Known for its glittering skyline and deft hand with a cocktail shaker, Singapore is famed for millennial style luxury. Housing every major top-end hotel brand, it’s also a business traveller’s dream, with some of the best conferencing and events facilities in the world, and more than its fair share of fine feather beds.
Raffles Hotel Singapore
For many business travellers, Raffles is the quintessential hotel experience.
Renowned among locals and visitors alike for its iconic cocktail bar and sumptuous restaurant offerings, it’s the venue of choice for business meetings. Established in 1887 as the ultimate slice of colonial-style hospitality, the sumptuous facade still marks the hotel as one of Singapore’s most enduring landmarks, and the establishment was declared a National Monument in its centenary year back in 1987.
Those here for a prolonged stay can take their pick of no fewer than 14 bars, restaurants and cafes, while an ongoing slew of awards and accolades for eating, drinking and general residency continues to assure would-be guests of the ongoing standard.
As one might expect, meetings and events are catered for in a suitably glamorous style with richly furnished venues, and a dedicated events concierge to arrange visitors’ occasions down to the smallest detail.
1 Beach Road, Singapore 189673
www.raffles.com
Doubles from SGD $640
The Fullerton Hotel
Yet another icon on the Singapore cityscape, the Fullerton is a vision of neoclassical columns and floodlit frontage.
Boasting a wide range of perfectly appointed rooms, the hotel has stylised different brackets of accommodation, from the contemporary ‘postmaster’ room right up to the luxurious ‘heritage’ suites.
When it comes to facilities the Fullerton places an emphasis on helping the stressed-out executive unwind, with an enormous gym complete with state of the art equipment alongside the requisite pool and lovely spa. The usual business centre has been scaled up a notch to deliver a fully functioning ‘financial centre,’ where guests can enjoy a range of work-related apparatus complete with dedicated staffing to meet every business need. Similarly, provision for meetings and events is suitably comprehensive with capacity for full scale banquets part of the package.
Elsewhere in the hotel a cityscape in miniature awaits guests who lack the time to explore widely due to work pressures. Guests can shop for gifts at the on-site boutiques, and various other artistic souvenirs in the large array of hotel shopping facilities.
1 Fullerton Square, Singapore 049178
www.fullertonhotel.com
Doubles from SGD$288
The Capella
Comprising a full-scale resort within a city centre, the Capella is a mesmerising tribute to the architectural talent of Foster and Partners, who have created a feat of sheer brilliance on Sentosa Island.
One of the city’s newer openings, the Capella rapidly made a name for itself as matching some of the most established old favourites.
A tempting advantage for business travellers is that while the location might be slightly further out than some, the rolling grounds and incredible facilities more than make up for a longer journey. A highly regarded golf course is one of the star attractions for those hoping to relax with a few rounds, and a generously sized spa and a truly world-beating natural pool area complete the set.
Events and weddings are part of the package, and meeting venues overlooking the water are perfect for spoiling well-travelled guests. The hotel’s signature restaurant ‘The Knolls’ also serves up fine fusion and local cuisine, with hairy crab a speciality.
1 The Knolls, Sentosa Island, Singapore 098297
www.capellasingapore.com
Doubles from SGD$550
Mandarin Oriental
The Mandarin Oriental brand holds legendary court in this area of the world, and Singapore’s flagship venue is no exception.
This dazzling city slicker is the ideal venue for access to the city’s nightlife and restaurant scene, while the rooms and suites celebrate the ideal combination of contemporary chic and Asian influence, with vivid views of Singapore’s captivating skyline.
Fitness enthusiasts are catered for with an impressive array of facilities, from a stalwart gym popular with visiting celebrities to yoga classes, tennis lessons and personal training sessions. The dedicated concierge also has an enviable track record of establishing guests with well-suited evening activities.
Those who find themselves tied to the business centre for hours on end will be particularly awed by the Oriental’s sumptuous offering, complete with opulent furnishings and no expense spared. Meetings are also well catered to with a number of flexible meeting rooms, and larger events have the full run of several impressive banqueting rooms.
5 Raffles Avenue, Marina Square,
Singapore 039797
www.mandarinoriental.com
Doubles from SGD$249
Shangri-La Hotel Singapore
The Shangri-La has gone all out to ensure that business guests experience a real taste of the country’s exotic flora whilst staying comfortable ensconced in the capital metropolis.
