Business Traveller (Middle East)
SINGAPORE STAYS
Paul J DeVries rounds up new, refurbished and forthcoming properties in the Lion City
Paul DeVries rounds up new, refurbished and forthcoming properties in the Lion City
THE WAREHOUSE HOTEL
The first hotel from the Lo and Behold Group, which already has a number of restaurants in the city-state, The Warehouse Hotel opened in January in a revamped 19th-century “godown” (warehouse) on Robertson Quay. In keeping with the history of the building and its role during the height of the city’s spice trade, the hotel features an industrial aesthetic with exposed brick walls and metal wheels hanging from the ceiling. While it certainly has a boutique feel with just 37 rooms, the hotel does offer a restaurant and lobby bar. thewarehousehotel.com
MERCURE SINGAPORE BUGIS
February saw the opening of the Mercure Singapore Bugis in the city’s Bugis and Bras Basah heritage area, a short walk from the central business district and the city’s popular shopping district, Orchard Road. Set over 15 storeys, the property has 395 rooms and suites (which all provide a Handy smartphone with unlimited free internet access) and three restaurants and bars offering contemporary Cantonese cuisine, all-day dining and drinks. mercure.com
PARK HOTEL FARRER PARK
Located on top of Farrer Park MRT station, Park Hotel Farrer Park opened its doors in May. It’s the fifth hotel for the Park Hotel Group in Singapore and has 300 rooms on floors nine to 20 – including duplex loft layouts, which are the first of their kind in the area. There is also a club lounge, outdoor pool and gym provided, while F&B offerings include a Thai restaurant, a speciality coffee house and an American gastro bar. Smartphones can be borrowed for use throughout the city with unlimited calls to 11 countries. parkhotelgroup.com
COURTYARD SINGAPORE NOVENA
Currently looking at an August opening, Courtyard Singapore Novena forms part of the new Royal Square at Novena mixeduse development – approximately 25 minutes from Changi International Airport. Covering the 22nd to 33rd floors of the development, the hotel has both its executive lounge and bar Urbana located on the rooftop. Alternative dining options are also available at Sky22 – the hotel’s all-day-dining eatery – and in the lobby lounge. marriott.com
HILTON GARDEN INN SERANGOON
The 328-room Hilton Garden Inn Serangoon opened at the beginning of June in Little India. This is the first Garden Inn-brand hotel that Hilton has in the city and will include a number of the brand’s typical offerings, notably digital check-in and a digital key. Facilities include the Garden Grille restaurant, a round-the-clock grab-and-go pantry, outdoor pool and a gym. Meanwhile, business travellers visiting the Lion City for larger events will find the hotel’s location convenient, with the Suntec Convention and Exhibition Centre about eight minutes away by car. hilton.com
YOTEL
One of two properties the budget-chic “cabin” hotel group is launching in the Lion City, Yotel Singapore is scheduled to open this summer on Orchard Road. It will have 610 cabins, a club lounge, a restaurant and bar, and a pool deck. Come 2019, the 130room Yotelair Singapore Changi Airport will open as part of Jewel, the huge expansion to the airport encompassing 22,000 sqm of gardens and attractions. yotel.com