Hotel Review: Hotel Vagabond Singapore

Hotel Vagabond Singapore

There was a BBC documentary shown in the United Kingdom last year about British Airways. It tracked the people and business of the airline with reality style behind the scenes footage. In one episode, a country manager addressed his staff saying: “It takes the right kind of person with the confidence to guide one of those (premium) customers around. They guide a company with 20,000 employees and then one of our team (members) has to guide them around in an area they are not familiar with.”

In service oriented industries, this rhetoric is not uncommon.

The prosperity of a company, whether it is food and beverage, airline, hospitality, retail etc, rely heavily on its customers loyalty. While it is easy to identify demographics, it is less obvious in practical terms to spot by sight who they are, what they look like and how they behave.

If Alibaba’s Jack Ma was not such a photographed industry leader, you may not know he has a net worth of $25 billion.

You never make assumptions about who is coming through your door.

Unfortunately, for a new hotel in Singapore’s Syed Alwi Road, their policies seem to be about assumptions.

The Hotel Vagabond is the latest offering by Satinder Garcha, an Indian born dot com entrepreneur turned luxury real estate developer and hotelier who is also the 48th richest man in Singapore, with a net worth of $440 million according to Forbes.

His three level boutique hotel set in a conserved shophouse has retained its old world charm, keeping the original facade similar to other boutique hotels in the Chinatown district.

But the charm of the brand ends there.

On a visit last weekend, at the invitation of a visiting colleague, I discovered that the well earned reputation for less than stellar service in Singapore was being perpetuated by the staff of this newly opened hotel.

I went there suitably dressed for a proper dinner. I was met by a suited man at what seemed to be the sole entrance to the property, and initially welcomed cordially while still standing outside. He did not identify himself, yet he asked me what my purpose was for the night.

I said I was there for dinner, and I was asked if I had a reservation. I replied yes I believe so but I was going to my colleague’s room first, as requested by him, to confirm. Then I was asked for my colleague’s name, which I gave. Then I was asked for his room number. I was puzzled about the line of questioning. And even more perturbed that he was clearly not going to let me in. I looked around to see if there was an alternative entry point. I asked him where the lobby and reception was. The man in the suit pointed to the one single doorway to my right without any offer to let me go inside. He then said that I had to wait while the staff called my colleague.

I was being questioned while being kept outside close to the street.

I thought this to be incredibly rude. I have never been disallowed entry at any fine establishment anywhere in the world, much less a newly opened boutique hotel. I let myself in, and was followed closely by this man in the suit. He told me that every house guest would need to give front desk a invited guest list, presumably as a means to authorize entry to the upper floors. This was a curious practice, not entirely unusual, but a little unreasonable and high handed, especially since the house guest was not informed at check in of this policy.

Later, my colleague and I got intercepted on our way to the restaurant by this man and an unknown Caucasian lady.

My colleague, who was previously told by a member of the senior management that he was the first paying guest to check into the hotel, was immediately recognized and warmly greeted by this man in the suit. We took the opportunity to relay our grievances.

As frequent travelers who fly premium, and stay in and work with premium hospitality brands, we are not entirely clueless to how they operate and what happened afterwards was a textbook account of service failure.

I recounted from my point of view about what had happened and how it made me feel. How I felt was disregarded. This was followed by the man again speaking about the policy that he had to carry out. 

I understand security protocols and the need to protect the safety of hotel guests and staff. I also know in hospitality, a high level of discretion is required to forge ties rather than offend your target demographic. Clearly this hotel has set in place procedures to prevent undesirables with questionable intentions from entering its premises. But I had made my intentions clear, and I was puzzled what I had done to project the impression of being an undesirable.

The Caucasian lady did not identify herself to either of us. When we inquired, she said she was a ‘Salonaire’. There was indeed a restaurant on the premises called The Salon, and we wondered if she was a wait staff, a manager or something else. Only when we asked further did she say she was in charge of the entire ground floor. Still, we were not sure if she was a Front Office manager or a Duty Manager or something else. Apparently this hotel created titles for certain roles that frequent hotel customers could not possibly understand without the benefit of being taught what these titles meant in real world and industry terms.  We were not guided.

Still, one would assume if someone was ‘in charge’, that this person would have the training, experience and authority to manage crisis and disputes. This was not evident.

Not only did she spout policy again, she had the audacity to say that this policy of vetting people was a hotel industry ‘practice’ (and I quote her here). She did not defuse the situation, she did not manage guests’ expectations, she did not offer any solution. Just policy.