Grounds run to leafy rainforest vegetation with water tumbling over rocks, lush foliage and pools of tropical fish. Customers will also enjoy the wider location just a stone’s throw from some of the city’s best boutique shopping and business district.
Shangri-La has established itself as a byword for residential luxury throughout the world, but with this being the original venue, many rightly attribute extra status for being the first incarnation of an international brand.
Ever in-tune with the needs of the business traveller, this perfectly appointed hotel now offers a range of serviced apartments in addition to its 750 rooms, and an additional 55 luxury residences are housed in a villa-style development complete with a host of extra services.
22 Orange Grove Road, Singapore, 258350
www.shangri-la.com
Doubles from SGD$430
Marina Bay Sands
Watch this space for Singapore’s most hotly anticipated development, the Marina Bay Sands resort scheduled to open early 2010.
This new megaplex is quite simply all singing all dancing, aiming to present the city with the best ‘premier entertainment venue’ the world has ever seen. With Las Vegas Sands backing the destination, Marina Bay Sands will house a glittering casino (Singapore’s first), a full complex of retail therapy, and an onsite museum inspired by the shape of the lotus flower.
Architecturally the main body of the hotel will be no less ambitious, consisting of three cascading hotel towers, topped by a lofty one hectare sky park. Ultimately this will be a venue to see and to be seen in, with some 2,500 luxury rooms and suites. This should be at the top of the list for those holding sway with local movers and shakers in the city.
Those seeking an impressive convention facility need look no further; a large part of the complex is dedicated to boosting the city’s MICE trade with a state of the art conference facility that has capacity for over 45,000 delegates.
www.marinabaysands.com
Double rates TBA
The Fairmont, Singapore
Cutting a contemporary shape in the central city, The Fairmont is a meeting planner’s dream, with 70,000 square feet of conferencing and events space, and a superb location with great access routes from the airport.
Formerly Raffles The Plaza, the Fairmont adheres to the same rigidly high standards of its parent hotel, and it is tipped to be the smart option for those who are looking for the illustrious service of the flagship brand at business rates.
For those looking to trade up within the hotel, the Raffles Executive club offers ‘a hotel within a hotel’ – sumptuously designed rooms and facilities for those mixing business with relaxation. Rooms come equipped with extensive desk space, providing a private office with beautiful furnishings and great views over the city. The club lounge offers the usual run of complimentary breakfast, light meals and evening cocktails, with the kind of service you’d expect of this kind of establishment.
80 Bras Basah Road, Singapore, 189560
www.fairmont.com
Doubles from SGD$390
Naumi Hotel
Boutiques have hit Singapore in style and the city has a number of bite-sized options. But the Naumi has charmed business and leisure travellers alike with its small but perfectly formed array of accommodation and amenities.
Besides stunning millennial styling, rooms include impressive touches such as an in-room pantry complete with espresso coffee maker, whilst the attention to other details such as toiletries and furnishings give this small hotel big name status.
Facilities for business travellers include a corporate suite, with an area for small scale entertainment and a wine service system. Ladies have their own floor where only female staff can venture, making it an ideal choice for those hosting an event with solo female guests who prefer this arrangement.
The usual suspects of fitness area and pool are also provided in style, while the restaurant and bar have become cult favourites with locals for their sophisticated and intimate atmosphere; both have already won numerous industry awards alongside the hotel proper.
41 Seah Street, Singapore 188396
www.naumihotel.com
Doubles from SGD $275
The Scarlet Hotel
Another of Singapore’s superb boutique offerings, proving once again that smaller doesn’t necessarily mean less in the world of luxury hotels.
Occupying the space of a former colonial townhouse, the Scarlet lavishes guests with all the attention they could desire.
In the lobby and guest areas stunning bespoke furnishings lay testimony to the talent of Singapore’s designers, while the intimate restaurant tempts with haute cuisine almost any time of the day and night. And not to be outdone by larger models, the hotel also offers a small but perfectly formed pool area for topping up your tan between meetings.
In terms of business facilities, these are restricted to in-room technology rather than attached events space, but part of the advantage of boutique accommodation is having access to a friendly bolt-hole at the end of the working day.
However, they’ve still found space for a gym facility – tucked away in the basement – and staff are well acquainted with providing for the needs of the international traveller.
3 Erskine Road, Singapore 069333
www.thescarlethotel.com
Standard room from SGD$150
St Regis, Singapore
With a regal feel unique to the premises, the St Regis revels in occupying one of the most eminent spots in the city.
