Dao by Dorsett AMTD Singapore — Hotel in Singapore

ABSOLUTELY THE WORST EXPERIENCE EVER!! DO NOT CHOOSE THIS HOTEL! Beware of your money

My husband and I exchanged emails with the hotel for six months regarding the price of a 5-day stay. They gave us a price, which we accepted, and the same day, they sent us a payment link. However, the price on the link was suddenly $200–$300 higher. We immediately responded, pointing out that this was not the agreed price, and therefore decided to book a different hotel instead.

We then booked the hotel through Agoda, where the price was much cheaper, and we paid right away. The day before check-in, I received a message from the hotel saying we were about to check in. This puzzled us since we had booked through Agoda.

When we checked in, we asked the receptionist about this and whether they had made a booking we had declined. They assured us that the email was only triggered because of our Agoda booking and confirmed that there was only one booking, the one made through Agoda.

The receptionist then asked for our credit card for a deposit, which we, of course, provided. However, we noticed that she entered the details twice, which we found odd but didn’t think much of. Two days later, we saw that the hotel had charged us for the deposit and, in addition, another $1,276! This was shocking, as we had already paid for the stay.

We went to the reception to resolve the issue, but they were entirely unhelpful. They said they would “look into it” and spent 10 minutes typing on the computer without saying a word to us. They asked for documentation proving we didn’t make another booking, which we showed repeatedly to different staff members. Without any apology, they told us the issue would have to wait until the next day.

The following day, we returned to the reception. Again, there was no apology, and they claimed it must be our fault. We insisted they investigate immediately, as the hotel had essentially stolen money from us during check-in. They promised to investigate further and said they would get back to us. Later, they approached us and said they would try to ask Agoda to cancel our booking there so we could get a refund—referring to the cheaper booking, which cost $1,000 (nearly $300 less).

We couldn’t believe what we were hearing. They were trying to cancel the cheaper booking instead of fixing their unauthorized charge? It was absolutely absurd! And this was supposed to be a 5-star hotel? Of course, we said no and demanded the immediate return of the money they had taken without authorization.

Once again, with no apology, they said they would “sort it out later.” I stood my ground and insisted it be resolved the same day, as we were leaving for another country the next day. We spent several hours at the reception, arguing with them. Eventually, after fighting to get back the money they had stolen, they finally agreed to refund it.

We never received an apology. Although the money was refunded, the unfavorable exchange rate meant we lost around 40 SGD in the process. This means we ended up paying 40 SGD and wasted countless hours dealing with incompetent staff who barely took us seriously.

The reception staff were all young girls who didn’t seem to understand much, so we repeatedly asked to speak to a manager. However, the staff would just stare at us and respond with “Mhmm.” This is the worst experience we’ve ever had.

We’ve traveled the world for months, staying exclusively at 4- and 5-star hotels, and this was by far the worst. The staff were clueless, unprofessional, and completely lacking in service-mindedness.

Avoid this hotel...

Mixed Staycation Experience at Dao by Dorsett

We recently stayed at Dao by Dorsett for a 2-night birthday staycation arranged as a surprise by my wife. While we were genuinely excited and had high hopes, our experience was unfortunately mixed — with some memorable highlights but several frustrating service lapses that left us disappointed.

When we arrived, we were asked to place a deposit using a credit card. As we didn’t have one with us, we asked to use a debit card, but that wasn’t accepted. The staff did say we could pay the deposit later or even the next day, which was helpful — but we still had to go looking for an ATM, which wasn’t easy to find nearby and caused unnecessary hassle at the start of our stay. (turns out we did not need to make the deposit in the end)

Things took a turn for the worse when we finally entered our room. It had clearly not been cleaned — the bed was messy, there was a half-finished drink left on the counter, and an unfinished coffee on the table. We called the front desk immediately and waited 15 minutes, but no one came. Only after a second call did housekeeping arrive. The receptionist offered no apology, but the housekeeping staff were very polite and sincerely apologetic. Once the room was cleaned, we were able to appreciate its positives — spacious layout, stunning views, and a well-designed interior.