We were at an impasse.

We later spoke to a gentleman who was part of the hotel’s holding company, presumably from Garcha’s Singapore registered Elevation Developments that built the hotel, who said he would ‘speak to them’. But afterwards there was no follow up. No service recovery. Nothing.

In spite of better judgement, my colleague decided to still have dinner at the restaurant, 5th Quarter. While I will reserve a separate review of the outlet, I found what happened at the end of the meal noteworthy and consistent with this discussion regarding service.

Executive Chef Drew Nocente

The Executive Chef, an Australian named Drew Nocente, came by to offer some complimentary cookies. 

There was the obligatory light banter, mostly between my British colleague and the Australian chef. I, a local Singaporean, tried to engage him in some conversation. I do that in every restaurant I visit worldwide primarily with the intention of showing appreciation for someone’s work. He was polite. But he hardly looked at me. His attention was squarely on my colleague.

I felt invisible.

I am not fragile and self entitled that way. But my travels have taught me what is acceptable conduct in the service industry. This was just unacceptable.

It bordered mildly on racism.

Later I saw him bypass a table of local Chinese men. He went over to a Caucasian couple with the same cookies and again engaged in conversation with them.

This is not to say that he did not eventually speak to everyone in the room, which was at best at 50% capacity. I did not have the benefit of seeing that while we were there. However, if perception is reality, the impression given was not a pretty or healthy one.

The last and only other time I encountered a similar incident was at a hotel in Bangkok. It was a fairly large Thai hospitality brand and we were corporate clients. We learned that our Thai contact was not allowed to go up to our rooms as requested because he was, well, Thai. He was not given the option to call the rooms. They assumed he was up to ‘no good’. Caucasian colleagues could walk right to the elevators. We were not informed at check in of any policy requiring prior submission of guest lists. Regardless of our protests later, there was no apology or service recovery. We felt there was an odd sense of reverse racism, mandated by a policy that was executed to a level it even disrespected the hotel’s paying customers: Us.

Needless to say, we never gave that hotel our business after that. We pulled our account.

The disappointment with Hotel Vagabond transcends beyond what happened during the initial point of contact. There seems to be a lack of customer service training, even with the ‘Salonaire’ / manager who seems to have assumed the people she was talking to did not understand or work with the industry or the very least, know how a hotel operates. As for the Executive Chef, if one was to give him the benefit of the doubt, perhaps it was not by intention that he hardly looked at an Asian that was addressing him. However, it would be beneficial for him to understand the current climate within this country regarding how home proud Singaporeans are. Being guests in a hotel or restaurant does not mean we are guests in our own country. There are many things to say about 5th Quarter but again this will be reserved for a separate review.

I am not one that believes the customer is always right.  However, you do not feed an angry customer policy right at the beginning when they feel that they have been disrespected or unfairly treated. The point is not about who is right or wrong, but about finding solutions that would hopefully generate positive after thoughts and business.

So, what could have the staff and management done?

• Defuse the situation
• Separate warring parties even if it requires moving to a neutral location
• Manager should assume ownership of the problem henceforth
• Listen and Empathize with no presumptions or assumptions 

• Offer solutions and / or gestures to regain and potentially retain brand / product confidence
• Provide acts of kindness 
• Be sincere
• Speak of the values and aspirations of the property

• (If necessary and only after the customer has calmed down) provide knowledge about company practices and procedures
• Give insight into the rationale of procedures
• Continue to validate the experience of the guest
• Use the situation as a learning point and assure the guest of such

Customers will always have choices. So with this service experience, what else can be said about this property?

At a starting rate of SGD300 ++ a night for a basic room, this boutique hotel is ranking itself closely to the price points of some of the larger players in the country. 

Cozy, compact, comfortable

Art on sliding divider walls

Room amenities

While the room that I got to visit and inspect was charming, it was small and compact. Read: you can’t stretch your arm out from the right side of the bed without hitting the wall. The windows overlooking the street were not tinted and pedestrians below could look into the room. 

Etro Bath Amenities

A common strategy of boutique hotels to include luxury bath amenities to increase their value proposition was followed here, with Etro branded toiletries in the bathroom. The other inclusions did not immediately scream luxury. For example, one would not expect Philips to be the brand of choice in terms of hotel TVs. Brand affiliations must be consistent with the intentions of the property. Hotels basically either create experiences or try to replicate the lifestyles that their intended customers are used to. In this case, from the tech in the room, to the cutlery in the food outlet, the hotel appears schizophrenic in projecting a throwback to the glamorous days of travel, without actually being one.

