Hospitality
The Barracks Hotel Sentosa to open in December
On Dec 1, international hospitality owner and operator Far East Hospitality will open its third hotel on Sentosa, The Barracks Hotel Sentosa. This follows the launch of its flagship 606-key Village Hotel Sentosa that targets families, and its 193-key The Outpost Hotel Sentosa which caters exclusively to adults, particularly couples.
The refurbished Barracks Hotel Sentosa takes up two out of the six conserved heritage buildings, which made up a British military outpost back in 1904. One other building will be used as an Events Centre, while the remaining three are to be the Mess Hall, which is partly tenanted currently. The tenants include Japanese restaurant Hidemasa By Hide Yamamoto, Royal Taj which serves up an Indian fare, 7-Eleven, and Eurasian restaurant Quentin’s.
Just like Far East Hospitality’s two other hotels on Sentosa, The Barracks Hotel Sentosa is designed by architect and director Laurence Liew of Arc Studio Architecture + Urbanism, with the interior design of the rooms conceived by KKS International. Conceptualised in 2014, the restoration and internal alteration works for the hotel started at end2015, while the groundworks itself began in mid-2018.
The Barracks Hotel Sentosa offers “an ultra-exclusive” experience that is “tailor-made for the discerning traveller seeking timeless luxury and service with attention to detail”, notes Far East Hospitality in a press release.
Of the 40 available rooms across two storeys, 33 are 312 sq ft premier rooms; six are
635 sq ft suites with a king-size bed each; and the last is a 312 sq ft accessible room fitted with a queen-size bed. In each premier room are a king or twin bedroom with an en suite bathroom, and an outdoor patio for those on the ground floor or a balcony for those on the second floor. The patio comes with direct access to the pool. For the suites, semi-private jacuzzi access is available.
As part of the hotel’s personalised Equerry Concierge Service, guests will have access to round-the-clock assistance, including in-room dining. Private tours, which are exclusively designed for guests, are also available. Nightly room rates start from $500.
Timeless yet modern
According to interior designer Kunio Iwata of KKS International, the design was “based on [the] footprint of the [hotel’s] rich history”.
“Since the hotel is housed in a designated conserved building, there are more opportunities for the design to be more experiential with the raw and rustic feel of the existing site,” he says.
To that end, the rooms feature the standalone bathtub from Australian brand Apaiser, which is dark-coloured and stone-like, and made to contrast with the white marble floor. The shell-shaped basin from Hansgrohe is in white porcelain, with red gold fittings. Together, these elements give the rooms a “timeless [yet] modern” look, notes Iwata.
Each suite also features a vintage leather sofa from British brand Chester Field, while soft touches are added to the décor in all the rooms, which includes artworks and accessories reminiscent of vintage objects.
At The Barracks Hotel Sentosa, the moulded columns, traditional timber louvered windows, and moulded timber doors are all in their original conserved state. New features have been added, like the timber feature wall at the head of each bed, and rustic rounded door handles. The divider, added to separate the bedroom and the bathroom, is a timber louvered sliding door that is coated with white paint.
As a member of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH), The Barracks Hotel Sentosa joins SLH’s global portfolio of over 500 hotels. SLH is present in more than 80 countries worldwide.
“The unique offerings of The Barracks Hotel Sentosa would be an exciting addition for our members,” says Mark Wong, vice president, Asia Pacific, at SLH. “Apart from its luxurious décor and exclusive activities for guests, the hotel’s efforts in preserving the heritage of the place are in line with SLH’s vision of creating a sustainable future where people explore the world with intention, experience its intensity and protect its integrity.”
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