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It
was a fun and memorable birthday celebration for me. After settling at
Rendezvous Hotel, iceprinxess and I decided to go for some activity
after dinner at Plaza Singapura. Therefore, the ideal place was either
the movie theatre or KTV studios. I had done some research on the
internet and knows that Teo Heng KTV is located at Rendezvous Hotel. At
the hotel room, I called the KTV studio to asked about the pricing rate
and to see if we could book a room. Otherwise, alternatively we could go
for a movie at Plaza Singapura. Surprisingly, there was a lot of sound
distraction at the other line. I could not hear what the staff is
saying.
We
decided to check it out at the place before we head for dinner. Indeed,
Teo Heng KTV Studio is located at level 2, Rendezvous Hotel Gallery.
The signboard was easily spotted at the hotel lobby. Although the
exterior looked plain, it looks like a family budget KTV studio. We find
the place comfortable and have a short discussion. In the end, we
decided to go for KTV since it is more economical than watching a movie
during weekends. We make our decision fast, considering how fast the
bookings went and there were an ongoing crowds coming in to book their
time slot.
Since
it is peak hours on a weekend basis, we paid $36 for a room cater for a
maximum of four. It would be even cheaper during weekdays with a group
of friends. Simply check their website for the various outlets in
different parts of Singapore and make your booking by phone. The Teo
Heng staff suggested 11-1am and we accepted their offer. Interestingly,
they manually used a marker to note down our timing at the whiteboard
which was placed behind them. We paid on the spot to guarantee a room
and they took down my phone number on that particular time slot room
number.
It
was considered a good bargain if you can gather four friends and spilt
the cost among yourselves. After calculating, it will cost $9 per person
for 2 hours of singing session. It will be cheaper if you drop by
during weekdays at the KTV outlets which you can check at their website.
However, you would need to prepare your own snacks and drinks. Not to
worry, you can still buy some drinks and tidbits for $1-2 each depending
on the items you intend to purchase at the entrance. They do not store a
wide range of tidbits at the low shelf and they only have some soft
drinks in a small refrigerator.
With
our booking confirmed, iceprinxess and I went for our dinner merrily.
After dinner, we even have time to do some shopping at the basement
supermarket. Since we can invite two more people for the mini party, I
decided to call my sister and her boyfriend to join in the fun. We
brought some drinks and snacks for the KTV session before heading back
to the hotel room for some rest. Soon, my sister and her boyfriend
reached the hotel and we still have some spare time to rest our feets
and prepare ourselves before we head down to the KTV.
It
was merely a 5 minutes walk from the hotel and we reached there 10
minutes before 11pm. My sister and her boyfriend decided to buy some
plastic cups across the street at the 7-eleven store to pour our drinks.
Please note that there is a sign at the entrance that discourage
customers from bringing strong alcoholic drinks to the KTV room. On the
other hand, iceprinxess forgot to bring her jacket and she decided to
head back to the hotel room to grab her jacket.
In
the end, I was the only one standing at the counter to wait. There were
only two people attending at the counter while the crowds at this time
keep streaming in, with some of them just like us had earlier booked a
room. There were still some walk-in customers to book a room, however
priority were reserved for those who booked the room earlier.
Eventually, this group of people have to wait while the staffs check for
vacancies in the rooms at the desk.
There
were obviously a lack of staffs as I observed the two staffs at the
desk checking the rooms while a staff was in charge of clearing the
rooms. I begin to feel impatient and anxious when the clock strike 11pm
and they still did not allocate a room for me. It would be alright if we
have more time to sing but we were only singing for two hours and the
KTV close at 1am. In fact, there were many people coming in during this
time and the staffs were busy serving these customers.
In
terms of service wise, there were some room for improvement. In my
opinion, there seems to be some confusion in allocating the rooms and it
does not seems like they have a proper 'order' or 'procedure' in
allocating the rooms to the customers as soon as possible. I understand
there were only a few rooms and the staff need to clear the rooms and
usher the customers out as fast as they could. The staff at the counter
asked me to wait while they clear the room.
However,
I did not feel assured since the staffs seem to neglect my presence
soon after when they handle the other customers. I have to ask them
twice before they reply me. It was good that the staffs were at least
polite and apologetic for the delay, however i felt that arrangement
should be done at a faster speed.
The
next moment. I was told to walk into the corner KTV room by the counter
staff. They apparently just cleared the things in that room and sprayed
some air freshener before I step in. I do not have high expectation for
the sound system but I can hear the people at the room beside us
singing very loudly. Anyway, I think that the room is clean and I like
the long leathered couch which look quite comfortable. They have a
simple interior design concept and there were a few musical instruments
such as maracas and trampolines placed at the long couch.
Unlike
K-box or some other KTV outlets, they did not provide services such as
ordering of snacks and drinks. You just take whatever items you want to
purchase near the entrance and pay the cash at the counter. Nobody
explain how to use the KTV equipment in the dim light KTV room. It was
all up to us to explore and the staffs were busy with their own duties.
Fortunately, the equipment was easy to use and I quickly mastered how to
operate the system.
If
you frequently visit KTV, you would find this system easy to handle. A
few tips for people who seldom go KTV, simply slide through the pages of
the screen to look for your favorite singers and select the songs which
you want to sing. Remember to adjust the microphone and music volume by
tuning the sound system. Sometimes the echo can be too loud, simply
adjust the sound system and move the two microphones further away. You
can take your time, seat on the chair in front of the equipment and
explore the functions.
There
were a wide range of songs selections which were pretty updated. They
sort the singers and languages by categories and you would need some
time to find the singers or songs which you like. Fret not if you cannot
find the song that you want to sing, you can simply select the 'pin
yin' by typing the initial of the singer name and a list will appear
onscreen. At the end of the day, they can still organize the songs and
the singers better. Perhaps, they could classify the singers from
different countries in each category. Giving more options enable the
customers to find the songs easily after all.
For
your information, the songs were categorize in new songs, female
singers, male singers, group and languages. It is not that hard to
select a song if you don't mind the hassle and is willing to explore the
different functions. It helps that there are pictures of the singer
beside the name. If you want to record your voice and go for PK with the
other people, you can choose to press the option on the screen.
We
had a great time selecting a range of Chinese songs to English songs
and finally our finale were Korean songs! Yes, we selected these
popular singers - Alin, Jam Hsiao, A-Mei, Stephanie Sun, Elva, Tanya,
Faye Wong, Adelle, Jay Chou, Big Bang, 2NE1, Kim Jong Kook and K.Will
songs. Most of the Korean songs, we interlock for original singer voice
since we really are not that familar with Korean songs. Feeling a
little experimental, I tried Ailee - I will show you without the
original singer voice. I was impressed that most of the songs we
selected have the original MTV.
However,
I was very disappointed with Kim Jong kook song - One man. To my
dismay, they did not have the original MTV of Kim Jong Kook and the song
is a mixed up with another song which I don't know. At least, I can
find another song song - How come you don't know. During the two hours
singing session, we tried to save as much time as possible by pressing
the next song button.
While
we were having fun, time passes by very fast. They automatically
switched off the system exactly at 1am to refrain us from selecting
another song. We listen to the new song of 2NE1 while helping to clear
up the place and throw some of the rubbish away. The KTV room was
private and cozy, surprisingly the air conditioner was not too cold. As a
mean to promote their equipment, they placed a poster on the wall
promoting their equipment and stated the prices. In conclusion, I would
recommend Teo Heng KTV studio for people who wanted a budget, family KTV
style studio that is not too fancy. Just lower your expectation to the
amount of money you paid for and you will enjoy a satisfying
experiences.
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| The equipment and sound system |
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