Latest Update: 24th October 2021
Only those returning from Category 4 countries will have to serve their 10-day SHN in a hotel for arrivals from 27th October 2021. Full details are available here.
For those of you returning to Singapore from your travels, or more likely from essential family trips or studies, a travel history involving many countries in the world will sadly mean one thing – 10 days of quarantine in a hotel room.
Singapore, with its love of acronyms, calls it a Stay Home Notice (SHN), or more accurately a Stay Home Notice in an SHN-Dedicated Facility (SHN in an SDF).
At one point in 2021 the hotel quarantine period was hiked to 21 days, but thankfully since then that’s been reduced to 14 days and most recently to a 10-day isolation for those returning from higher-risk countries.
For those needing more space and wanting to choose a specific property of their choice, there’s the option to pay extra and spend your mandatory quarantine period in a suite from a list of options, rather than rely on the arrival room allocation ‘lottery’.
How it usually works
Unlike some other countries, where you can (and in some cases must) pre-book a specific hotel to serve your quarantine period on arrival, in Singapore it’s been a case of ‘pot luck’ for most returnees over the last 18 months or so, with random assignment on arrival.
Some people have certainly lucked out with a balcony room at the Shangri-La overlooking the beach on Sentosa, while others were cooped up in a smaller 220 sq ft room with windows that don’t open, no couch to sit on and no bath tub to luxuriate in.
In February this year the government hinted at the possibility of allowing arriving travellers to choose their specific SHN hotel, under a potential ‘tiered pricing’ model, and to some extent they have made the first step towards this.
You can now book an SHN suite in a specific hotel
If you want more space to spend your mandatory SHN period in Singapore for 10 days, you can now pre-book a specific suite type at one of 18 hotels, including the Swissotel, Ritz-Carlton, InterContinental and The Regent, at a higher cost.
This will guarantee you the hotel and suite category of your choice, so you can be sure to have features like a balcony, separate living room, large working desk and a bathtub, for example, assuming the suite you choose has those features.
For many travellers with business to attend to, a preference for fresh air and the mental well-being of separate personal spaces to break up the day, this is a very welcome option some are gladly pay for.
Suites are subject to availability for your date range, and you’ll have to contact the hotel of your choice directly to book, but more about the exact process later in the article.
Which countries require 10-day hotel SHN?
The exact requirements for SHN based on your travel history in the last 14 days prior to arrival in Singapore is continually updated given the ever-changing COVID-19 situation globally.
You should always refer to the latest official requirements provided here for returning Singapore Citizens / PRs and here for Work Pass holders.
As of 26th October 2021 23:59 hours, SHN requirements will be as follows:
Singapore SHN requirements
(from 27th October)
| 14-day travel history (can include Singapore) |
 Fully vaccinated |
 Partially vaccinated / Unvaccinated |
| VTL |
No SHN | N/A |
| Category 1 |
No SHN | |
| Category 2 |
7 days SHN at home |
|
| Category 3 |
10 days SHN at home |
|
| Category 4 | 10 days SHN in hotel | |
As you can see 10-day hotel SHN is currently imposed for arrivals with travel history to any Category 4 country prior to arrival in Singapore.
For a full list of which countries are in Categories 1 to 3, and therefore exempt from the hotel SHN requirement, click here.
Important! Remember that while SHN periods have been reduced to 10 days in most cases, your travel history is based on the consecutive 14-day period prior to your arrival in Singapore.How much does it cost?
Regardless of which hotel you choose, the pricing is streamlined across the properties based on suite category, as shown in the following table.
Singapore 10-day hotel SHN costs
| Room Type | Size (sq m) |
Cost (inc. GST) |
|
| 1 pax | Per extra pax* | ||
| Standard SDF Room (normal SHN) |
~25 | S$1,450 | +S$450 |
| Junior Suite | <80 | S$3,600 | +S$450 |
| Standard Suite | 80-100 | S$5,350 | +S$450 |
| Large Suite | 100-200 | S$9,300 | +S$450 |
| Extra Large Suite | >200 | S$14,300 | +S$450 |
* To cover food
Note: COVID-19 testing costs are in addition to the above
As you can see, the suite option isn’t cheap!
Even the smaller suites on offer, like a Signature Salon Suite at the Fairmont (which falls under the ‘Junior Suite’ category) will set you back at least S$3,600 for a 10-day stay.
At the top end, 10 nights in the Presidential Suite at The Regent, for example, costs S$14,300.
While that might sound ridiculous, the same suite would set you back S$50,000 for a 10-night stay in April 2022 as a regular guest.
For those with deep pockets, S$1,430 a night (S$14,300 ÷ 10) for a 220 sq m presidential suite, easily the size of two average condos in Singapore, is a steal!
Which hotels?
At the time of writing there are 18 hotels participating in the SDF Suite option.
When the scheme was first introduced, there were travel history restrictions for some hotels, but these have since been removed, giving you more chance to secure a suite at additional cost for your stay.
Here’s how the list looks as of 24th October 2021.
| Suite SDF Options |
||||
| Hotel | Suite Types | |||
| Junior | Standard | Large | Extra Large | |
| Carlton Hotel | ||||
| Conrad Centennial | ||||
| Fairmont Singapore | ||||
| Four Points by Sheraton | ||||
| Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium | ||||
| InterContinental Bugis | ||||
| InterContinental Robertson Quay | ||||
| JW Marriott South Beach | ||||
| Mandarin Oriental | ||||