focus
Heliconia Villa Living Room at One Farrer Hotel & Spa
anticipated restoration, and is set to
reopen in the second half of the year.
It will re-imagine the facilities, spaces
and experiences within the hotel while
respecting the history and heritage of
the hotel, shared hotel manager Ronald
Dooremalen.
“The restoration is designed to
ensure that Raffles Hotel Singapore
stays relevant and distinctive by
moving with the times and with its
guests,” he added. “(The hotel) has
always changed and evolved to keep in
step with the needs and expectations of
our guests.”
On the other side of the fence, the
newer names in the luxury business are
taking a leaf from their classic peers,
reflecting the enduring and, some say,
endearing respect for the established
players.
The relatively young One Farrer
Hotel & Spa, for example, has a full
collection of art, meeting rooms, high-
ceiling ballrooms and presidential
suites, as well as a ‘hotels within a
hotel’ concept offering rooms of varying
polished designs customised to the
profiles of different guests.
Said Gilbert Madhavan, general
manager, One Farrer Hotel & Spa,
whose career roots were in Raffles
24 TTG Asia luxury | May 2018
Hotels & Resorts: “When you compare
the old world and the new, the old
world will always be there and will be
around for a long time. They have set
good standards that we try to emulate.
We have good facilities and old-style
antiques and décor – but also the latest
technology. Guests who are used to
staying in the Shangri-La’s and older
luxury hotels will find that the crossover
(to modern luxury) may not be so
difficult, and the price points (of newer
luxury brands such as One Farrer) are
more affordable.”
He added: “Guests come here
and want to see a bit of the old and
authentic Singapore, but within the
comforts of a modern luxury hotel in
the city. We have established ourselves
apart within the market by doing things
a bit differently. Some of our concepts
like ‘hotels within a hotel’ are quite
unique.”
The old world has set a lasting
standard for newer hotels to level with.
Singapore’s hotel sector is richer by it.
“When you compare the old
world and the new, the old world
will always be there and will be
around for a long time.”
Gilbert Madhavan
General manager,
One Farrer Hotel & Spa