Q Loft Hotel1929@Chinatown

Our room was tiny! OK, I know this is normal in Singapore but there are ways to improve tiny rooms eg extra shelves, somewhere to leave your suitcase etc. And one of our shower nozzles (there were 2) was right above the toilet, very impracticable! And I had a cold shower - when I complained to reception they said you are supposed to turn on the switch, "which switch", the one by the front door, he replied, as if I was stupid. I finally figured out this is the norm in Singapore. So I explained to him that this is not normal in other countries and that they should put a sticker on the switch! Also, their restaurant was closed for renovations but we could have breakfast in their sister hotel down the road, which, of course, was overly crowded! Very long queue for the 1 coffee machine. Horrible hot buffet breakfast ie eggs, sausage. Pastries were available so I suggested at our hotel that maybe they should have pastries available during the restaurant renovation, as that was all that I ate from their sister hotel. But they do provide free coffee and cold water in reception - that was appreciated. The area is great, close to Chinatown and walking distance to other attractions. The street was quiet, which was amazing as it is a famous street. And there was building work across the street which wasn't annoying either! There is a Hindu temple which bangs its drums early in the morning. I wouldn't stay there again, I find out our friends stayed down the road in a better hotel.....

This is one of my go-to hotels. Its in a great area, convenient for work and MRT with some of the best restaurants and bars in the city close by. Recently its changed ownership (the 3rd time in as many years) but the service is overall better than it was before. This is a historical converted shop house so its important to consider that its going to be a bit quirky. Almost all of the rooms are small 10-15sqm, they will be tight for two people, especially with large luggage. Rooms on the 4th floor do not have windows as they are in the lost roof space. The rooms have storage for folding clothes under the bed but they could use more hanging space and hangers. Our room had one hanging rack on the back of the door with just 3 hangers. There is no place to hang towels. This is the biggest fault of the hotel, especially for 2 people as in a small room you want to unpack your bag so you don't have to constantly try to access your suitcase. The other problem is the water heater. Its a small tank located in the roof above the washroom. If you're two people showering, you have to be smart or you will run out after one shower. The good news is the water heats fast, give it about 30mns between showers if you run out. The internet uses the annoying front-end gate system that forces a pop-up where you enter your pass-code. These system are known to be large unsecured. My computer blocks them so I had to hotspot from my mobile. Otherwise it was a good stay.

Hotel 1929 is on a very funky street in what used to be the red light district of Chinatown but is now the site of great restaurants, cafes and bars. So you won't have trouble finding somewhere to eat! I am not bothered by street noise, but if you are, you either need to insist on a room facing away from the street or just avoid this hotel. The young staff are friendly and solved any issues I had, such as the air conditioner not working one day. Although the hotel boasts about its heritage status, the only thing left from the original shophouses is the façade. Inside, the new rooms are ingeniously designed, but tiny. Mine was supposedly a double, but I'd hate to have to share it. There is no storage space to speak of, and you are going to have to live out of your suitcase. Most of the room was take up by a stepped platform on which the mattress sits -- I found this difficult to avoid stumbling over! I would definitely come back to this neighbourhood on another stay, but, great though the staff were, I might look to see what else was available. Oh, no minibar/fridge in the room, either. And the mini-safe was at ground level, under a cabinet, so you had to lie on the floor to use it.

We were very pleased with our stay at Hotel 1929. It's location was convenient in downtown Chinatown and only 400m from the nearest MRT which was such an easy walk and made access to all of Singapore's attraction so attainable (we got the Singapore 3 day MRT pass for $20 for unlimited travel which is a bargain as we used it non stop!). We walked to Maxwell Hawker Market and Chinatown Point Hawker Market every day and ate soooo cheaply for good fresh food. Staff were super super friendly - nothing was too much trouble for them and they saved us a fortune on taxi fares on the return jounrey by getting us a GrabnGo (thanks Chris for everything!). The room was small and basic but clean and all we needed for a 2 night stay. We chose this hotel knowning this as the price suited us as we travelled with 2 children (12 and 15) and needed 2 rooms (their room was a little musty). Be aware of small bathrooms = toilet and shower in same room/area. This was no problem for us. Amenities are basic but we weren't looking for this on this particular holiday so it was also no issue for us. As there is no minibar, they offer coffee and juices free of charge at reception - basic but hey, what more can you want if it's free! Overall, very pleased with our stay here.

A total disappointment. Hotel lobby looked like the back storage of a bar. As soon as we got off the grab car, my first view of the hotel we’re metal beer kegs. It’s a non smoking facility, but the FD clerk and the lobby smelled of smoke. I paid for two rooms. The rooms were so tiny! There were hardly any space to even turn 360 degrees! The shower was practically over the toilet, we had to shower over it. Hot water was good enough for one. My husband had to shower with cold water. One of the towels had a hole in it. The towels look as if they’re several years old. In the balcony, I saw next rooms window sills were falling apart. I am horrified that Expedia even promote this hotel.