late afternoon and early mornings.

The fitness area boasts of both indoor and outdoor spaces. The indoor gym is modest in size but comes equipped with a rather comprehensive array of exercise machines. I was more than happy to utilize their state of the art treadmills and their free weights while staring out to the poolside. In addition, the outdoor space has monkey bars and a TRX machine - I worked out in the early morning heat and was completely drenched after a series of warm-ups on the TRX bands!

Food & Beverage | Pan Pacific Orchard

Breakfast was served at Mosella, the hotel’s restaurant. The design of the hotel made it incredibly beautiful in the morning, with natural light flowing all over the glass walls. It’s has a romantic vibe to it - even in the mornings, I couldn’t help but admire the architecture of this place while sipping my coffee.

From Asian to Western cuisine, there were a selection of choices for all - there were dedicated stations that featured laksa, eggs, bacon and hash browns. I found the pastry section notable for offering cakes and puddings that I don’t normally see for breakfast in other hotels, as well as various yogurts and salad bar. There is also a delightful selection of cold cuts as well as fruits and various coffee machines. The Laksa was perhaps my favorite dish in the breakfast buffet, as everything else was quite standard.

Mosella also hosts the hotel’s lunch and dinner. Lunch and Dinner are a-la carte, both boasting Mediterranean cuisine with a Peruvian twist, thoughtfully created by San Sebastian native and Executive Chef Pedro Samper. Here, diners can witness Chef Pedro and his team work their magic in the open kitchen.

If you’re fancying a drink, the hotel’s destination bar Florette, located at the Garden Terrace is a beautiful place to be at night. Focusing on premium oysters and a rotating menu of carefully curated champagne, guests can indulge and appreciate exclusive seasonal pairings. The bar’s in-house crafted cocktails are inspired by florals and botanicals, following its namesake which represents the Goddess of Flowers in Roman mythology.

I was recommended the famed Chicory, a concoction of Monkey Shoulder and averna (a popular Italian bitter liqueur), and gently lifted by the addition of sweet honey and acid. The aromatic Lavender is also another standout, with rich and fruity flavors thanks to its mix of Plantation 3 Stars Rum, El Dorado 12, and velvet falernum. Needless to say, it was a great way to unwind after a long day at work, though i found myself knocking out rather quickly.

Conclusion | Pan Pacific Orchard

It’s a breath of fresh air - this hotel is awesome both on the service side and its product side.

Even with with their hotels being at 100% capacity during my stay, the staff were friendly and insightful in catering to my needs during my stay. The room, while generally small, was technologically advanced, had fast wifi and came with luxury amenities. The terraces were simply a cherry on top for this gorgeous property.

As one of their flagship property, fans of Pan Pacific hotels will not be led astray with this superb hotel. Business travelers will have their needs taken cared of here but leisure travelers are given an added treat with a resort-like feel right in the heart of Singapore’s main shopping district of Orchard. The architecture is simply unique and a marvel to look at, as evident with their 4 themed terraces. I would highly recommend the Pan Pacific Orchard Singapore should your stay be more in the Orchard district, while first-time travelers may not like its location. However, that being said - the property grounds may be enough to sway even those who desire location over anything else.