Raffles Singapore after the restoration: what to expect
The illuminated white facade of Raffles Hotel in Singapore at dusk. Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Raffles Singapore reopened in 2019 after a long restoration. Here is what changed at the colonial landmark and how points collectors can make the most of a stay.
Raffles Hotel opened in 1887, founded by the Armenian Sarkies brothers, who also ran grand hotels in Penang and Rangoon. It grew into one of the best-known hotels in Asia, with white verandahs, palm courts and a long list of famous guests. In 2017 it closed for a major restoration and reopened in August 2019.
What the restoration changed
The hotel remains an all-suite property, but the suites were refreshed and their number increased. Air conditioning, lighting and bathrooms were modernised without losing the colonial details such as high ceilings and teak floors. Several restaurants were reworked with well-known chefs, and the shopping arcade was reorganised.
The Long Bar and the Singapore Sling
The Singapore Sling, a gin-based pink cocktail, is generally credited to a bartender named Ngiam Tong Boon at Raffles in the early twentieth century. The Long Bar still serves it, together with the tradition of dropping peanut shells on the floor, one of the few places in tidy Singapore where littering is encouraged.
Raffles and the loyalty programme
Raffles became part of Accor with the purchase of FRHI in 2016, and stays at Raffles hotels earn points in Accor's programme. Because Accor points have a fixed value, a stay at Raffles earns in proportion to what you spend, which can add up quickly at these room rates. Some members save points from a whole year of business travel to cover part of a Raffles stay.
An evening in modern Singapore
Raffles is a short walk from the Marina Bay area. Singapore allowed two integrated resorts with casinos to open in 2010, at Marina Bay and on Sentosa island. Foreign visitors can enter the casino floors with a passport, while Singapore citizens and permanent residents pay a daily entry levy, a rule designed to discourage locals from gambling casually. Many guests simply go for the rooftop views and the light show over the bay, then come back to Raffles for a nightcap in the Writers Bar.
