Stacked was given the opportunity to stay at Weave Suites — Novena over a weekend.
The serviced apartments, located at 12 Shan Road, had just opened in April 2026. My guest and I were placed in the two-bedroom Family Suite and this was our experience there.
Weave Living is a Hong Kong-based co-living operator with four Singapore properties: Weave Suites — Midtown, Weave Suites — Hillside, Weave Residences — East Coast, and its latest addition, Weave Suites — Novena.
Together, these bring its local portfolio to nearly 400 units, valued at approximately USD 600 million (S$810 million) according to the company’s spokesperson.
Weave Suites — Novena is a 99-suite freehold development that was acquired in 2025 through a joint venture with a fund managed by US-based investment firm BlackRock, as well as real estate company Lian Beng Group, for over $100 million.
The 99 suites span seven configurations: Junior Luxe Suites, one-bedroom Suites, one-bedroom Suites with Balcony, two-bedroom Suites, two-bedroom Family Suites, two-bedroom Family Suite Plus units, and two-bedroom Luxe Suites.
The one-bedroom Suite with Balcony is the most common layout at 30 units. The two-bedroom Family Suite, which is the unit type this article covers, accounts for just 12 of the 99 units.
The unit configuration will depend on the length of stay, as only the one-bedroom Suite with Balcony and two-bedroom Family Suite Plus are available for stays longer than a month.
All other configurations are optimised for short-term stays of a minimum of six nights up to a month.
According to Weave, the choice of the Novena location is deliberate.
The area is close to the HealthCity Novena precinct, a large integrated healthcare campus anchored by Tan Tock Seng Hospital, with Mount Elizabeth Novena, Thomson Medical Centre, and several specialist centres close by. Weave’s pitch for this property hinges on that concentration of medical institutions and the accommodation needs of healthcare professionals and visiting patients that come with it.
Whether that thesis plays out at the room rates Weave is asking is something we’ll try to examine in this article, and we’ll start by taking a closer look at the unit that I stayed in.
The two-bedroom Family Suite
The two-bedroom Family Suite is approximately 603 sq ft. For a two-bedroom unit and two adults on a short stay, the space is snug but manageable.
For a family of four or more, the layout merits closer consideration before booking.
This suite has a kitchenette, queen bed in the master, one single bed in the second room, two bathrooms, a living and dining area which leads to the balcony, and a three-seater sofa which can turn into a double-sized sofa bed in the living room.
The second bedroom also has a small desk setup next to the bed, which works in its favour for couples or solo guests: Rather than a spare sleeping room, it doubles as a workspace for those needing a quiet area to work during their stay.
In comparison, the regular two-bedroom suite, at approximately 581 sq ft, has a balcony accessible only from one of the bedrooms, one common bathroom, and two queen beds across both bedrooms.
The Family Suite’s two-bathroom setup is a clear practical advantage for two adults sharing a unit, but the single bed in the second room may be tighter for a family larger than three, and that sits at odds with how the unit type is framed.
The two configurations are close in size, with a difference of just 22 sq ft.
That difference largely lies in the additional bathroom in the Family Suite, which means the indoor living and sleeping zones in both layouts work with roughly similar space.
That comparison matters because the Two-Bedroom Family Suite is marketed as the family-oriented option, with Weave stating on their website that this unit configuration is suitable for up to five people.
If the living area is broadly equivalent across both unit types, and the Family Suite trades one of its queen beds for a single, a family with more than three people choosing it — specifically for a family stay — may find the regular Two-Bedroom Suite a more practical fit, assuming the arrangement is for a short stay and the absence of a second bathroom is an acceptable trade-off.
The next available option for a family of that size would be the Two-bedroom Luxe Suite, which costs $180 more per night.
The kitchenette comes with a full-sized refrigerator, two-hob induction stove, microwave, and sink, and is stocked with the essentials: pot, pan, cookware, utensils, dishwashing liquid, and laundry pods.
For light cooking, it covers the basics. However, on our first evening, we cooked steak on the induction hob with the hood running, and the suite was still filled with smoke within minutes.
