12 hour layover in Changi - which hotel to pick?

[SBD]

Hello,

I'll have 12 hours in Changi during a BNE-SIN-JFK journey in early June.

The flight from BNE (SQ 266) arrives 12:10am, connection (SQ24) departs at12:10pm, so I've got exactly 12 hours and want to sleep before the 18 hour flight to NY.

Which airside hotel should I pick? I think I depart Terminal 3 - should I pick the one in that terminal (Ambassador Transit Hotel)? Are there cheaper, more capsule-style options in the airport?

Grateful for ideas, advice, and suggestions (on this or related subjects).

Also, what lounge will I expect in Singapore, and what lounge in Brisbane? (VA Gold; the BNE-SIN-JFK itinerary is a Velocity reward in business).

Thank you,

SBD

 

[SBD]

For the CP, if that was the rate for one night, you could have just booked it the night before. No idea if a "day room" rate would have been cheaper, but I'm going to hazard a guess it would not have been bookable for the hours you wanted (they would have forced you to pay the normal per-night rate, i.e. from checkin to checkout).

The Ambassador looks a bit tired in the photos (especially the bathroom), but it will be clean, the beds look pretty decent and I suppose it is in the transit area, so logistics-wise that is a plus. FWIW and for giggles, $242 for 8 hours works out to be just about $30 per hour.

Oh you're absolutely right - could have booked a normal night and checked in late.

This will be totally fine.

I don't expect to order the included meal but it's nice to have as an option. I assume the T3 SilverKris lounge is 24/7 and I'm welcome in there on arrival from BNE after midnight, if I feel like it?

I did Singapore with family (including young kids) 18 months ago and it was great but this time it is literally a transit between Australia and JFK.

Really appreciate all your (plural) advice. SBD

 

[anat0l]

I don't expect to order the included meal but it's nice to have as an option. I assume the T3 SilverKris lounge is 24/7 and I'm welcome in there on arrival from BNE after midnight, if I feel like it?

Yes, the T3 SilverKris lounge is open 24/7. There should be at least a decent array of food even after midnight, because there are still long haul SQ flights departing until about 2 am or so. That said, I think the bartender will call it a night at 1 am.

Of course you can go in - you're in transit and you'll have your onward boarding pass.

 

[JohnK]

This is not for everyone but I simply will not consider spending $250 for a few hours sleep.

In Sep 25 and Apr 26 we have 3 overnight transits in SIN to/from BKK and we will spend these in either T2 or T3 KrisFlyer Gold lounges depending on which one is the least busiest. The T3 lounge has the sofa style seats where you can stretch a little. Wife and daughter can easily get 3-4 hours sleep. I love to go for a walk. Sometimes between terminals. One time I did the full circle although not sure that is now possible with all the reservations.

The money saved on hotel for the night goes to the girls as bonus shopping money in Pattaya.

 

[Quickstatus]

For Affers in general, if booking with points and you plan to dine in the restaurant, ensure you ask reception to take deposit on your credit card otherwise you can’t charge to your room and you won’t earn points.

I've always presented CC for pre-auth regardless of points usage. It's an automatic physiological reflex - passport/Amex

 

[SBD]

This is not for everyone but I simply will not consider spending $250 for a few hours sleep.

In Sep 25 and Apr 26 we have 3 overnight transits in SIN to/from BKK and we will spend these in either T2 or T3 KrisFlyer Gold lounges depending on which one is the least busiest. The T3 lounge has the sofa style seats where you can stretch a little. Wife and daughter can easily get 3-4 hours sleep. I love to go for a walk. Sometimes between terminals. One time I did the full circle although not sure that is now possible with all the reservations.

The money saved on hotel for the night goes to the girls as bonus shopping money in Pattaya.

Horses for courses and I've certainly spent nights on airport floors in my time (YUL by far the worst, but a story for another day).

For me it's an easy spend given (a) it's eight hours of uninterrupted sleep/rest, from 1am-9am, (2) the onwards flight is 18+ hours to JFK, and (b) I'm only in the United States for a few days before returning to Australia.

 

[daft009]

This is not for everyone but I simply will not consider spending $250 for a few hours sleep.

In Sep 25 and Apr 26 we have 3 overnight transits in SIN to/from BKK and we will spend these in either T2 or T3 KrisFlyer Gold lounges depending on which one is the least busiest. The T3 lounge has the sofa style seats where you can stretch a little. Wife and daughter can easily get 3-4 hours sleep. I love to go for a walk. Sometimes between terminals. One time I did the full circle although not sure that is now possible with all the reservations.

The money saved on hotel for the night goes to the girls as bonus shopping money in Pattaya.

one's a work trip. one's a holiday

 

[anat0l]

This is not for everyone but I simply will not consider spending $250 for a few hours sleep.

