Parkroyal Hotel. Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury
The first thing you need to know about the Parkroyal Hotel is how to get there. If you have a car the hotel has an underground car park, and the lift is separate from the lift to the ground floor. So co-ordinate with your family and friends. If you are travelling by train the most convenient exit is H which brings you out under the shopping mall opposite. H for hotel. The MRT is Farrer Park, one stop away from Little India. I followed the MRT directions and came out at exit A and had to ask the way from a passer by.
The Emerald Ballroom
We had a seven course Gala dinner.
Fine Food
We started with a tray of hors d'oevres, including what I reckoned was jellyfish.
Menu Revealed
I was perplexed as to whether the fish dish was the main course. No, there were two more courses after that. But why no menu.
Eventually I found the restaurant manager and asked him. The menu was downloadable from a QR code. You could see it on a small stand on a shelf near our table. Nobody had told us. No sign on the table. No communication from the staff.
Stage & Screens
Our table at the back corner was hidden from the stage by a huge oblong pillar. To answer a question and win a prize I had to run up to the stage. By the time I got back my half eaten chicken soup had been cleared away by the quick acting server.
When I went to complain to the manager that we could not see the stage from our table (with lovely Indian dancers) he pointed out that there was a screen on the far wall alongside. Another screen half way down the side wall had been obscured by our banners. In any case you could not appreciate the dancers at that distance. We were able to just about read the text signs about awards to clubs.
Socialising
One or two of the organizers had made a point of circling the room to say hello to everybody. I thought that was a good idea. I circled the room and was able to find a treasured friend from Australia who I had seen numerous times on Zoom but never met in person.
It was very interesting to meet people in person after the Covid zoom only years. I am short. Some of the people, especially the men, turned out to be too talk to speak to when they were standing, especially if they thought it was polite to stand up to speak to me. On the other hand, ladies who were expert seniors turned out to be exactly my height and very easy to talk to, and much more friendly and pally less distanced senior experts which they had seemed online.
Photo Taking Etiquette
I discovered there is a certain etiquette to taking photos. After asking somebody to take a photo, it is polite to ask to have a photo with them, either one of you standing outside the picture as photographer, or doing a close up selfie, or calling a members of staff or stranger or passer by to take the photo.
Hidden Paper Towels in Toilets
I saw the sign under the mirror for hand drying. I had worked out that you wave your hand under the taps to trigger a light sensitive or movement sensitive circle which resulted in a gush of water. So I reckoned that if I waved my hands I would get a jet of air to dry my hands, as in the Dyson dryers. No. No luck.
Then I on my fourth or fifth visit to the ladies room in a long day, I saw a lady drying her hands with a paper towel. I asked her where she got it. You reach under the mirror, feel a brush oo paper and pull. Out comes a paper towel. As the saying does, you could have fooled me.
Mango Dessert
As Shakespeare;s play title says, All's well that ends well.
Mango dessert.
Mango dessert. Photo by Angela Lansbury
Next day the staff on the reception desk on the ground floor were very helpful. Welcoming smile. Patiently helped me install a company like grab on my phone.
It is called the Parkroyal on Kitchener because there are other Parkroyal hotels in Singapore.
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