Guests who plan to cook during their stay should keep this in mind.
For short stays specifically, Weave’s provisioning is thoughtful. Beyond the standard kitchen set-up, the property provides extra towels, disposable toiletries, a tote bag, a metal water bottle, and a laundry bag. The bathrooms come with hand and body soap, shampoo, and conditioner.
The master bedroom comes with a Dyson hairdryer on one of the bedside tables, together with an iron and small ironing board in the master closet.
Regular housekeeping and 24/7 on-site security are also included. It is a fuller set of provisions and services than a typical short-stay hotel of this size offers.
One detail I noticed: the master bedroom lighting runs on a master switch and a separate bedside dimmer. When the master switch is left on and the dimmer is dialled down to zero, the lights flicker.
It is a minor inconvenience, but the kind of thing that suggests the property is still settling into its operational rhythm.
We also had a small group of friends over during the stay. The living area started to feel noticeably cramped when there were about six people around.
That is probably a realistic capacity for a unit of this size, and worth keeping in mind for guests planning to have people over during their stay.
The amenity deck
Weave positions the amenities at Weave Suites — Novena as recovery-focused, designed with medical guests and their accompanying families in mind.
The common areas are concentrated on level two, which is also where the main reception sits.
This includes a compact air-conditioned lounge, gym, a bar counter with a sink, coffee machine and filtered water dispenser, a swimming pool and deck, three poolside daybeds, a children’s playground, and a breakfast nook.
There is also a barbecue area on the rooftop.
The pool is 18 metres long, which is functional for a few laps but on the shorter side for what residents at this price point might expect.
The gym is lean: Two treadmills, a stationary bike, one multi-purpose functional training machine, and a small free weights rack.
For residents who train regularly, the provisions here might only serve as a convenient option for light sessions.
The rooftop barbecue area can accommodate around eight people. The grill itself is a portable unit that residents must request from the reception rather than a built-in installation.
It is available, but it requires a bit of coordination, which makes it a less seamless option than what similar-priced properties typically offer.
Balestier, and the amenities found there, do most of the heavy lifting
The property’s name places it squarely in Novena, and the proximity to the health cluster in the area is one of Weave’s primary selling points. In practice, though, Balestier is where residents are likely to spend most of their day-to-day time.
Zhongshan Mall is a six-minute walk from the property. There, you can find a FairPrice Finest that closes at 11pm, which covers grocery runs at reasonable hours.
The surrounding Balestier stretch has a decent spread of food options and the kind of everyday retail that makes short to medium stays easier.
Novena MRT on the North-South Line takes around eight minutes to get there on foot.
The walk involves a slight incline, and the route is partially sheltered for about two-thirds of the way.
This is not prohibitive, but it is not the kind of connection that residents at this price point would typically describe as convenient. For daily errands, Balestier is the natural first stop rather than Novena.
I found this to be true during my stay. Food delivery options in the area skew mid-range and above, as not all of the hawker stalls along Balestier Road (Bak Kut Teh and Chicken Rice being the most common) are listed on the major delivery platforms.
Those willing to walk will find budget-friendly options, though the variety is limited.
It is also worth noting that Balestier Road hosts several co-living operators targeting overlapping demographics. Hmlet, at 471 Balestier Road, starts from $1,628 per month. Coliwoo, at 320 Balestier Road, has studio units ranging from around $2,200 to $3,000 per month depending on lease length. The Initial Residence, at 355 Balestier Road, offers rooms from $3,900 per month.
None of these properties are in high-rise buildings and none carry a Novena address, but for prospective residents whose primary consideration is value, the difference in monthly outlay against Weave’s One-bedroom Suite with Balcony entry rate of $5,600 per month is difficult to ignore.
Based on our visit and experience living in one of the suites there, I think the current offering sits between two plausible audiences without committing cleanly to either.