That night, we came back from dinner to find that the hotel had arranged a birthday cake — which was a lovely gesture. However, they had mistakenly addressed it to my wife instead of me, which, while minor, felt impersonal given the occasion.

We also spoke to the manager to share our experience. He was polite and apologetic, and offered us a late checkout as a goodwill gesture, which we accepted, hoping the rest of our stay would improve.

Unfortunately, the following morning brought more issues. My wife had arranged for a second birthday cake to be delivered from Polar Puffs between 9:00–11:00 a.m. At 10 a.m., we went for a swim and returned to our room around 11:30 a.m. My wife checked her phone — there were no missed calls or messages. I called the front desk to ask if a cake had been delivered, but they claimed nothing had arrived. After checking with Polar Puffs, they confirmed the cake had in fact been delivered to the front desk. So we went down personally to ask again — only then did they check and find the cake. Another frustrating miscommunication that could have been avoided with just a bit more care.

Later that afternoon, I called the front desk multiple times around 2:30 p.m. to request a bucket of ice. After several unanswered calls, someone finally picked up after 3:00 p.m. and sent it up.

When checking out, we asked for a complimentary parking ticket. At first, we were told parking was not managed by the hotel — but after checking a list, the staff suddenly handed us one. It was helpful in the end, but inconsistent experiences like this were a recurring theme during our stay.

In summary, the room and views were undeniably the best parts of our stay. However, the overall service — especially at the front desk — was lacking in attentiveness, responsiveness, and follow-through. While there were kind gestures and efforts made by some staff, too many small but important details were missed. With better communication and more consistent guest service, this could have been a truly memorable experience. We hope the hotel takes this feedback seriously for the sake of...

I woke up this morning to my wife saying that murky brown water from the washing machine was flooding the kitchenette and all of our clothes were stuck inside the washing machine.

We called the front desk and asked them to send somebody to help us get our clothes out and to fix the washing machine, and the front desk lady said that someone would be coming up immediately. Nobody came, so we called again and she said the same thing when nobody came again then we went down to the lobby, etc. this gaslighting continued for seven trips down to the lobby and many more phone calls. eventually about an hour and a half later, she finally actually called somebody as we stood in front of her and made her call them as we listened.

Then the guy came and said we should take our clothes out while they try to fix the washing machine. Our clothes were extremely wet with the murky brown water, so I asked for a garbage bag, which he said he didn't have, and called housekeeping. But after housekeeping didn't come for a while, we just put the clothes on the counter, which spilled even more murky brown water onto the floor and onto the countertop Because the clothes were extremely wet, because the washer hadn't drained.

Eventually he Brought in another guy with a giant water vacuum to drain the water out of the machine, and they pressed some buttons and said that the machine was fixed.

I found this to be fairly implausible because the error code indicated that the drainage pipe was blocked, and they hadn't done anything to address that.

So I asked him to test it and within five minutes of running a cycle the same error popped up and the machine was broken again with the door locked and he had to call The guy with the water vacuum back to drain the machine again.

At this point, I also asked for a garbage bag to transfer the clothes to our friend's room upstairs, and the front desk lady again gaslit me for another 30 minutes, saying that someone was coming up immediately. Eventually, the manager got involved, but was equally useless (although more friendly).

I ended up just putting our clothes in our friend's washing machine and running it. It’s still running, so hopefully this goes smoothly. And the group of three guys that had accumulated trying to fix our washing machine finally left our room more than two hours after we initially called the front desk. I'm pretty sure the washing machine is still not fixed though since it is still untested, just like the first time.

Finally, I asked the manager if he could compensate us in some way for our lost time and disaster and experience. And he said he wouldn't do anything for us.

The following things are also downsides about the room that I wouldn't normally bother writing about, but would generally prevent me from booking this hotel again And I will put it here since I'm in complaining mode.. The toilet seat is too skinny, so your legs always touch the toilet frame when you sit down. The carpets are all dirty and...