Fairmont or Swissôtel? Choosing between Singapore's twin hotels

Two hotels, one building

If you've ever walked through Raffles City in Singapore, you've walked under both of these hotels. The Fairmont and the Swissôtel The Stamford were built together in 1986 as part of the same I.M. Pei complex, and they still share almost everything: the mall underneath, City Hall station, the convention centre, the pool and the huge Willow Stream Spa. Both belong to the same hotel group, and you can walk from one lobby to the other in a couple of minutes.

We stayed at the Fairmont, but we were in and out of the Swissôtel every day, for drinks up on the 70th floor and dinner at JAAN. So when people ask us which to book, the answer isn't about the location or the facilities, because those are the same. It's about the kind of room you want to wake up in.

The rooms

The Fairmont is split into two towers, and the South Tower has just been renovated. Our room there was lovely, calm and modern, with the bed facing the window like an island so you wake up looking at Marina Bay. The North Tower is older and feels it, so ask for the South Tower when you book.

The Swissôtel is one tall tower of more than 1,200 rooms, and all of them were redone between 2017 and 2019, so you won't land in a tired one the way you might in the Fairmont's North Tower. Some of the Premier rooms and the suites have their own balconies, which at that height is quite something.

If comfort and a good night's sleep matter most, I'd pick the Fairmont's South Tower. It feels more like a nice hotel and less like a busy tower block.

The views

The Swissôtel wins this one easily. At 73 storeys it was once the tallest hotel in the world, and from the higher floors you look straight down over Marina Bay, the Padang and the Formula One track. Guests who book it for race weekend rave about watching the cars from their room. On a hazy day, though, you might not see much at all.

Even if you stay at the Fairmont, go up to the Swissôtel's 70th floor. SKAI is the bar up there, and JAAN by Kirk Westaway, with two Michelin stars, shares the same floor. Watching the sun go down from either is one of the best things you can do in the city.

Eating and drinking

Between them there are about a dozen restaurants and bars, and you can use any of them whichever hotel you're in. JAAN is the one to book for a big night. On the Fairmont side, Prego does good, simple Italian, and ANTI:DOTE is the best place for a cocktail at ground level.

Breakfast lets both hotels down. Ours at the Fairmont was the worst part of the stay, with long queues downstairs and dirty cutlery upstairs. Recent guests at the Swissôtel call its breakfast average, with not much choice. Singapore is full of great breakfasts, so don't pay extra for the hotel one at either.

Crowds and timing

Neither hotel is a hideaway. Together they have around 2,000 rooms, a convention centre and a mall full of shoppers, so the lobbies and the pool are busy most of the day. The pool gets crowded on hot afternoons, so go first thing in the morning or after dark.

Watch the calendar too. Over the Grand Prix weekend the Swissôtel's view of the track makes it one of the most wanted rooms in town, and guests say rates jump to several times the usual. If you're not there for the race, avoid those dates at both hotels.

Which one we'd book

For most trips, we'd book the Fairmont in a South Tower bay-view room. It's the more comfortable stay, the service is quick and efficient, and if you want a quieter base inside a big hotel, Fairmont Gold gives you your own lounge and check-in.

Book the Swissôtel if the view is the point. If it's your first time in Singapore and you want to open the curtains on the whole city, or you're coming for the race, a high-floor room there is hard to beat. And if you can't decide, stay at the Fairmont and go up to SKAI for a drink. You'll get the best of both.