In Sep 25 and Apr 26 we have 3 overnight transits in SIN to/from BKK and we will spend these in either T2 or T3 KrisFlyer Gold lounges depending on which one is the least busiest. The T3 lounge has the sofa style seats where you can stretch a little. Wife and daughter can easily get 3-4 hours sleep. I love to go for a walk. Sometimes between terminals. One time I did the full circle although not sure that is now possible with all the reservations.

The money saved on hotel for the night goes to the girls as bonus shopping money in Pattaya.

I did a similar thing to you on my recent trip with a transit in Changi. Was walking around all of terminals 1, 2 and 3 - the "full circle" - after midnight. Personally I was trying to tire myself out so that when I eventually got to the SilverKris lounge I would almost essentially go straight to sleep, because no matter what I found to sleep on in the lounge, it was never going to compare to a bed, and a few hours nap was going to do me good before my early morning flight.

Watching the halls of Changi Airport in the middle of the night lined with bodies slumped against wall sides or on any kind of seating was interesting.

When I got to the SilverKris J lounge, it was probably about 2-3am or so. Almost every place in the lounge where someone could lie down (e.g. sofas) were already taken (obviously showing I'm a bit of a greenhorn at this sort of game). I ended up sleeping on a "bench" style seating in the dining area for maybe just over 90 minutes, when I was woken up by some passengers arriving from or for the first flights of the day. At least a good shower and a decent coffee helped jolt me so I could make my flight for a slightly more comfortable nap.

 

[JohnK]

one's a work trip. one's a holiday

I missed that it was a work trip. It's not in post #1 so mentioned elsewhere by @SBD and I'm assuming covered by work?

I thought I'd have a laugh and check SIN T3 Ambassador transit hotel for Sep 2025. For 6 hours use its $373! What? I'm assuming it's AUD and not SGD because that'd be taking piss even more. But they do have free cancellation and breakfast.

And yes it is horses for courses. We arrive around midnight and depart twice at 7:00am and once at 9:00am. Would I do any different if we were departing noon or later? More than likely not unless there's a hotel for the 3 of us around $100/night or lower? I think Geylang is now close to $150/night which just goes to show how ridiculous hotel rates have become in SIN. I used to book these hotels for $30-$40/night or less.

 

[SBD]

I missed that it was a work trip. It's not in post #1 so mentioned elsewhere by @SBD and I'm assuming covered by work?

I thought I'd have a laugh and check SIN T3 Ambassador transit hotel for Sep 2025. For 6 hours use its $373! What? I'm assuming it's AUD and not SGD because that'd be taking piss even more. But they do have free cancellation and breakfast.

And yes it is horses for courses. We arrive around midnight and depart twice at 7:00am and once at 9:00am. Would I do any different if we were departing noon or later? More than likely not unless there's a hotel for the 3 of us around $100/night or lower? I think Geylang is now close to $150/night which just goes to show how ridiculous hotel rates have become in SIN. I used to book these hotels for $30-$40/night or less.

So, for the record - not that it matters, but just for the sake of clarity - it's a personal trip (25th college reunion) but done at a work pace and with the expectation (from me) that I'll dip into work email here and there, in the way the modern world has evolved.

I'll have four days in the United States, and SQ is just the best way to get from Sydney to JFK using Velocity points (the return leg is via what I think of as the conventional way, on UA from LAX).

I stayed in a capsule-style accommodation in either HNL or SFO once in the mid-1990s and it was brilliant, and I'd do so again if it were available, but the T3 Ambassador is the closest thing I can find. I do wish it cost what the capsule cost in c1994...

SBD

 

[Disco]

So, for the record - not that it matters, but just for the sake of clarity - it's a personal trip (25th college reunion) but done at a work pace and with the expectation (from me) that I'll dip into work email here and there, in the way the modern world has evolved.

I'll have four days in the United States, and SQ is just the best way to get from Sydney to JFK using Velocity points (the return leg is via what I think of as the conventional way, on UA from LAX).

I stayed in a capsule-style accommodation in either HNL or SFO once in the mid-1990s and it was brilliant, and I'd do so again if it were available, but the T3 Ambassador is the closest thing I can find. I do wish it cost what the capsule cost in c1994...

SBD

I've been following the latter parts of this thread as we may have a similar situation later in the year and was looking at the different possibilities. Didn't realise you were flying on award points from SIN to JFK. From that perspective a hotel booking with a good sleep is more than made up from the savings you have achieved on the air fare. Will also be interested if you have the time and inclination to hear how your arrival and ESTA is treated,.

 

[serfty]

When I got to the SilverKris J lounge, it was probably about 2-3am or so. Almost every place in the lounge where someone could lie down (e.g. sofas) were already taken (obviously showing I'm a bit of a greenhorn at this sort of game).

Yes, there's a bank of flights leaving 11pm-1am during/shortly after which you can generally find an unoccupied bed/lounge in the T3 KrisFlyer Business Lounge sleep area.