Seat detail outside elevators

Darkened hallways

While the hotel has only been opened for less than a week, the wood veneer panelling within the room was already showing visible wear and tear, and lighting fixtures in the hallways had misaligned nuts and bolts.

Animated collage in the elevator: Yes all those elements move

The hotel was designed by Jacques Garcia and it appears Garcha gave him carte blanche.  As expected from boutique hotels that aspire to be categorized favorably for clever design, ‘art’ was everywhere. From the animated collage on a flat screen TV in the elevator to the framed photos of old world travel that was anywhere from the rooms to the public spaces. I understand and appreciate the theatricality of it all but was not sure if this was meant to give you a sense of a safari styled lodge or an uber chic design hotel. They were pretty certainly, but good design for a hotel is not just about the pretty. 

So did the design communicate the brand message of the hotel?

No.

I did not understand the correlation between the name of the hotel and the design, the choice of amenities and the collective story they were supposed to tell me.  The symbiosis between the different aspects of the hotel was lost on me.

OTT elements like a giant gold elephant in the room, how can you not notice? Referencing a colonial past?

I will offer however that the hotel is comfortable. However, one needs to balance the price to value ratio, especially in a marketplace that may offer better amenities for a similar price point. Depending on your travel budget, corporate or otherwise, I am not sure this hotel offers proper value to business and leisure travelers, especially when one considers its location and inclusions.

Hard product aside, no one gives their business or loyalty if their expectations of good service are not met.

And unfortunately, for now this hotel did not meet ours.

We may not be in the same caliber of Jack Ma at $25 billion or Satinder Garcha at $440 million but this is all relative, and everyone deserves to be treated compassionately as human beings regardless.  

If Garcha’s intention is to turn his hotels into ‘social and intellectual hubs’ as reported in the media, it will be a challenge if the policies don’t reflect this honorable goal.  To be social requires a congregation of people. And you cannot, nor can you appear to, discriminate against anyone if you want them to gather at your premises.

In the end, this may just be a storm in a teacup. Perhaps by the time they officially launch, many of these issues would have been sorted out. I hope to one day return and review the entire property and F&B outlets when they are operational although I suspect I would not be welcomed back. But to borrow a line from the BBC documentary, Hotel Vagabond currently just does not have the right kind of person with the confidence to guide their customer around areas they aren’t familiar with.

Silkair New Cabin Crew Uniforms

OMG THAT BOW HAS GOT TO GO!

Including that silly fan pleat on the sleeves that just makes no design or functional sense at all!

New Silkair Uniform

Trip Report: Cathay Pacific Business Class Long Haul HKG - JFK

The flight to HKG was a red eye. Not pleasant. 4 hour layover. Not pleasant. Having someone in the lounge from a petrochemical company show some interest. Quite pleasant.

I digress.

I was excited with the prospect of finally sitting in what was billed as the best business class seat in the sky. Just by reading other trip reports and scanning the specs of the cabin and products, I was pretty sure they could surpass SQ.  But one can only know if one tries for oneself.

When it was time to board, it was pretty much chaotic. Ground support did not match up to the service we already received ex-SIN.  In fact, they were pretty disorganized and dismal.

So it was such a breath of fresh air when we stepped on board. The crew greeted us with complete warmth. And pretty soon after that, we got addressed by our names for the entire flight.  Even SQ sometimes fails in that department, although I must say not with me.  Never with me. 

Our seats were in the mini cabin up front, two windows K side in a cabin of 8 seats.  We were assured of a quiet journey.

First impressions:

Loved the symmetry of the cabin layout.  Center seats were in perfect mirror image of each other.  Colors, while I am not a big fan of the green, were soothing at least.

The arm rests were locked on bed mode by default, giving passengers easier access to their seats upon boarding, which I thought was thoughtful.  It would then be their job to raise them up for take off.

little button to raise or lower the arm rest

I liked that everything was within reach. IFE controls, seat controls, media ports and power outlets, and light, all in one panel.  Easy to understand and use.  There was ample storage in overhead storage as well as under the footrest (for your shoes of course), as well as the side panels for your devices, passports etc. I also liked that the noise canceling headphones had a nice little cupboard to store them away, as other airlines tend to only have a pocket or some hook to hang them when not in use. Cables everywhere is not the way to go.

