Hmlet Essentials Novena

Very nice location, not central to Singapore but very close to multiple public transit stops made getting around easy. Staff were helpful and attentive. Hallways could be a little dirty. Laundry detergent is not included when booking a room with a washer/dryer, but otherwise the amenities were lovely.

Overall is good, but remember check window is closed or not

The facility is very clean; the staff is friendly & communicate valuable instructions in a timely fashion. check-in and out is extremely efficient. Also, the place is located next door to the Zhongshan mall which has a lot of affordable restaurants. I’d recommend this place in a heartbeat.

Overall, our stay was good. We booked a room without a window, which was completely fine since we weren’t planning to spend much time in the room anyway. The room was definitely smaller than I expected based on the photos, but I’ve stayed in other big cities like Tokyo and New York, so it wasn’t a huge surprise. The biggest downside was the air conditioning. It worked, but it was much louder than a normal AC unit and made an unusual noise throughout the night. Our sheets also had a couple of small stains when we arrived, which wasn’t ideal. If you’re staying on the top floor, just be aware there are stairs and no elevator, so if you have heavy luggage, I’d recommend requesting a room on a lower floor. Other than those things, the hotel had all the amenities that were advertised, and the staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. Overall, I think it’s a fair value for the price—you get what you pay for, and despite a few minor issues, we had a decent stay.

This was my third stay at Novena and have had several stays at Cantonment and one at Owen House. I really like the brand and the value proposition. When I arrived the air conditioning was making a noise. I can live with a humming, but this was a squeaking. Maintenance came and said it was the motor. I spoke with reception (Azim) and he agreed to move me the next day. The situation was handled well and I was told to just leave my things and they would move everything including items in refrigerator. I will say that the last three rooms I've stayed in at Novena have had problems with the safe. A few months ago upon arriving the safe was locked and battery was dead. Maintenance replaced the battery. But it kept failing. They eventually gave me the key to use instead of a code. Then this visit, the first room (the one with the bad a/c) had a similar problem. Finally, the room I moved into for the remaider of my one month stay had a problem with the safe. Upon arrival it was closed, locked, and didn't work. Both maintenance and Jonothan couldn't open it. Jonothan provided a great work around by bringing me a second safe from reception! One annoyance is that there is only one bottle of body wash provided. So, this has to be taken continuously from sink to shower, or in my case, I just bought soap for the sink. This is quite ridiculous. Provide a small bottle for the bathroom sink - especially when sink is usualy not located in the physical bathroom, but just outside.