Review: 21 Carpenter Singapore, Design Hotels

For a 22-hour layover in Singapore before meeting my connecting flight to Kuala Lumpur the next day, I wanted to stay somewhere close to the city center so that I could explore as many things as possible before flying back out. 

Singapore is certainly not the cheapest place to have your layover, but for such a short amount of time, I also didn’t need the full-service experience you would see at more luxurious properties such as The Singapore EDITION or Conrad Singapore Orchard. 

Learning that 21 Carpenter Singapore only recently opened in December 2023, about half a year before my stay in May 2024, I thought I would give them a shot.

Booking & Check-in

The hotel selection in Singapore can be pricey, so I chose to redeem my Marriott Bonvoy points for this stay. I used 37,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, compared to the potential $512 Canadian Dollars I could have spent for the night. Prices are also less when you book more than two weeks in advance, where redemptions can be as low as 30,000 points or $460, paying at the cash rate.

I booked less than a week before arrival because I was figuring out whether or not I should have used my annual Marriott Free Night Awards, one of the perks from my American Express Marriott Bonvoy card.

American Express Marriott Bonvoy Card

Apply Now Learn More

American Express Marriott Bonvoy Card

The American Express Marriott Bonvoy card earns Bonvoy points and offers cardholders benefits including an annual free night and 15 qualifying nights towards elite status.

Check out our American Express Marriott Bonvoy card review for more details.

BONUS
50,000 Marriott Bonvoy

MINSPEND
$1,500

NET VALUE
$330+

ANNUAL FEE
$120

FOREX FEES
Yes

EXPIRY
–

This boutique property only has 48 guestrooms and suites, divided between ‘Heritage’ and ‘Urban’ series of rooms. Guests assigned to rooms starting with ‘Heritage’ were staying in the original building with more traditional decor, while those staying in rooms starting with ‘Urban’ were lodging in a brand new section on top of the original building with more modern aesthetics. 

Originally I booked an Urban Luxe room since those were the only choices for a redemption booking. At check-in, I was told that I had been upgraded to a Heritage Balcony Suite instead, thanks to my Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite Status. The room key is a very cool cross-section of wood with the hotel’s logo stamped and aligned with the key holder.

The main entrance to 21 Carpenter was much more subtle compared to a traditional property.

Located off the main road on Carpenter Street, I thought it was an entrance for a shop as there was no signage at eye level or on the door itself.

With less than fifty rooms, the check-in area only had one counter, usually with just one or two employees around at all times. I don’t think I ever saw any other guests during my stay, except in the rooftop pool and at check-out. 

The lobby area seemed more like a living room than a traditional hotel reception area. Right next door is the hotel’s on-site “neo-bistro” restaurant, Kee’s, headed by Michelin-starred chef Andrew Walsh.

Location

Located near Clarke Quay, the hotel is convenient to attractions and amenities in Singapore. The Clarke Quay MRT station is just across the street, with a pedestrian overpass just around the corner from the hotel’s entrance. Using transit or rideshare services such as Grab or a taxi is probably the go-to transportation method during your stay as there are no parking services available. There is hourly paid on-street parking though I’m not sure whether or not you can park in those spots overnight.

The hotel’s building, Chye Hua Seng Wee Kee, played a significant role in Singapore’s financial history. It was one of the first establishments to help Singapore immigrants send money back home to their countries and families. The building was built in 1936, with the rooftop extension being completed in 2023. The design elements used in revitalizing the building won the Singapore Institute of Architects 2024 ‘Design of the Year’ award for 21 Carpenter.

Room – Heritage Balcony Suite

The Heritage rooms pay homage to the building’s historic role in Singapore’s growth and feature some of its original design elements. It incorporates the restored Chengal wood floors and glass from the building before it was renovated.

Immediately upon entering was a living room area, complete with a sofa, television, and a couple of tables.

On one of the tables, the staff left a handwritten welcome note from the General Manager and a pair of Sea Salt Gula Melaka shortbread cookies.

The prominent feature of this suite was the balcony, which had two pairs of doors to keep the air conditioning inside.

The balcony faces the Clarke Quay Central shopping center and the main road outside. I was on the fourth floor, so my room was above the pedestrian overpass used to cross the road.

The minibar was located in a large wardrobe along with snacks for purchase and a sink.

Although there was no coffee maker, an electric kettle with pour-over coffee and tea was available.

The bathroom is small but still very functional.

It had all the essential bath products you would need, supplied by Smith & Co from New Zealand.

The r/marriott subreddit often raves about legible shower liquid labels, and the labels on these would probably pass with flying colors.

The corridor into the bedroom and bathroom has a sizable closet with robes, slippers, and a Dyson hairdryer with various styling accessories. The safe was also located here. If you need extra storage space, there is a similar-sized closet beside the main door as well.

The bedroom was small but it felt very cozy because of a hallway separating it from the living room. 

A locking partition at the end of the hallway can be used to divide the bed and bathroom from the rest of the suite.

One of the end tables had a Bang & Olufsen portable speaker that you could use. I didn’t see an alarm clock in the room so I think this was the substitute once paired with a Bluetooth device.

I don’t usually request a turndown service but when I got back to my room after exploring Singapore for a few hours, I saw that one of the corners of my bed was unfolded with slippers on the side.

Restaurants

Kee’s

The Design Hotels Collection is exempt from offering breakfast or food benefits to Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status or higher members, so unfortunately, there was no complimentary food or beverage at the on-site restaurant during my stay. 

The on-site restaurant is Kee’s, which offers a variety of different dishes from Europe and Asia.

Their menu, also for room service, has all-day offerings with bar service and features an extensive alcohol selection with 17 pages for spirits and wine.

Facilities

Pool

The hotel’s rooftop features an infinity pool with picturesque views of Singapore’s Skyline. It faces northeast, with the iconic Marine Bay Sands hotel in the background.

There is also a small seating area directly beside the pool, but there aren’t any typical pool lounge chairs available.

Lounge Areas

The hotel has two unique lounge areas available to all customers. One is the ‘Garden Terrace’, an outdoor plaza with various pieces of outdoor furniture surrounded by greenery. With the humidity and heat, I didn’t use this space at all during my stay, though it would be a nice area to hang out at night. There also was not much of a view, just the building across the street.

The other lounge area is on the rooftop, just before you enter the pool area. This space is separated by glass from the pool and outside area, so you don’t have to suffer from the Southeast Asian heat and humidity. At night when I woke up at 5 in the morning because of the time zone differences, I chose to hang out here where it was quiet and Singapore was just starting to wake up.

The book rack had plenty of literature written by the architecture firm that renovated the building prior to the hotel’s opening. If you are an architecture or urbanism nerd like me, reading these books is great for learning about building design and sustainability.

Conclusion

Staying at the 21 Carpenter was an excellent redemption for my points and a short stay in Singapore. As my first Design Hotels Collection experience, it was really cool seeing different design features and the elements the independent hotel operator wanted to incorporate. 

This property really stood out to me with its history and its significance to Singapore’s evolution, especially as someone who is really interested in urban development. Having independent properties like 21 Carpenter really helps boost the Marriott Bonvoy program in terms of variety and experiences outside of what you would usually expect at Marriott’s corporate branded locations.