Raffles — Singapore, Singapore

As grande dame hotels go, Raffles Singapore has enjoyed a remarkable run, but when it turned 130 in 2017, it was clear that even it was showing distinct signs of wear and tear – its last major facelift taking place back in 1991, a full epoch in a world measured in instant moments.

But now, after a two-and-a-half year shuttering during which a crack team – among them, architects Aedas, design consultants ICN Design International, lighting consultants Tino Kwan, and restoration and research consultants Studio Lapis – sliced and tucked, the hotel is now back in business.

The restoration programme of the all-suite hotel went beyond a simple refurbishment. Total keys have increased from 103 to 115 with every suite now fully juiced-up on electronic hardware. Formerly moribund spaces like the Writers Bar and the Raffles Grill have been completely reimagined as glossy cocoons of pastel hues, swathes of shimmering brass, and plush furnishings.

Most of the interiors were conceived by Alexandra Champalimaud, the New York-based designer’s light touch most evident in the suites which she has overhauled with four-poster beds, modern art, palm-patterned rugs, and judicious lashings of marble.

Equally pleasing is the roster of new tent-pole restaurants scattered through the hotel, among them soigné outposts by Alain Ducasse, Jereme Leung and Anne-Sophie Pic.

ADDRESS

1 Beach Road

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