Guests are housed in palatial surrounds, with gold, marble and opulence the order of the day. Butlers are part of the remit, and are available to all guests as part of the general staffing, and on a one-to-one basis for an extra charge.
The larger suites have the delightful appeal of a latter day New York apartment, with rich colours and antique designs themed around a retro styled look. Other, more traditional rooms take the regal theme of the large lobbies and guest areas to its tasteful conclusion, in elegant, immaculate detail that is both classic and contemporary.
Meetings and events are provided in the same style, with heavy leather chairs and professional board rooms adding gravitas to any business event, and several chandelier-lit dining areas ensure guests are wined and dined in the highest possible fashion with a wide variety of excuisite cuisine.
29 Tanglin Rd, Singapore, 247911
www.starwood.com
SGD$375
Marina Mandarin Singapore
Marina Mandarin combines all the advantages of a city hotel with the extensive facilities of a larger resort, and features fabulous views of the Marina Bay in almost every room in the hotel.
Designed to celebrate Asian hospitality at an international standard, this hotel is also perfectly placed for the business traveller.
An adjoining mall means guests can enjoy all the advantages of Singapore’s shopping scene without straying too far from being contactable at the hotel, while the club lounge and business centre provide a veritable home from home for those who need to get things done.
The Marina Mandarin also has an enviable history of meetings and events, with two grand ballrooms for exhibitions, private parties and glamorous launches, as well as 12 meeting rooms for more traditional business gatherings.
The slew of accompanying restaurants also offer world class facilities in which to host clients with a range of options, including Italian and Malaysian cuisine.
6 Raffles Boulevard, Marina Square,
Singapore 039594
www.meritus-hotels.com
Doubles from SGD$517
Sheraton Towers Singapore
When it comes to sheer unbridled elegance, the Sheraton matches all criteria.
With a light, bright and modern design, the hotel prides itself on welcoming business guests to an array of eclectically styled and personal rooms. Voted one of the best places to stay in the world by Conde Nast, the Sheraton continues to draw international guests and local culinary aficionados to its superb restaurant facilities.
Business customers will find that no detail is too fine when it comes to preparing accommodation for those working on the move. Rooms come equipped with the usual internet and desk space, but extra attention has been paid to factors like the strength of the connection and telephone facility.
Outside the bedrooms, meetings and events are catered for with up to 17 events venues, including a grand ballroom, and purpose-built function rooms with all-important natural daylight and leafy
window views.
Thirty-Nine Scotts Road, Singapore 228230
www.sheratonsingapore.com
Doubles from SGD$380
Grand Hyatt Singapore
Grand Hyatts have made a great job of making themselves synonymous with the last word in luxury.
So it’s no surprise that the Singapore manifestation of this grand collective is no less well appointed than the discerning business customer would imagine.
Centrally located with over 600 rooms, the Singapore Grand Hyatt prides itself on catering to guests on business. Facilities include 24 function rooms and a grand ballroom, all of which can be flexibly tailored to suit the needs of variously sized groups.
The hotel also offers a number of appealing guarantees of good service, including a money-back price promise if anything is not to standard. Meeting and events planners can also take advantage of a rewards system to accrue benefits such as free upgraded rooms and similar bonuses.
The business lounge includes thoughtful extras such as laptop hire, a translation service and all the additional concierge requirements of those a long way from home without the resources of the larger team they may be used to.
10 Scotts Road, Singapore 228211
www.singapore.grandhyatt.com
Doubles from SGD$370
Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore
From hand-woven Tibetan rugs to butler-drawn rose-petal baths, the Ritz-Carlton really does make luxury on a grand scale.
This vision in architectural styling (by Pritzker Prize winning Kevin Roche) towers out of seven acres of garden grounds – no mean feat in a city where glass and chrome dominate the landmass.
Having made it past the abundance of natural surrounds, guests are treated to a 4,200 piece art collection including many masters of the 21st century, whilst the rooms beyond all boast beds with unobstructed views of the city skyline. The marble bathrooms also provide views out into the capital.
The business facilities are no less exacting than the opulent accommodation, with 3,250sq m dedicated to providing the highest possible standard of service. Those involved with the meetings delivery are rigorously sourced for qualifications in the field, and events can even be customised to ensure specific strategic goals are met.
7 Raffles Avenue, Singapore 039799
www.ritzcarlton.com
Doubles from SGD$500
