It looked to be the ideal venue for the biggest day of their lives.

One couple who decided to hold their wedding at Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa in February 2024, however, had a rude shock when the hotel informed them about its renovation plans in end-December last year.

This led to a mad rush for Noel Tuan and his fiancee to find a new venue within eight weeks — in the midst of other wedding preparations.

"It was really a horrible experience," he said.

In response to Mothership's queries, a hotel spokesperson said they offered alternative venues within the hotel, but the couple declined them.

"It captured the wedding atmosphere we wanted"

Tuan, 42, told Mothership that he and his fiancee wanted to have their wedding in a more open environment, with natural lighting and against the backdrop of nature.

They decided to have their solemnisation ceremony at the hotel's Glass Pavilion, with a lunch reception at the nearby Shutters restaurant.

"It perfectly captured the atmosphere we envisioned for the wedding," Tuan said.

They signed a digital copy of the contract on Dec. 8, 2023 to reserve both venues for their wedding date, Feb. 18, 2024.

Abruptly informed of hotel renovations

On Dec. 28, however, the couple was abruptly given the bad news by an Amara Sanctuary staff — the hotel would be undergoing renovations on their big day, and both Shutters and the resort's environment would be affected.

The solemnisation could still proceed in the Glass Pavilion, but the staff proposed that the lunch be shifted to the hotel's ballroom instead.

This was eight weeks before their big day.

Tuan disagreed as the ballroom wasn't the venue reflected in their contract, and because he didn't want to have a wedding in the midst of renovations.

He asked if the hotel could change their renovation dates.

Tuan says the staff suggested they change their wedding date instead.

At that point, the couple had already sent out invitations to guests and arranged for a solemniser to fly in from Bali on their big day.

"I think it's just ludicrous. It just shows that they don't know the significance of how important a wedding day is," Tuan shared.

Up to this point, Tuan had not made a deposit, and cited lacklustre communication from the hotel as the reason.

The deadline for the first deposit — Dec. 15, 2023 — came and went, but the couple didn't suspect anything was amiss as they continued to liaise with the hotel on banquet details like the itinerary and floral decorations.

Tuan expected that the hotel would follow up on the payment matters in due time, but this never happened.

"In hindsight, this was probably a red flag," he admitted.

Lost trust

In an exchange of emails between the parties, seen by Mothership, the hotel maintained their stance on the renovations, explaining that the dates could not be rearranged.

"We have a history of 17 years old without any major renovation hence with the current situation, it will not be sustainable and competitive in the market so decide to change the look and feel of it, (sic)" explained a hotel representative in an email to the couple.

"We apologise that the renovation is conjuncture to your wedding date, (sic)" said the representative.

Though hotel staff offered to sweeten the deal with an extra night's stay or other perks, Tuan felt he had lost trust in them by this point.

So on Jan. 15, he indicated he would not be proceeding the wedding package with them.

"It's just poor customer service to spring this on us. How can I trust someone like that to be handling my wedding?" he shared.

"Really didn't need that stress"

The couple have since managed to find an alternative venue elsewhere, but Tuan said they are starting from ground zero.

They had to restart conversations with the new vendor about event details like decor and logistics — things they had already spent more than a month discussing with Amara Sanctuary staff.

And with the task of replanning the wedding, his fiancee hasn't been sleeping well.

"We really didn't need that stress," Tuan shared.

"I just don't wish for anyone else to experience something like that. It's really a horrible experience."

Amara's response

A spokesperson from Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa confirmed with Mothership that the hotel had offered Tuan and his fiancee alternative venues.

"Despite our efforts to present alternative venues within the hotel and determine the best solution before the deposit is made to confirm the event, they have declined the proposed options. We remain committed to collaborating with them to explore potential alternatives," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson also apologised for any inconvenience caused to guests, and said the hotel "will coordinate individually with the wedding couples as we always have."

"It is our firm belief to be an empathetic, thoughtful, and professional partner as we assist our wedding couples in planning for the most important day of their lives," said the spokesperson.

Top image from Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa / Google & Unsplash.