As my girlfriend and I landed in Singapore after an incredible flight in Singapore Airlines New Suites we had about 5 hours until our next flight on Singapore Airlines Old Suites. Although I wanted to make it to Sydney as soon as possible, I was excited about the layover as it would finally allow me to visit Singapore Airlines’ The Private Room lounge in Changi Airport.
In general, international first class lounges throughout the world are nice. However, I’ve found that first class lounges in an airports hometown tend to be best. Just look at the incredible Cathay Pacific lounge offers in Hong Kong (The Pier and The Wing). It was because of this little known fact that I was extremely excited about our visit to The Private Room.
Singapore Airlines The Private Room Location
Interestingly, Singapore Airlines The Private Room is located within the Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge in Changi Airport. That’s one of the aspects that most excited me about The Private Room; it’s essentially a lounge, within a lounge, within a lounge. That’s because The Private Room is within the First Class area of the SilverKris lounge and is only available to Suites-Class passengers. To locate The Private Room you must first make your way to the SilverKris Lounge found at the west end of Terminal 3.
Once upstairs you’ll pass down an elegant hallway with plenty of signage which directs you to the SilverKris Lounge.
Once you arrive at the SilverKris Lounge you will check in with a lounge attendant. At that time someone will escort you toward The Private Room entrance.
Locating The Private Room Within The SilverKris Lounge
When we first tried to make our way to the lounge we were happy that someone directed us where to go. The lounge is a bit complex and although there is plenty of signage, it’s often unclear which way to go.
As you reach the end of the reception hallway you’ll find the below pillars which clearly indicate the direction to the First Class area of the lounge (aka The Private Room).
The next signage you’ll find is simply says “First Class” and doesn’t give much indication of which direction the Private Room is located.
Eventually, after walking down the above hallway, you’ll reach a reception desk which marks the entrance to The Private Room.
Although this is the entrance to The Private Room I didn’t notice any Private Room branding. However, once inside there is little doubt as to if you are in The Private Room or not.
The Private Room Lounge Area
As you reach this desk you will once again have to present your boarding card and The Private Room lounge invitation. Once inside you’ll immediately pass a “concierge” desk who is able to assist with airline reservations, etc.
Next, you’ll pass by the modest library (magazine rack) which features several newspapers and magazines which are intended to remain in the lounge.
As you venture deeper into the Private Room you’ll find various seating areas. Every seating area we encountered included plush leather or velvet upholstered chairs.
Essentially the private room is a single long hallway with about 20 or 30 separate seating areas.
The lounges exterior wall is made up entirely of windows which do offer limited airport views during daylight hours. Along the windows are more private seating areas ideal for couples, but we found the chairs were much too far apart to sit and chat at a comfortable volume. Perhaps this is by design to discourage conversations within the lounge.
These window seats could be ideal for passengers traveling alone, however they face the seat immediately in front of them which some may find a bit awkward.
During our visit we opted to sit in the open area of the lounge as we were two of five people in the entire lounge.
The Private Room Media Centers
Located toward either end of The Private Room are media areas. Both of these areas feature massive television screens which take up a significant amount of wall space.
The first media area of the lounge it toward the entrance of the lounge and is essentially a few seats which happen to surround a television screen.
The second media area is much more secluded toward the rear of the lounge.
Unlike the front TV area, the rear media area is much more intimate and a far better place to sit if you actually wish to watch something on the television.
The Most Private Room
The Private Room has one other secret and that is that there is an even more exclusive room inside. With the lounge are a few cubicles with wood doors that guests can use for phone calls, etc.
If you’ve been keeping track, these private phone booths are essentially lounges, within a lounge, within a lounge. If your goal is to get as far away from gate lice as possible, this is without a doubt the best place to be.
The Private Room Dining Room
In addition to being a quiet lounge, The Private Room also offers a full-service dining room which is conveniently located in the center of the lounge.
The dining room features several two-top table options perfect for guests traveling together or even for solo travelers who want some privacy.
Along the back wall of the dining room are additional seating area which are a bit more exposed.
The menu found within the dining area is the same as that offered in the lounge area. If you want to eat in the lounge there is no requirement to do so in the dining area, however, it seemed encouraged.
Singapore Airlines The Private Room Menu
As we sat down in the lounge an attendant dropped off The Private Room branded menu for us to look over.
Inside the leather menu book was a complete listing of dinner options which included both eastern and western style options.
On subsequent pages of the leather menu book were vegetarian options, desserts, and most importantly the drinks menu.
Notably, similar to Singapore Airlines First Class, the house Champagne in The Private Room is also vintage Dom Perignon. Finally, the menu also included a robust selection of teas from TWG Tea.
In an effort to avoid getting a hangover from our flight to Singapore I decided to continue drinking Champagne.
Just like the flight to Singapore, the lounge attendants always kept the glass topped off.
Dinner In The Private Room
After our pre-dinner drinks in the lounge area we moved to the formal dining area for dinner. Although we weren’t necessarily hungry at this point we wanted to eat a hearty meal prior to our flight to maximize our sleep on board. Because of this I decided to request an order of the Dim Sum Delights which didn’t disappoint.
My girlfriend on the other hand was looking for something a bit lighter and decided to order the Vietnamese Pho.
As you may be able to tell from the above photo, somehow the Pho ended up in front of me while she enjoyed the Dim Sum… Either way, both choices far exceeded our expectations for airport lounge dining.
The Private Bathroom
After a quick dinner we wanted to freshen up before our flight to Sydney. At this point we had been traveling for about 27 hours straight and were in desperate need of a refreshing shower. The shower facilities are located within lounge’s restroom and are available to guests on a first come first served basis. As the lounge was empty during our visit neither of us had difficulty finding an empty shower room.
Once inside the shower room there was a sink and a shower, but nothing else. Oddly enough, the shower rooms did not contain a toilet which we both found a bit unusual. Where a toilet “should” have been was a wooden board instead.
The shower facilities all came with a built in hairdryer and a vanity mirror, but not much else.
Instead of a convenient closet area, there was this display shelf with a glass ball.
Below was a lone towel and what I presumed to be a robe.
Similar to the rest of the shower suite, the shower itself left much to be desired.
I was honestly a bit surprised to find a metal soap dispenser in the shower instead of individual amenity bottles. Although the shower suite wasn’t visually or functionally impressive, the hot shower was extremely refreshing and we were both just happy to have the chance to shower before our 6 hour flight on to Sydney.
Final Thoughts
I’m actually a bit frustrated by The Private Room. For so long I’ve dreamed of visiting this lounge that I think I set my expectations a bit too high. For starters, the entire lounge just felt a bit dated. It seemed like the lounge was designed back when Singapore first introduced Suites Class in the late 2000’s. The furniture is all in good shape, but it just feels dated. Likewise the same can be said for the finishes found throughout the lounge.
Likewise the lounge isn’t as majestic as some of the other First Class lounges out there today. For example the Qatar Airways Al Safwa First Class Lounge is absolutely stunning as you arrive. I just didn’t get that same feeling when I walked into this lounge, honestly, it felt a bit stuffy.
Finally, I found the shower suites especially disappointing. The showers just didn’t feel nearly as premium as what you’d expect from a longe, within a lounge, within a lounge. Keep in mind this lounge is limited to only a few guests a day; Singapore Airlines’ most exclusive guests at that, the least they could do is refresh the shower suites.
All of that aside, The Private Room is a very nice First Class lounge and one that I’ll happily visit again if I ever fly Suites through Singapore again. With that being said, I don’t think I’m going to be going out of my way to visit this lounge again any time soon.
