$%#@& -- Need a hotel in Singapore

I'm flying out next Saturday for a month in Indonesia and I checked my itinerary with Singapore Air / United (booked with miles). Interestingly enough, my return flight from Singapore has been changed to a day later than my e-mail confirmation shows. After talking to a very unhelpful person at Singapore Air's helpless desk, I called United and they said that sometime a few weeks ago, SQ updated my reservation with a new return date. So. I now have an extra day in Singapore, meaning that I need to cancel my short-term reservation at the transit hotel and book a real hotel. I'm also curious to know if I am now unable to check my bags all the way home -- i.e., because it looks like I will be in Singapore more than 24 hours, do I have to claim my bags between my Silk Air (Manado-Singapore) and Singapore Air (SIA-EWR) flights and re-check them?

Mike

For connecting flights, you will not need to collect your baggage. They will handle your baggage and get it onto your next flight provided you have confirmation of the next flight. How long will your transit be and do you have any budget for your hotel stay? I may be able to recommend one or two that's near to the airport. Do call up the airport to clear any doubts.

THIS may be a useful read and here's a similar situation..

Other than "time lost" this change in schedule has some upside.

Not sure if you're stopping over on the way in, but if you have to spend a night in Singapore on the way out

then there are lots of reasonably price hotels around, AND...

This way you can go eat some Chili Crab or Black Pepper Crab for dinner.

Seriously - some of the best seafood I've ever had, and I stopover in Singapore about once a month for work (and I never get tired of these dishes...)

Need to try these...

Thanks for the information,

I'm leaning toward trying to book something through Singapore Air's stopover program as then transfers, etc. are all taken care of, plus I get free entry into some of the local attractions should I want to wander around. Rates have gone up for that program since last year, however:

http://www.singaporeair.com/saa/en_UK/cont...o/ssh/index.jsp

Mike

Hope u have a nice time in S'pore! :-D

Just curious MikeO - were your original flights the non-stop flight from Singapore to Newark on Executive economy? Have they now changed them to regular economy going through Frankfurt? They screwed a lot of people with that little change. Lots of people had their flights changed that way and didn't get much more than an e-mail saying take it or leave it. It's like ordering and paying for a BMW, getting a Hyundai 3 months later instead and being told the cost is the same because of recent price rises.

Just curious MikeO - were your original flights the non-stop flight from Singapore to Newark on Executive economy? Have they now changed them to regular economy going through Frankfurt? They screwed a lot of people with that little change. Lots of people had their flights changed that way and didn't get much more than an e-mail saying take it or leave it. It's like ordering and paying for a BMW, getting a Hyundai 3 months later instead and being told the cost is the same because of recent price rises.

No, I got lucky in that my flight is soon enough not to be impacted in that fashion. This change, I think was a result of them starting to reconfigure planes and putting me on the next day's flight. So I am still on the nonstop, though this will be the last time that option is available to me . I agree that putting people onto a lesser class of service for the same price is a bad message to send. Continental tried to do that to me last time I went. They booked my itinerary that time because their plane was the first one in the chain (DCA-EWR), and unbooked me from my SQ flight and tried to rebook me on Continental 747 from Houston to Singapore through Tokyo. I raised hell and got my booking fixed that time. Ironic in that when Continental did that to me, an SQ rep called it "fare poaching". Guess if you keep it in the family it is just good business . . .

Quote from Drew:

"For hotels, the Meritus Mandarin is ok but the building is old but the rooms have been slight renovated. Marriott and Crown Prince are around that area. Fairview, pan pacific are also decent."

We just got back. We stayed at the Changi Village Hotel, close to the airport since we only had from 6:pm to 5:30am the next morning. Decent room for the money, but not close to any sight seeing.

I'd go ahead and get a hotel in a different area if I were staying longer.

I'm guessing you will have to uncheck your bags and get them in Singapore if you are outside the 24hr window. You can store them at the airport if you like. It's pretty simple. Your final decision doesn't have to be made until you check in with Silk Air in Manado, where they can tell you for sure if you can check them all the way through.

I was just there in April. I had a 29 hour layover, and they wouldn't let me check through (from LA to Manado on Singapore Air/Silk Air). I left my dive bag and uw camera gear at the airport - it is a secure area, cost around $7 for 2 bags overnight.