And for the vain pot in all of us: mirror...discreetly hidden of course.

Anyway, being on the window side is great for inflight views etc, but one thing about the CX seat design, the control panel box of the seat cuts off one window.  Not a deal breaker, but hey, even Oman Air gives business class passengers 3 windows each.

Note: the first row window K side, there is a coat storage cabinet next to it. So if the crew needs to come around and open it lots, it might be a bother. They store other things in there too, so.....

You gotta lean forward to get the two windows. Sitting down you won't have a window by your shoulders.

Leg room was great, and unlike LH's little foot cubby hole, the space was enough when in bed mode. Then again, I am not terribly tall at 1.73m.  Don't know how this would be for a 6 footer.

I couldn't help but look into the F section.  Nice, but like SQ, I don't think the product is so differentiated that it would justify the cost. The space isn't as expansive as LH or EK / EY / QR F.  I was quite happy with my seat.

Catering:

I am used to SQ BTC and TG's premium meals. I have had surprisingly good meals on Sri Lanka business class. And even LH can sometimes throw up shockers. CX was as good as they came. Presentation I will say ranked higher than SQ, if SQ can even be used as a benchmark anymore. Frankly I think that the gulf carriers have upped the ante on all levels and they should be taken as standards to follow.  I am going to let the pictures speak for themselves.

The welcome drink: with a nice little rose bud to make it pretty

Starter 

Main: braised beef Asian style

Cheese and crackers with some fruit jelly that made the cheese so yummy!

fruit 

Dessert: Pear cake with cream

Sacher cake for snacking...they wanted to give me the whole cake!

IFE:

What can I say?  Nothing to complain. They have a great selection. Huge. Screen was sufficient in size although I think airlines should start going with the 16:9 ratio flatscreens.  When it comes to IFE, I would be interested to see where airlines will take this. Simply because it is now too easy for passengers to bring their own uncensored content on board and plug into the screens. At some point the question has to be raised, how can IFE stay relevant?

Amenity kit:

I love collecting these. CX gives two versions of their Agnes B kit, based on gender. Luckily I got both!  Standard innards. 

What you can find in the bathroom:

Note: accessible restroom, which explains the bars

Some pictures from the flight:

Final Approach into JFK:

Final Notes:

You know what made this flight special?  As usual: The Crew.

From the moment we got onboard they treated my elderly mother with such respect one expects as part of Asian culture.  She was literally treated like gold. That clearly won points with me. Beyond that, nothing about the service felt rushed. The crew and I had such a great time chatting about aviation and more.  And when I was bored, I joined them in the galley where I got to know each of them personally. We had a little cake party there, and I remember the time just being so happy. I also got to know who was CX's chief purser.  A beautiful lady who didn't come across as pompous by rank. Unlike SQ where sometimes the blue kebayas would be on their best behavior out of fear when a purple or red was flying with them, this crew seemed to work organically with their superior.  They worked very well as a team.

One very telling thing about their service and how they are different:

They learned that I was flying into NYC for my birthday. And they found out that I am an aviation enthusiast and collect airline merchandize. Just like that, I got this this.  And for those of you who fly, you will know how valuable this is:

I would say that the flight was faultless.  Even if I wanted to find a fault, I don't think there would be anything that would warrant a complaint. In fact, I wrote in to CX to commend the crew. 

To be honest, if I could, and it was part of Star Alliance, I would fly them lots. I love that from town office to airport (well at least in Changi) to inflight, they seem to have it going on. I can't even say for my own national carrier which seems to be riddled with rules and rigidity.

Anyway, love the product and service. The user experience was stellar. Highly recommended.

To end: here is a video of the landing!

Trip Report: Singapore Airlines SQ231 All Business Class Singapore to Sydney

It has been a while since I have written for SRFlyer.  My other blog explains the lethargy and other reasons. It wasn't like I had no content. Just needed a push.

Then I realized for this blog that as much as I like to share, I also have not had a record of my past trips other than loads of pictures. And unlike the old days when you can write behind the kodak prints, typing in metadata in huge volumes of jpegs can be tedious.

So this blog, as much as it is for others, is also for me.

So here goes. First trip report EVER. Please be kind.

