LONDON is where Singapore Arts Festival director Goh Ching Lee's favourite hotel is located. What gets her vote is the location of the four-star hotel and its hip, casual setting, right down to the uniform worn by its staff.
Ms Goh, 46, travels up to 10 times a year to attend arts events, performances and to visit artists. It is part of her work to develop programmes for the festival, which is now on, and which she has been overseeing for the past seven years.
The singleton says she uses the rooms just to store her luggage, shower and rest, as she always keeps tight schedules.
Which is the best hotel you've stayed in?
The Cavendish Hotel in Jermyn Street, London, where I stay in quite frequently. I like its cheerful contemporary design which makes up for the small guest rooms. The front desk and concierge staff are young, friendly and hip in their sporty white and khaki sweatshirts.
But the hotel's greatest appeal is its superb location close to Piccadilly Circus. It's a short walk to the main cultural venues and offices such as the theatres in South Bank, the office of the British Council and the West End area that I'd normally visit in the course of my work.
Literally a few steps away is the tea room at Fortnums and Masons, a famous English tea retailer, as well as the top-floor cafe at Waterstone bookstore. They are convenient for a rendezvous with arts contacts over a nice cup of tea.
It's also a great relief to have my hotel room nearby to drop off the bulky folders, CDs or DVDs collected throughout the day. A night's stay costs around S$455.
What was the worst hotel?
Also in London - the Thistle Selfridge Hotel in Orchard Street. It is excellently located off Oxford Street and has old world charm. But its greatest flaw is the shocking absence of both central heating and air-conditioning systems in the guest rooms. Ironically, the reception areas and corridors are equipped with this.
While air-cooling or hot-air blower units are provided in the guest rooms during summer or winter, they are noisy and ineffective.
What facility can't you do without?
There isn't really one thing that my life depends on in a hotel. However, I normally wish for a swimming pool to fit in some relaxation. But in reality, most hotels I go to have no swimming pool, and even if they had, I don't have the time to use it.
I'd also like tea- and coffee-making facilities in the room. Rather than getting up early for breakfast at the hotel cafe, I prefer to laze in bed and sip a cup of tea while catching morning news on TV and preparing for my meetings.
This part of the morning is my mental oasis, a time to breathe before getting into the grind of the day's activities.
Ever had any scary encounters in a hotel?
Just the one time on my first night in Hotel Arte in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 2002. I was awakened by a scratching noise that came from the corner of my room by a window. As soon as I woke up, it stopped. I returned to sleep, only to be woken up again by the same sound.
The third time this happened, I rang the reception and was told that there was no building work going on that might have contributed to the noise. I then asked if it might be a guest on the floor above who was causing the disturbance, but was told that I was on the highest floor and there was nothing above my room.
That's when my heart skipped a beat. I immediately asked to change to a new room, and did so at 3am with the help of porters. I had no problems after that.
What do you look for in a hotel?
Location and security. I look for hotels that are close to theatre venues as most of my working visits involve watching performances, and where I feel it would be relatively safe for me to walk to and back from performances at night.
Be honest. Do you cart home hotel freebies?
Doesn't everyone? Yes, though I pick up only shampoos, conditioners and liquid shower gels. They're to substitute the three-in-one shampoos and soap bars that I get in other hotels I stay in which are bad for the hair and skin.