“We expect to attract a diverse resident base, ranging from corporate professionals and both short and long-stay travellers to international families seeking a well-connected, high-quality urban lifestyle,” says Sachin Doshi, Founder & Group CEO of Weave Living.
Doshi also names leisure travellers looking for a quieter base near the Orchard shopping district, and business professionals on short training stints or conference visits, among the intended residents.
That puts at least four distinct groups in the target description, each with different expectations around connectivity, room size, and price. That breadth of ambition is part of what makes the positioning difficult to evaluate on the ground.
The medical tourism positioning is the more coherent one.
The Novena health precinct draws patients from across the region, many of them accompanied by family members or caregivers, for stays that can stretch from days to several weeks depending on the procedure and recovery timeline.
A furnished, fully managed apartment within walking distance of major hospitals serves that need. These guests typically arrive by private car or taxi rather than public transport, so the walking time from the MRT station is less of a concern for this group.
The all-inclusive format and flexible lease terms suit them well.
Against hotel alternatives, the rates are also worth comparing: standard rooms at Courtyard by Marriott Novena, which sits directly above Novena MRT station, are listed at around $227–309 per night on their website, depending on stay dates.
Weave’s nightly rate starts from $328 per night for a Junior Luxe Suite — slightly above the Courtyard’s range, though the Junior Luxe Suite comes in at 398 sq ft, considerably larger than the Courtyard’s largest guest room at 237 sq ft.
The Courtyard’s direct MRT access and full hotel services carry real weight for shorter visits, but for stays stretching beyond two to three weeks, Weave starts to look more price-competitive.
For long-stay professionals or expat families, the comparison shifts to the private rental market. Weave’s entry rate is $5,600 per month for the One-bedroom Suite with Balcony, with the Two-bedroom Family Suite Plus running higher.
For stays of three months or longer, the broader rental market in Novena and Balestier offers more space and more room for negotiation, even accounting for the flexibility premium that Weave’s model provides.
For residents considering a longer stretch in the Two-bedroom Family Suite Plus specifically, prices start from $9,000 per month. That figure sits well above what comparable private rentals command in the area: two-bedroom, two-bathroom condo units in Novena currently list on PropertyGuru in the range of $3,800 to $7,200 per month.
Even accounting for what Weave includes in the rate (utilities, furnishing, and a fully managed setup that some private rentals do not offer), the gap is considerable.
In addition, two-bedroom, two-bathroom condos across Singapore typically range from 700–800 sq ft, while Weave’s Two-Bedroom Family Suite Plus at 635 sq ft sits lower than that band.
Most private condos in the Novena and Balestier area also offer facilities on par with what Weave currently provides.
One point in Weave’s favour is the unit-to-amenities ratio: with only 99 suites sharing the Level 2 facilities, residents are less likely to encounter the crowding that can affect larger condo developments.
It is also worth noting that short-term leases under three months are not permitted for private residential properties in Singapore, which means serviced apartments are one of the few legal options for residents needing accommodation within that window.
That flexibility is almost certainly already factored into the pricing.
The room configuration adds another layer to this. A family unit with one queen and one single bed, and an indoor living space roughly equivalent to the standard room, does not fully match the family framing the unit name implies.
The two-bathroom set-up is a genuine advantage, but it does not resolve the size trade-off.
None of this means Weave Suites — Novena lacks a market. It has a clear catchment in the medical and healthcare cluster nearby, and the product is well-suited to the short-to-medium stay segment that cluster generates.
The question is whether the pricing and product mix are calibrated tightly enough to that audience, or whether Weave is trying to capture too wide a band of residents with a single offering.
Weave Suites — Novena has been open for about a month. The flickering lights and portable BBQ grill are operational details of the kind that improve with time.
The sharper issue is positioning.
For a property that opened at a premium to its market alternatives, getting the target customer right and building the product and pricing around them clearly is where the real work still lies.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the target resident demographic for Weave Suites – Novena?
The property is aimed at a diverse resident base including corporate professionals, short and long-stay travelers, international families, leisure travelers seeking a quiet base, and medical tourists visiting the nearby health precinct.
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