Trip: Australia / New Zealand 2013 (OZNZ 2013)

Reason:   Miles Burn from BMI sale to BA (ick)
Itinerary:  SIN - SYD - MEL - AKL - SYD - SIN
Dates:      28 Feb - 13 Mar 2013

Business Class

First Sector: SIN - SYD
Carrier: Singapore Airlines
Flight: SQ231
Equipment: A388 (All Business Class Configuration)
Departure: 0045
Arrival: 1150
Seat: 12K
Book the Cook: Chargrilled Soya Beef Steak (Culinary Panel selection)

Like many others who had to burn their miles, this was booked like a year before. I had timed the trip to coincide with Mardi Gras 2013 (might as well), without even knowing the cost implications of that decision. It became something that I ended up regretting a bit, more on that later.

The good thing of such an advanced booking was that I was able to get my fave seat 12K and lock that down.  Also, I learned to use the system to be able to retrieve SQ's own PNR code for my booking, which was separate for BMI's booking reference. That helped out A LOT when it came to making changes to my BTC later. I also managed to get the Air New Zealand code, which helped initially to get my seats, but once BMI closed operations, I was locked out of making any amendments. This should have hinted something about what would happen during my first Air NZ flight. Oh well. More on that later too.

When the day rolled along to go for the trip, I made sure I got reminders that I had to check in the night before for the early morning flight.

It had been a while since I flew on SQ's A388, so I was psyched.

Started out with the cab ride. Like many Singaporean cab drivers, they would switch on the meter even before you got into the cab and told them the destination. It is a small annoyance, and it is crazy to me that they would think doing something which is forbidden by their rules, would earn them that much more!

By the time I got to the airport however, I made peace with that and had a good time talking to the driver about his camouflage driving gloves. Quite rad!

Got to check in. I had already done OLCI a few hours before. Wanted to get fragile tags on my new Lufthansa Rimowa luggage. I love love love my Rimowa and really prayed that baggage handlers would respect it!

There were quite a few people checking in. I noticed this Caucasian guy standing behind me taking pictures of the process, and I figured, that's a great idea and followed suit.

When it was my turn, as usual, I had a fun time bantering with the agent. She found it humorous that I loved my Rimowa so much but she said she understood. It ain't cheap for one. And I was not the first! Soon I was on my way.

I made sure I arrived slightly earlier because I wanted to do the full airport shopping, lounge and boarding experience.

Trust me to gauge the time wrong.

Wanted to check for Longchamp bags but was told that the stores were in the other terminals. So off I went scrambling from terminal to terminal. Then back to T3 for about an hour's worth in the Silver Kris Lounge.

The lounge dragons welcomed me in without much fuss. Going in, it was like revisiting Old Faithful.

SQ's lounge is dependable. And yes it is sorta glamorous I suppose. Except that there were a lot of flights taking off that night and finding a pocket of solitude meant moving to a far corner.

Looking around it never fails to amaze me why some people think think that business class travelers are somehow more privileged and well off.

Class and Class of Travel are not mutually exclusive.

I saw people who were wearing flip flops, raggedy t-shirts, unshaven. Gone are the days of Pan Am and dressing decent for a flight.

I headed towards the food bar.

It might have been late but SQ did not disappoint. There was a whole range of dishes from local, to Asian, to Western. Soups, Noodles, Cakes, you name it.

Knowing that I would be fed on board, I decided to do taste tests of the dishes instead of going for entree portions.

Let's just say for the variety, the end conclusion in terms of quality and taste was: Meh.

I was however grateful that the spread was as generous as it was. If you were in the lounge on a Gold Frequent Flier card and flying cattle class later, the food would be great as a pre-flight meal. Then again, SQ's Silver Kris Lounge policy denies entry to Gold cardholders. And you would have to be flying SQ Business Class to gain access. Or at least have a very high leveled Krisflyer membership.

My Club Chair

I got back to my seat. Could not be bothered to use their wifi and sent messages on my phone's network instead. Ate, drank, took pictures.

Then I spotted the same Caucasian man from check in. He came from the back and planted his behind on a seat in front of me. Let's just say he was making himself conspicuous. Mardi Gras was starting early.

Bathroom amenities same as premium inflight amenities

Time to board. No announcements. Went to the bathroom and yes, everything was as it was before. Same amenities.

Went to the gate. Got through security easy. I made sure NOTHING metallic was on me.

The boarding had begun. I bypassed the lines to the priority line. And then something interesting happened. Security was checking all the business passengers' hand luggage. Unusual for sure.

Fine by me. The officer opened my bag, moved a few things gently around, thanked me and off I went. Love Changi for that, they make the process respectful, discreet and painless.

Got on the plane, and there were big smiles from the crew of course. It felt like leaving home, but coming home at the same time. This flight was special. It had a purple kebaya!

Ok that's not her, but crew members came out to say hello

I was shown to my seat.

See the extra head cushion? That is for the All C Upper Deck

All the formalities of offering drinks and reading material were done efficiently. Their special mocktail was ordered. And of course my usual list: Vogue. Business Traveler Asia Pacific. Any other fashion magazines.

They came back with Business Traveler. Check. No Vogue. Sad. The crew member said she would look around for one.

A few minutes later, VOILA, Vogue! Ah SQ, you know me so well!

My Vogue under my Menu!

The door was closing. Someone came in. He sat in 11K in front of me. The crew members fussed over him. Oh no. Lifetime Solitaire member. Or worse. Politician or some guy from a local family dynasty.

He stood up from his seat, scanned the back of the plane, saw and stared at me. STARED. I thought: Oh Gawd. Phobe. How appropriate. I said hello. He went back to his seat. Hmm.

Of course later, I learned that he was an incredibly nice person. But that is another story.

There were some rain drops on the window. I love flying in rainy weather. So romantic. Now find me a partner to share it with! ;-)

While I may not go ra-ra about the comfort, I love the privacy of SQ's Business Class seat. And in a late night flight, with darkened cabins, there is something special about it, like you are on a private plane for one.

Towards Suites. One day SQ. One Day.

The seat in the all business class A388 has been modified slightly. SQ added a head cushion which honestly makes a HUGE difference. Still, you can see the age of the seats. On the regular two class upper deck, it is far worse.

Everyone was in flat bed mode fast!

A crew member came around asking for post take off drinks. Initially I wanted something naughty. I later changed that to a more appropriate tea.

SQ uses TWG teas for Business and First Class. 7 bucks I believe in town for a cup. Time to drink like there's no tomorrow. Bwahahahahahahaha! Ok not very classy I admit.

I was asked if I wanted a snack now or the Book the Cook meal. SQ serves one main meal for overnight flights like this one. I decided to eat that for 'breakfast / lunch' although timing wise, it would have been only five hours into the flight.

The crew member asked me what I would like to snack post take off. They didn't have much. Ick. The Inflight Supervisor came to my rescue. He first offered a sandwich which he would customize for me. I wanted something soupy. He then said he would get some seafood noodle soup made for me, and I don't even believe it was on the menu.

Special Noodle Soup

Ah SQ. Love. I heart your delicious local dish!

The dish hit the spot, inflating my stomach to a point that I could not eat the other nibbles like Ferraro Rocher chocolates and chips.

I made my bed, yes girls, I know how to do it. Not an SQ virgin, and grateful for it. Annoys me when passengers expect the crew to do the beds for them. GET YOUR ASS OFF AND DO IT YOURSELF!

The gentleman in front of me also made his bed and he was out like a light right after! I went to do my inflight, pre-zzzz beauty ritual, returned and tucked in with my bear Brownie. Yes Brownie was lucky this time, he got to travel with me.

Brownie was given to me by a friend when I worked in television. He is 20 years old.

There was nothing in the IFE, had seen most of the movies already. Found a HBO documentary on ex-Supermodels called About Face. If you can find this, watch it. Very interesting.

I don't usually sleep on a plane. But I must have been way tired. I got about 3 hours of sleep.

About 2 hours before landing, I got woken for my BTC meal. I half contemplated to give that up but I really wanted to taste this dish.

The Japanese dish. Not bad but a little soggy.

Got up. Got fed. Got the same reaction as in the lounge: Meh.

Before long, the cabin was prepared for landing. Lights came up, windows were opened. Passengers scrambled to the washrooms last minute, as usual.

I was ready.

The crew passed out express passes for customs and immigrations. Very useful. They had a few conditions but most of the passengers would meet them. Later I would learn that no one really checks these. So....

I didn't get to see any views below. Pity. It is like any other flight. We touched down soon enough. Pretty smooth, but it is SQ and it is the A388. We arrived slightly earlier but another plane had not vacated our gate, so we had to wait a while. No issues. Love being in a plane anyway.

I thanked the crew for yet another great flight.  Disembarkation was smooth. And so were immigrations and customs. It was quite a surprise actually as I had heard so many horror stories about how they would check everyone's bags and basically behave worse than the TSA in the US. Not so. At least not for me.

So it was a fine extension of the whole flight. I was quite relieved actually. But maybe it was because I was walking out with someone that was distinguished looking.

And that, again, is another story.

:-)